As the name suggests, a claviorganum is a keyboard instrument with a harpsichord and an organ section, which can be played individually or together on one or two manuals. While this instrument may seem like a curiosity today, many sources confirm that “curiosities” were rather the norm on the European continent from the 15th to the 17th century.
There was a variety of different keyboard instruments at this time, but which instrument should be used for a particular work is usually not specified. Therefore, it is extremely interesting to try to establish the connection between an instrument and a particular repertoire. That is the task Il Gardellino and Bart Naessens have set themselves with this recording.
Handel’s Organ Concertos, Op. 7 were written at a time when the composer was more than ever in search of the perfect instrument. While there is no evidence that Handel knew the claviorganum, it is very likely that he did. The present recording shows that the claviorganum sounds absolutely exquisite in the selected repertoire, both as a solo and as a continuo instrument. © Passacaille