In this CD of highlights from The English Concert's classic 1984 recording of Handel's organ concertos, the deficiencies noted in the original review concerning the balance between organ and orchestra seem happily to have been resolved. The differences between the recording venues—the relatively dry acoustic of the Finchcock's Museum in the Op. 4 Concertos to the sumptuous sound of the Staffordshire church used for the recording of the two later works—are, on the other hand, emphasized by the critical quality of the CD.
Inevitably in the circumstances the rapport between organist and orchestra is close. Trevor Pinnock's sparkling and precise interpretation of Handel offers the sort of support a virtuoso of Simon Preston's calibre thrives on: in the virile ritornellos of the allegros they play with vigour and brilliance, in antiphonal passages such as the rhetorical opening of Op. 4 No. 1 they are especially alert to the seams, and in the slow movements—for example, the well-paced and elegant orchestral accompaniment to the Siciliana (Larghetto) of the 1739 Concerto in F (The cuckoo and the nightingale)—they support their organist well.
Simon Preston plays with wit and charm; the ad libitum passages are models of taste and discretion. The discrepancies between autographs and printed editions were resolved by Anthony Hicks, whose explanations appear in the booklet accompanying the CD. With so many movements either derived from other familiar works by Handel or the inspiration of others, this offering to CD collectors should win instant popularity.'