WATER WORKS

The rise of the Sirens from the water is not just accompanied by a mere slaughter. That’s a myth. More than that, the Syrènes are known far and wide to literally blow life force back into all listeners who are seduced by their sounds. After the success of their debut CD “Fresh, Sweet & Sturdy” in 2016, the women of the Syrène Saxophone Quartet dive into the deep again and come up with an ode to a composer they love, George Friedrich Handel.

On 17 July 1717, hundreds of boats overflowing with spectators filled the River Thames to see the celebratory boat cruise for King George I of Great Britain up close. For the occasion, George Friedrich Handel composed his Water Music suites performed by fifty musicians also seated on a boat. They were even called upon by the euphoric king to repeat the work three times that evening. It would take almost 125 years for the Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax to enrich the current set of instruments with his family of saxophones and thus lay the foundation for contemporary performance practice where saxophones can no longer be ignored.

It is therefore not surprising that Syrène Saxophone Quartet - now more than experienced in the performance of string pieces (Haydn/String Quartet Op.20, No.1) and even transforming a complete symphonic work into four-part, richly orchestrated chamber music (Gershwin / An American in Paris) - has now taken a completely new approach to Handel’s famous work Water Music. Armed with modern instruments, the Syrènes enter into a watertight partnership with Handel. In his suites Handel uses French and English dances, including folk dances such as the hornpipe and the more stately court menuet.