Although he died at the relatively early age of 39, Frantisek Xaver Brixi became one of the best-known and most influential figures in the musical life of Prague during the middle years of the eighteenth century. The vast bulk of his enormous output of some 500 works was written for church use and includes 105 Masses and 11 settings of the Requiem. Unlike Handel's organ concertos, which were originally performed in the theatre, Brixi's (he wrote five altogether) were composed for the Benedictine convent of St George in Prague, where he held the post of Choirmaster simultaneously with that of Kapellmeister at St Vitus's Cathedral in the city.
The three concertos included on this disc possess a wealth of delightful melodies and an abundance of harmonic inventiveness. They are charming, light-hearted, but nevertheless superbly crafted works in which the organ part, written for manuals only, explores a wide range of colouristic possibilities. These include echo effects and, most notably in the final movement of the D major Concerto, something of a duet character between the different organ manuals; an effect heightened in this recording by the spatial layout of the instrument with, I suspect, the sections of the organ speaking from different sides of the case.
These are carefully prepared, neat performances. Vajnar's tempos are just right, the orchestra produces a wonderfully buoyant sound, giving the entire recording marvellous vitality, while Jan Hora proves to be a most gifted soloist. His technical delivery is impeccable, with the frequently exposed rapid unison figures between violins and organ carried off immaculately. The recordings, made in 1982, are crystal clear, although in places I wonder whether the organ is not just a little unrealistically forward of the orchestra—as if in one room with the orchestra sitting outside with the door closed.'