#103 “The Wind and the Water”

This concert explores forms of water music, starting with one of the most famous by Handel. Water Music was scored for a larger orchestra to be performed on a barge floating down the Thames River at the behest of King George I. You can almost imagine the baroque sounds wafting in the wind over the waves. Inspired by the same river, Elizabeth Maconchy’s Proud Thames Overture evokes the grandeur of a river once used as the main transportation route for British monarchs. Finally, with a nod to Handel, Libby Larsen puts her own spin on “Water Music” in her Symphony No. 1. Larsen ‘s “quartet of water studies,” allows us to experience many facets of the water through “Fresh Breeze,” “Hot, Still,” “Wafting,” and “Gale.”

Conducted by Alexander Platt

Works Performed

  • Georg Friedrich Handel, Water Music
  • Elizabeth Maconchy, Proud Thames Overture
  • Libby Larsen, Symphony No. 1 “Water Music”

Dates Performed

  • November 7, 2015