Composer: George Frideric Handel
Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre
Conductor: Marc Minkowski
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Naïve
Release: 2010
Size: 1.01 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Water music: suite in F Major, HWV 348
01. I. Ouverture (Ouverture)
02. II. Adagio e staccato (Adagio e staccato)
03. III.Allegro
04. IV. Andante (Andante)
05. V. Variantes (Variantes)
06. VI. Allegro (Allegro)
07. VII. Air (Air)
08. VIII. Menuet (Menuet)
09. IX. Bourée (Bourée)
10. X. Hornpipe (Hornpipe)
11. XI.
12. XII. Variante alla Hornpipe (Variante alla Hornpipe)
Water Music: suite in G Major, HWV 350
13. I.
14. II. Rigaudon (Rigaudon)
15. III. Menuet (Menuet)
16. IV.
17. V.
Water Music: suite in D Major, HWV 349
18. I.
19. II. Alla Hornpipe (Alla Hornpipe)
20. III. Menuet pour trompette (Menuet pour trompette)
21. IV. Lentement (Lentement)
22. V. Bourrée (Bourrée)
Rodrigo
23. I. Overture
24. II. Gigue
25. III. Sarabande
26. IV. Matelot
27. V. Menuet
28. VI. Bourree
29. VII. Gavotte
30. VIII. Passacaglia
Following the huge success of their Haydn Symphonies set, Marc Minkowski and his Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble’s fifth recording on Naïve is Handel’s popular Water Music, commissioned by King George I for a big “river party” on the Thames that took place in July 1717. Minkowski and his band have performed this many times in concerts all over Europe and now they record it for the first time.
Handel’s Water Music was influenced by French, German and Italian music, which explains its lively, colourful, varied, dynamic and dancing character – and its enduring popularity with audiences ever since. This fresh interpretation gathers together the three suites – grouped according to instrumentation and key – that collectively comprise all the Water Music.
To complement the Water Music, Marc Minkowski has chosen to record the ‘Ouverture’ to Rodrigo (an opera recorded in full on Naïve’s sister label, Ambroisie – AM132), composed by Handel for his Italian audience some years before. Everything, in this Florentine suite, seems to foreshadow the London festival!
“This is the finest period instruments ensemble in the world.” Independent on Sunday