Introduced in February 1740 during the first performance of Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, this concerto must have posed a formidable technical and logistical challenge. Only one organ in London, that at St. Paul's Cathedral, was equipped with pedals, and yet Handel demanded pedals and two manuals for this work's opening passacaglia. So either a temporary pedal board must have been attached to the organ at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where the performance was given, or the pedal tones were simply assigned to the orchestra's cellos and bass. Handel begins the first Andante movement with an organ proclamation that seems to shout "Hallelujah!" This is transferred to the orchestra and soon becomes the bass line in an extended passacaglia, which alternates between grand, sober treatments of the note sequence and playful, intricate melodic elaborations. This is one of the longest single movements in all Handel's organ concertos, but the composer isn't finished with his material yet. After repeating the movement's opening passage and giving the organ a few quiet closing bars, a new Andante begins and continues to toy with the same bass line. Now the dynamic level tends to be lower, while Handel gives the organ an increasingly elaborate, improvisatory melodic line (echoed by the orchestra) over a steady, catchy beat. The pulse becomes less insistent, and the remainder of the movement features complex melodic lines over a more subtle pulse. A brief violin cadenza leads to the third movement, Largo e piano. The music is, indeed, slow and quiet, but the active, almost "walking" bass line gives the impression of steady forward movement. The organ, meanwhile, mostly offers long-held, sepulchral chords. From here, the printed edition heads straight into the final movement, but a Handel manuscript shows that the fugue from his Concerto Grosso, Op. 6/11, should be inserted, along with an interpolated organ cadenza. At this point, performers may prefer to separate the quick fugue from the quick finale by insinuating a slow movement from some other Handel work into the mix. Otherwise, it's time for the concluding "Bourrée," a happy, skipping tune that ends this great concerto on a particularly good-natured note.

© All Music Guide