Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks; Water Music

Sir Marriner is in general one of my favorite conductors, but this performance is bad. I am not an expert and cannot specifically explain in what manner this recording is bad, but you would soon realize something is wrong when you would listen to this CD. Perhaps tempi are unstable. Sound quality is mediocre, as is often with London Cds.
Rating: 2 / 5

I really think that Handel’s Water Music is glorious, and very well-presented here!
Rating: 5 / 5

I had this same suite years ag on tape. Sir Neville Mariner and St Martin’s in the field. . . who could ask for more!
Rating: 5 / 5

Without a doubt this piece could be described, along with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, as the “Stairway to Heaven” of Baroque era classical music. It is a shame Handel’s most well-known composition has been played to death because it is really a joyous and fascinating piece. In this vibrant version from 1971, the Academy under the direction of Neville Marriner play the Music for the Royal Fireworks with the fire and spirit it deserves, and then treat the Water Music with exceptional delicacy and refinement. This is an exquisite recording that any fan of Sir Neville Marriner, Handel, or classical music in general should hear.
Rating: 5 / 5

Georg Friedrich Handel’s most famous instrumental works are presented here: his Music for the Royal Fireworks and his three suites of Water Music in F major, D major, and G major. A grand occasion celebrating a treaty is the backdrop for Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. Grand stories surrounding the event exist, including a great traffic jam on the London Bridge, a 101 canon salute, and a fire which led to a swordfight. There were 100 musicians outside to play music including 12 trumpets and 16 french horns, and Handel was far from happy with the situation. In any case, the music is very stately, featuring trumpets, horns, and oboes in many guises, not to mention plenty of fanfares.

Handel’s Water Music Suites were composed for the King’s Wednesday evening excursions on the water. A separate barge was allocated to the musicians. Some 50 musicians played entertainment, an event to bring Venice to England. Some of Handel’s greatest melodies situate themselves into these three suites. Very courtly and often rooted in dance, these works represent Handel at the top of his game. Each suite is scored slightly differently: F major has oboes, bassoons, horns, and strings, while the D major adds trumpets, and the G major includes recorders and flutes; all have the standard basso continuo, well played on this recording.

The chamber ensemble Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields has the right touch in all of these works, but as opposed to many performances, a general courtliness (one might go so far as to say stuffiness) is present in these pieces, giving a dignified grandeur, as opposed to the freneticism of other recordings. As is usually the case with Sir Neville Marriner, great lengths are taken to provide the public with the most scholarly performances of 17th and 18th century music; this CD is no exception. Aside from scholarship, the playing and the sound is beautiful and equally balanced. The acoustic of Wood Hall is dry enough so as to not make this chamber ensemble sound over reverberant. Really, all in all, if you want these Handel masterpieces on one disk, the recording is as good as any out there.
Rating: 5 / 5