Release Date: 12 January 2005
Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 747313276424
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: HANDEL
Description
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)Water Music Music for the Royal FireworksGeorge Frideric Handel was born in Halle in 1685,the son of an elderly and distinguished barber-surgeonby his second wife, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor.He showed an early interest in music, an activity notaltogether encouraged by his father, whose patron, theDuke of Saxe-Weissenfels, intervened in the boy'sfavour. His father died in 1697 but Handel's generaland musical education continued, allowing him, fiveyears later, to matriculate at the University of Halle,and to accept, a month afterwards, the position oforganist at the Calvinist cathedral. The following yearhe abandoned his studies and his native town in orderto embark on a career as a musician.Handel's first employment was in the city ofHamburg. There he worked at the opera, at first as arank-and-file second violinist and then asharpsichordist and composer, establishing his firstconnection with England by giving lessons to the sonof the English Resident. In Hamburg he wasassociated with Johann Mattheson, a musician hissenior by four years, who was, rightly or wrongly, toclaim a share in Handel's education as a composer.From Hamburg Handel travelled in 1706 to Italy, atthe invitation of Prince Ferdinando de' Medici, heir tothe Grand Duchy of Tuscany. He was to remain thereuntil 1710, spending time in Florence, in Venice, andin Rome, absorbing more fully the Italian style that hehad already attempted in opera in Hamburg, andimpressing audiences with his ability as an organistand harpsichord-player.It was through his acquaintance with BaronKielmansegge, Master of Horse to the Elector ofHanover, whom he met in Venice, and perhapsthrough an earlier meeting with the Elector's brother,Prince Ernst August, that Handel found himselfoffered the position of Kapellmeister in Hanover, anappointment followed, according to prior agreement,by immediate leave of absence for twelve months.In moving north Handel seems to have hadLondon in mind as a possibly rich field for musicalspeculation. England was under the rule of QueenAnne, the second of the daughters of the exiledCatholic King James II. The last of the Stuarts was tobe succeeded after her death in 1714 by the Elector ofHanover, who ascended the English throne as KingGeorge I. On his first visit to London Handel hadremained for eight months, seeing to the mountingearly in 1711 of his new Italian opera Rinaldo, with alibretto based on an outline sketch by Aaron Hill. Hethen returned to Hanover, but after fifteen months hewas back once more in London, with leave from theElector to stay for a reasonable length of time. Handelin the event settled in England for the rest of his life,whether with or without the approval of his patron isnot clear. He was, however, to enjoy royal patronageafter the accession of George I.In London Handel was concerned to aconsiderable extent with the Italian opera, a riskyventure that was to undergo various changes offortune during the following
Tracklisting
Dariia Lytvishko
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop
Alice Di Piazza; Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Bigband; Titus Engel
Anna Alas i Jove; Miquel Villalba
David Childs; Black Dyke Band; Nicholas Childs
Yaqi Yang; Margarita Parsamyan; Robynne Redmon; Minghao Liu; Frank Ragsdale; Kim Josephson; Kevin S
Vilmos Csikos; Olivier Lechardeur; Manon Lamaison
Tomas Cotik; Martingale Ensemble; Ken Selden
