Concerto No. 5 in G minor
Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major
Concerto No. 2 in G major
Concerto No. 4 in B-flat major
Concerto No. 1 in C major

English composer Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1788), accredited as the composer of 'Rule, Britannia!', and of all things the song 'A Hunting We Will Go', was a theatrical composer known for working at Covent Garden and the Drury Lane Theatre. For a composer whose specialty was song and operatic drama, it's a bit unusual to hear such delightful and articulate Organ Concertos from his pen. And once again, most of the extant recordings featuring some of his music are hodgepodge collections of shorter works by various baroque composers, so in this case, it's nice to have a CD completely devoted to his music. It's not clear if these are premiere recordings, but the only other trace of a previous release is a Chandos recording dating back to 1988.

Unfortunately his musical endeavors were completely overshadowed by his illustrious contemporary George Frideric Handel. Oddly enough, compared to Handel's own rather formal and didactic organ concertos, Thomas Arne's animated and virtuosic writing showcase a pipe organ's tonal character as well as the organist's technical and expressive abilities. The organ in this case happens to be the perfectly voiced, 30-stop instrument at the St. John's church in Gdansk, built by Johann Friedrich Rhode in 1761 and fully restored in 2019. This is the first recording since its reconstruction. Its gilded organ case and facade alone is a thing of beauty. The organist, Andrzej Szadejko, who also happens to be a composer, conductor, teacher and organologist, lends everything a swift uplift and zest in the faster movements, and brings out the organ's rich and mellow tones within the slow movements.

The Goldberg Baroque Ensemble, directed and founded by Andrzej Szadejko in 2008, generate and project an authentically baroque sound that pairs exceptionally well with the sound of the pipe organ. All in all, this is a welcome recording project not only for pipe organ music enthusiasts but for any and all baroque music fans as well. Bach and Handel may have been the stars of solar systems within the baroque galaxy, but many of their orbiting planets were spun from the same light and energy.