Handel: Suites De Pieces Pour Le Clavecin

Handel has the reputation of a free thinker regarding the composition of his suites. His keyboard works combine a formal freedom with a rhetorical mastery in a way that undoubtedly reflects his improvisatory gifts, for which he was famous. The music in these pieces is very lively in its invention, and exhibits an enthusiasm in allying the structure with very different styles. The large-scale works of 1720, all completely different from one another, are a synthesis inspired by elements of the German and Italian styles. He seems to have had little interest in the form of the suite per se. Formal unity is most often achieved through common thematic use.

The diverse origins of the music make the collection of suites a microcosm of Handel’s eclectic style. Following his highly acclaimed recording of the Johann Mattheson harpsichord suites, Cristiano Holtz presents a splendid interpretation of the Handel suites.