About the Performance
Performed on a barge on the River Thames by an orchestra of 50, George I liked the Water Music so much he was said to have demanded it be played three times that night. Much of the music is now used regularly on TV and radio and will be very familiar to those who don't even realise they know it.
Handel went on to compose for George II and, to celebrate victory in the war for Austrian succession, wrote Music for the Royal Fireworks. The music was a popular hit even from the dress rehearsal, causing a three hour carriage jam as 12,000 people flocked to hear it.
Mixing the familiar with the unfamiliar, discover Marais's orchestral music from his opera ballet Alcione. Full of magic and fantastic journeys, Jordi Savall and his orchestra Le Concert des Nations are experts in performing this music.
'Harpsichord and thrumming theorbos provided the rhythmic and percussive driving force behind this delightful, giddy whirl performed, once again, to a completely full house.' The Scotsman Festival 07
This event will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s 'Performance on 3' programme at 7:00pm, 15 September 2009. The programme will then be available for streaming and download for one week at bbc.co.uk/iplayer.
