“Many of Handel’s movements are skeletal, awaiting the skill of the performer to bring them to full life… (but) what we consider ‘tasteful’ today is often at odds with the highly varied vocabulary of swift and expressive ornaments that seems to have been part of the repertoire of improvisatory play amongst soloists at the time.” This, from that eminently learned yet pragmatic conductor and keyboardist Erin Helyard’s booklet notes to his superb recording of half of Handel’s so-called Eight Great Suites for harpsichord, gives you a sense of the floridity and fervour to be found therein.