Handel: Water Music

Edition: Audio CD Price: $5.49

Genre:  Classical  Orchestral & Symphonic  Baroque Suite/Partita for Orchestra  Choral  Miscellaneous Sacred Choral Music  Oratorio  Orchestral  Classical Music  Classical Composers Artists:  George Frideric Handel  Bela Banfalvi  Budapest Strings

Play all track samples  —  Stop Tracks: 1. Water Music: Ouverture : Largo - Allegro 2. Water Music: Adagio e staccato 3. Water Music: (Allegro) 4. Water Music: Andante 5. Water Music: Moderato 6. Water Music: Air 7. Water Music: Minuet 8. Water Music: Bourree 9. Water Music: Hornpipe 10. Water Music: (Allegro) 11. Water Music: (Allegro) 12. Water Music: Alla Hornpipe 13. Water Music: Minuet 14. Water Music: Lentement 15. Water Music: Bourree 16. Water Music: (Andante) 17. Water Music: Riguadon 18. Water Music: Menuet 19. Water Music: (Andante) 20. Water Music: Allegro I - II - I 21. Solomon: Sinfonia, Act 3 22. Ode for St. Cecillia's Day: Minuet

Customer reviews:

Relax to this Water Music

Another recording of Handel's "Water Music" without "Royal Fireworks"? Yes, and it's worth at least a second look.

Although not the best or brightest recording of Handel's "Water Music" suites, the Budapest Strings, under the baton of Bela Banfalvi, gives a good performance of this classical favorite.

The totally digital recording virtually eliminates any of the cracks and hiss noticeable on non-digital recordings, and the Budapest Strings do a more than tolerable job at reproducing one of the more relaxing pieces known in the classical repertoire. It's too easy to be too relaxed in performances of "Water Music", and the Budapest Strings give a rendition that's full of the flavor of the times without being sleep inducing.

The inclusion of the two short pieces, the "Ode for St Cecilia's Day" and the "Solomon" sinfonia round out this version that I predict will be heard on a lot of classical music radio stations. You will not be disappointed by selecting this version as a filler until more expressionistic versions are released.

Good quality, and cheap!

Okay. You probably already know that you need a copy of "Water Music" for your collection; after all, it's one of the most familiar suites performed today, even if many classical music collectors can't put the name to the music. But which version should you get?

You could go with an expensive recording, recorded recently, but unless you have a particular favorite orchestra, that's completely unnecessary. This recording, by the Budapest Strings, was published in 1989, but is still very "clean" (it's DDD and there's no background noise that I can hear). While the performance does not have a distinctive personality about it, it does remain very "bright," and so is excellent for those who need a standard recording, especially students (I first bought this in high school, and practiced with it before a performance we gave).

Sure, it doesn't feature Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma, but it's a great recording nonetheless. And at this price, it's a recording you can buy for your car, your developing collection of classical music, or a young musician you know, without worry. I give this 4 stars (and not 5) mostly because I've played it so much over the last few years that it's no longer among my favorites =)

P.S. I can't be sure, but track 8 sounds like it's the exact same recording as used for the intro to the Frugal Gourmet cooking shows on PBS in the 1990s.