Water Music
Festival visits
Händel – J.S. Bach – Niittykoski
Kreeta-Maria Kentala, violin and leader
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
FiBO visits both the Herrenchiemsee Festival and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg again and after several years also Organ Night and Aria Festival in Espoo. The concerts are celebration of the rich timbre of Baroque orchestras! Water Musicand Music for the Royal Fireworks by Georg Friedrich Händel and the orchestral suites by Johann Sebastian Bach are iconic works for Baroque orchestra; filled with airy dancing, cooing of wind instruments and charming figures. We will hear Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, which also includes his beloved Air. However, Bach isn't in the programme in Hamburg and Espoo but instead of music by Viljami Niittykoski.
For a long time, Händel's Water Music has also belonged to the evergreens of the Baroque. It was a big hit already in its own time, and various versions of it were performed in the theatres and music halls of London. Both Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks are court entertainment in the French style meant to be performed outdoors: the Water Music suites were created to accompany a royal boat trip on the River Thames in the summer of 1717, and Music for the Royal Fireworks, again, was part of a grand park party in 1749, in the celebration of the Treaty of Aachen. Music for the Royal Fireworks echoes the themes of war and peace, while Water Music offers a breeze of fresh air with its brisk dance numbers and tooting horns.
For Water Music, an orchestra of 50 people had squeezed into a barge that advanced on the river next to the king's barge. King George I was thrilled with Händel's production, and he had the suites played again and again during the trip and the subsequent dinner. The tones resounded over the water, and the river was filled with listeners in boats wanting to get their share of the lovely music.
Duration: 1 h 45 min (incl. intermission)