Search - William Neil :: Handel: Water Music (complete) / Music for the Royal Fireworks

Listen to this CD when sailing the Thames River in England.

Bank of America | Houston, TX | 01/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It is very difficult to get the COMPLETE Water Music (all three suites). When a CD does indeeed have all three suites, usually each suite is performed by a different emsemble. The first suite (usually the first ten movements), is slightly 'down-played' or unexagerated for my taste when compared to other ensembles such as the N.Y. Phil.Orch. The best movement in my opinion in the first suite is the first minuet. This movement came to me as being very lyrical. The french horns did a very excellent job in setting the overall mood in the first suite. The second and third suites are blended together as one suite when clearly the second suite have trumpets as the dominant voice and the third suite having the lighter woodwinds as the featured instruments. The opening movement to the second suite is without a doubt the best I have ever listened to. The continual 'dog-fight' that occurs when the trumpets along with the timpani begins a melody and the french horns along with the harpsichord repeats it right back is so enjoyable. This movement has the feeling that the orchestra splits in half and each half is trying to outdo the other half only to have both halves join together at the end of the movement. The best movement in this water music recording is the Air movement right before the Gigues. I absolutly adore the flute solo. One gets the impression that it is truly a songbird that is showing off its virtuosity with the many trills that the performer makes. For the Fireworks Suite, the only one worth listening to is the Bouree movement with the oboe and the basson setting the general mood of the movement. As far as the second disc, the music is very good overall, but not very awe-inspiring. The 'Samson' aria is best appreciated when the lead voice is a soprano with a trumpet echoing the soprano as is done in other CD recordings (ie, Greatest Hits-Handel). As far as the concertoes are involved, in my opinion, no one does them better than the baroque Italians (ie, Corelli, Locatelli, Sammartini, Albinoni, Vivaldi, ect.)"