Handel - Water Music & Music For The Royal Fireworks

November 2008

“The Italian group's strings play with polish and alertness. Federico Guglielmo leads proceedings expertly from the violin… The famous Hornpipe is splendidly done, with a radiant balance between the pairs of trumpets and horns… and lovely solo fiddle-playing during the middle section. The Bourrée is thrillingly quick. The Country Dance sparkles with conviviality...”

2010

“The tradition of dividing the Water Music into three separate suites dates back to the 1950s. The suspicion that Handel envisaged it as one long sequence of movements has informed a couple of fine recordings but this disc by L'Arte dell'Arco is the first such recording to be made since the earliest surviving manuscript copy of the music (dating from 1718) was rediscovered in 2004.
The strings play with polish and alertness.
Federico Guglielmo leads proceedings expertly from the violin; his few solo flourishes are direct yet courtly. The famous Hornpipe is splendidly done, with a radiant balance between the pairs of trumpets and horns (who relish some tasteful ornaments in the da capo), and lovely solo fiddleplaying during the middle section.
Generally these performances are pleasantly contoured, though the continuo team occasionally become intrusive in faster music. However, it is good to hear musicians confident enough to play the Lentement more slowly than has become common. The Bourrée is thrillingly quick. The Country Dance sparkles with conviviality, although the recorder is a little uneven.
The Ouverture from the Music for the RoyalFireworks is given a vibrant and engaging performance.
Guglielmo and his forces achieve the rare feat of ensuring that 'La Réjouissance' is coherently shaped. CPO's translator of the booklet has done a poor job of what seems to have been an interesting note by Guglielmo ('cembalo' is consistently mistranslated as 'cymbals'!) but the disc is warmly recommended.”