[3/18/2011] Preview: Musical fireworks courtesy of Handel (continued)

"A view of the fireworks and illuminations at His Grace the Duke of Richmond's at Whitehall and on the River Thames on Monday, 15 May 1749" (hand-colored etching) -- the occasion for which Handel composed the Music for the Royal Fireworks.

It was scored for a large wind band ensemble consisting of 24 oboes, 12 bassoons (and a contrabassoon), nine trumpets, nine French horns, three pairs of kettledrums, and an unspecified number of side drums. Handel was specific about the numbers of instruments to each written part. In the overture there are assigned three players to each of the three trumpet parts; the 24 oboes are divided 12, 8 and 4; and the 12 bassoons are divided 8 and 4. The side drums were instructed when to play in La Réjouissance and the second Menuet, but very likely also played in the Ouverture.

After the first performance Handel re-scored the suite for full orchestra. Handel wrote notices in the score: the violins to play the oboe parts, the cellos and double basses the bassoon part, and the violas either a lower wind or bass part. The instruments from the original band instrumentation play all the movements in the revised orchestral edition except the gentle Bourrée and the first Menuet, which are played by only the oboes, bassoons, and strings alone.

As we hear tonight's three Fireworks Music movements individually, one of our performances is the famous 1959 Vanguard-Pye recording that, under Charles Mackerras's direction, actually reproduced that improbable original scoring of Handel. (What we're hearing isn't the Testament CD reissue but a dub I made from my Pye LP.) Our other performances tonight represent, well, an assortment of other approaches. (Since the Szell recording is of the once-commonly-performed arrangement by Sir Hamilton Harty, which incredibly omits "La Réjouissance," I've turned to the lovely Boulez recording.)

As indicated we start with the little "Bourrée."

HANDEL: Music for the Royal Fireworks:
ii. Bourrée

(arr. Harty) London Symphony Orchestra, George Szell, cond. Decca, recorded August 1961
Wind Ensemble, Charles Mackerras, cond. Vanguard/Pye/Testament, recorded in St. Gabriel's Church, London, April 1959

Now we have that luscious Sicilian-style slow movement, "Peace."

HANDEL: Music for the Royal Fireworks:
iii. La Paix (Peace): Largo alla siciliana

(arr. Harty) London Symphony Orchestra, George Szell, cond. Decca, recorded August 1961
Wind Ensemble, Charles Mackerras, cond. Vanguard/Pye/Testament, recorded in St. Gabriel's Church, London, April 1959

And with the coming of peace, what could be more natural than "Rejoicing"?

HANDEL: Music for the Royal Fireworks:
iv. La Réjouissance (Rejoicing): Allegro

New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez, cond. CBS/Sony, recorded Dec. 22, 1973
Wind Ensemble, Charles Mackerras, cond. Vanguard/Pye/Testament, recorded in St. Gabriel's Church, London, April 1959

Now we hear our three Fireworks Music movements strung together.

HANDEL: Music for the Royal Fireworks:
ii. Bourrée
iii. La Paix (Peace): Largo alla siciliana
iv. La Réjouissance (Rejoicing): Allegro

English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard, cond. Philips, recorded c1970
Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman, dir. Telarc, recorded Jan. 2-4, 2002

And finally, for tonight, since we've heard the jolly clatter of the 1959 Mackerras all-winds recording, I thought it might be interesting to hear one of this more orthodox later Mackerras recording.

London Symphony Orchestra, Charles Mackerras, cond. EMI, recorded c1976


IN TOMORROW NIGHT'S PREVIEW --

We sample the other, much larger set of famous Handel "outdoor" music, the Water Music. Sunday we hear all of the Fireworks and Water Music.


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