Händel ‘s Watermusic is probably along with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos the most famous instrumental work of the German Baroque. Composed to celebrate King George I and to be performed on barges along the Thames (hence the title), this glorious music features a large orchestra with trumpets, horns, oboes, timpani, flutes and strings. Watermusic consists of 3 suites for orchestra, in which sections are alternated between each other moving from the sweetest and tenderest melodies to the wildest dance movements. The meticulous German writing blends with the taste for French dance and creates compositions of an over-the-top level.

Playbill

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
Watermusic HWV348-349-350 .
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Locatelli Ensemble

Thomas Chigioni direction