Handel: Water Music & Royal Fireworks

Georg Friedrich Handel Water Music: Suite No. 2 in D Major

Johann Sebastian Bach  Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068

Georg Friedrich Handel Water Music: Suite No. 1 in F Major

Georg Friedrich Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks

Handel wrote Music for the Royal Fireworks in 1749 to accompany the annual event with the same name. The composer's work perfectly expressed the spirit of the celebration, combining vivid, captivating melodies while contributing rhythm to the colours and movement of the fireworks.

For its part, Handel's Water Music illustrates his skill as a composer, exemplifying the splendour of the Baroque era. It is still considered one of his masterpieces today.

Le Concert d’Astrée was formed in 2000 by its current conductor, Emmanuelle Haïm, and since 2004 it has been the resident ensemble at the Opéra de Lille. Thanks to an artistic style that is as expressive as it is authentic, this group has established a reputation as one the finest exponents of the baroque repertoire in the world.