[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] Re: La Rejouissance - Handels Music for the Royal Fireworks
The Denis Wright arrangement may still be in print. As usual it is the
standard against which others are judged, though in many cases it is looks
dated in its approach to baroque music. It was arranged before the move
towards more authentic performance started, so much of it (dynamics and tempi
wise) is, I suspect, more Wright than Handel.
I conducted that very arrangement at Chapeltown on Monday and ended up
changing some dynamics to make it more authentic. To me this means no
dim/cresc and a simple forte first time, piano (perhaps quartet) second time
or vice versa. I know that bandsmen will throw up their hands in horror in
not following the gospel of what's on the page, but I assure you that is how
the music should be performed according to current best practice.
Remember that modern theory states that the original version was without
strings. Listen to either of the amazing recordings by Charles Mackerras (the
60s version is better than the 90s) with the LSO. He puts forward that the
original orchestration was for large numbers of brass, woodwind and
percussion. The Denis Wright will have been arranged from the more familiar
version with strings.
When performing baroque pieces remember to play the rhythm correctly for
music of that, not to play the rhythm as written!
-Nigel
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Nigel Horne. Arranger, Composer, Conductor, Typesetter.
Owner of the brass band group of the Internet. ICQ#20252325
njh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.bandsman.co.uk/music.htm
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