Composed in the spirit of the baroque, the Water Music and Royal Fireworks Music were written by the highly regarded George Friedrich Handel on commissions from Kings George I and George II of England. The remarkable premiere of the Water Music - a loose suite of instrumental airs, fanfares, dances and other delights - was played in 1717 by a bargeful of musicians accompanying the King and his court as they partied in barges on the Thames. According to reports at the time, Handel's new work was greeted with unanimous acclaim. Music appeared equally fitting for the solemn but festive commemoration of a peace. The Royal Fireworks Music - originally scored for multitudinous brass, oboes and bassoons, plus tympani and the bizarre serpent horn - was composed in 1749 for the victory gala in London's Green Park, celebrating the happy end to the seven-year war of the Austrian succession. In both pieces George Szell and the London Symphony Orchestra conjure up the full splendour of baroque tonality. Orchestra and conductor are clearly in a festive mood. The strings show rare form, at once lush and radiant, the brass are brilliant but never shrill. The atmosphere is transparent, the special effects are impressive. For the outstanding quality of this recording we are indebted not least to its inspired recording engineer, Kenneth E. Wilkinson.