In 1749, the dress rehearsal for George Frideric Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks” at London’s Green Park drew 12,000 attendees, causing a massive traffic jam of horse-drawn buggies on London Bridge. Days later, soggy April weather caused the fireworks show to fail, injuring several soldiers and catching a large pavilion on fire.
Despite the chaos, the orchestral suite was enthusiastically received.
“It was quite a spectacle,” says Yuriy Bekker, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s pops conductor and the guest director and solo violinist at the CSO’s performance of Royal Fireworks this weekend. “The music itself is glorious and wonderful, and it carried the performance without the fireworks.”
It was the last of Handel’s major works, bookending a career that first reached massive success with “Water Music,” a suite written for a floating performance on the River Thames, 32 years prior, and highlighted by his “Messiah” and its “Hallelujah Chorus” in 1742.
Handel was the Paul McCartney of his day, reaching fame as a young, groundbreaking artist in London and growing his reputation around the civilized world for decades after. Bekker likens him to another British artist, Sir Elton John.
“He was the rock star of classic music,” says Bekker, citing Handel’s popular appeal and closeness with the royal family, much like John’s relationship with Princess Diana. “He wrote coronation anthems for the English court, and he was well compensated and well-traveled.”
Because “Royal Fireworks” was commissioned by King George II to celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession, Handel’s creative vision had some constraints: George objected to the inclusion of “fiddles,” instead encouraging a massive wind section that included a staggering 24 oboes, 12 bassoons, nine trumpets, and three sets of timpani. The massive horn section gave a martial sound and feel to the display. Handel conceded, but also wrote an alternate arrangement including strings and a more manageable three trumpets, two oboes, and a harpsichord. It’s been the preferred version ever since. (As Bekker points out, it’s difficult to hire 24 oboists for a gig).
At the Gaillard, Handel’s work will be paired with another masterwork of the Baroque era, Bach’s “Orchestral Suite Number 3.” Unlike his contemporary, Bach toiled in obscurity until after his death.
“Handel and Bach are two pivotal composers of the Baroque era. Both were born in the same year (1685), and they had completely different careers,” Bekker explains. “Handel was the rock star, and Bach was so underrated that (after he passed away), they realized what a genius he was and dug him up and reburied him in a church behind the alter.”
The two pieces form a first set that’s followed by Max Richter’s visionary 2012 reworking of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” which takes the hooks and melodies of the original work and loops them to create a complementary piece that both honors the original and excites modern listeners.
“Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ is sublime and gorgeous, and we’ve heard it so many times — it’s a masterwork,” says Bekker. “Richter’s adaption is amazing. It’s post-minimalistic — it speaks to a younger audience. He put Vivaldi’s concepts into our modern times.”
Netflix viewers may recognize the updated score — Richter’s “Four Seasons” is the scene-setting theme for the program, Chef’s Table. Similarly, Handel’s works still persist in modern times, even outside of a classical music audience. “The Messiah” is a staple at Christmas time, and his “Zadok the Priest” has been the standard for English coronation ceremonies for nearly three centuries. Another work, “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,” set the tone for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.
The union of Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel brings together three of the most resilient musical compositions in history. With “Royal Fireworks,” perhaps the most magnificent musical spectacle of the 18th century opens the show.
“(Handel was) the master of us all … the greatest composer that ever lived,” uttered Beethoven.
It’s impossible to say if “Satisfaction” or “Tiny Dancer” will still be influential or widely known in 2290, but based on its 270-year record, it’s a fair bet that Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks” will still be an inspiration.
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