Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall - Haendel: Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks (2008) [SACD]

This version might not surpass Hogwood for some of you but in my opinion this version outscores them ALL.
This is the most brilliant, clear recorded version ever out there. Fantastic brass.
Conducting, music (extremely good performed by all), tempi, sound is astonishing in its professional perfection & it is joyful & personal in every sense.
Grammohone rank this set overall very high & in fact rank Music for the royal fireworks as the best version ever & I understand why.
So buy it & enjoy
P.S check out Savall’s versions of Bach’s 6 Brandenburg concerti & Orchestral suites too because they also are extremely good.
Extraordinary! – Another Savall Success
By ClassicalMusicLover on August 7, 2008:
Here we have the second reissue of, by far, the best performance of Handel’s Water Music & Fireworks music to be found anywhere! At the time of this writing the 1st re-issue of this recording is selling for $224 here on Amazon just to show you how valued this performance is. Here the Alia Vox engineer, Nicolas de Beco, has taken this 16bit 44.1kHz sampled recording from 1993 & re-mastered it into a suburb Mch (5) SACD. No information is given as to weather this was an original Mch recording or if DSP was employed to add the additional channels, but the results are superb! This transfer makes this recording even more attractive than the original which was already at the top of its class. My only wish is that Jordi Savall would have re-recorded this music in true high definition SACD sound which would have made this recording even more attractive. What makes Jordi Savall’s performance so much better is that it shows the joy of the occasion much better than any other performance I’ve heard. Some might find his pacing a little fast, but I find it exciting and thrilling.
IN COMPARISON TO OTHER SACD RECORDINGS
I have other SACD recordings of Handel’s Water Music & Fireworks music but they pale in comparison to Jordi Savall’s joyful performance. For instance the Aradia Ensemble on a Naxos SACD is 1 of the worst recordings I’ve ever heard. The problem with the Aradia Ensemble recording is that the engineers placed the microphones too far from the orchestra so it seems as if the listener is sitting at the back of the church. I don’t know about you, but if I pay premium prices for an SACD I want a front row seat or even a seat in the middle of the orchestra, but not a seat 100 feet away! This recording is also plagued by a boring performance from the Acadia Ensemble. The other Handel Water & Fireworks music on SACD is the 1 by L’Art Dell Arco on CPO that just came out. This performance is good but again the recording engineers have ruined this SACD by choosing an acoustically dead venue to record in!
CONCLUSION
Thank God Jordi Savall’s recording was made in the acoustically rich sounding Chateau de Cardona & Jordi’s group gives a passionate performance. Listen to the Bourree from the 2nd suite (Track 19) & you’ll find 1 of the most delectable gems of this performance. Also, the brass is particularly gorgeous in this recording. THIS IS A MUST HAVE SACD!
FYI – I’m still waiting for a new Mch SACD recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons from Jordi Savall. That would be the ultimate!!