Royal Firework ⬩ Collegium 1704

In the baroque period, showy, brilliant music was associated with festivities at court, whether for celebrating a peace treaty as in the case of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks, or for the wedding of the brother of the French king in the case of Francoeur’s festive suite. Handel’s work is one of his most famous compositions, while the name of the French composer François Francoeur is almost unknown to today’s audiences. Nevertheless, this composer and concertmaster of the Paris opera was one of the most influential figures of musical life in pre–revolutionary France, and his music was popular at the court of King Louis XV.