George Handel • Water Music Suite
King Record Company/Decca Record Company KIJC 9201
33-RPM 180 g LP
The Water Music and The Royal Fireworks (which is paired with the former on this record) are arguably the most famous—and most popular—works by German composer George Frideric Handel (who was born in 1685, the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach). The former was composed after King George I had requested a concert on London’s River Thames; the latter was commissioned by King George II in 1749 to accompany the fireworks in London’s Green Park celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession. Both pieces were composed with the intent of being played outside.
This interpretation was recorded in 1961, in London’s Kingsway Hall by Ken “Wilkie” Wilkinson—and what a fine recording it is! Imaging is very good, but not quite in the same “aural holography” league as recording such as Mehta’s version of Holst’s The Planets or Reiner’s rendition of Prokofiev’s Lt. Kije.
The record itself is also very good, being flat with silent surfaces, and housed in a heavy cardboard sleeve. Recommended, this record will make a fine addition to your classical music library.