Presto Recordings of the Year
Finalist 2023

Irish Baroque Orchestra, Peter Whelan

Handel: Il pastor fido, HWV 8c: Ouverture. Untitled
Handel: Il pastor fido, HWV 8c: Ouverture. Allegro
Handel: Va tacito e nascosto (from Giulio Cesare)
Hasse, J A: Concerto in F Major
Hasse, J A: Concerto, Op. 4 No. 1: III. 'Signora Barbarini’s Minuet'
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 1, HWV 348: I. Allegro - Andante - Allegro
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 1, HWV 348: IV. Passepied
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 1, HWV 348: VI. Minuet
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 1, HWV 348: VII. Bourée
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 1, HWV 348: VIII. Hornpipe
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 1, HWV 348: IX. Andante
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 2, HWV 349: I. Overture
George Frideric Handel, John Walsh: Water Music, Suite No. 2, HWV 349: II. Alla Hornpipe
Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 3 No. 3 in G major, HWV314
Telemann: Napolitaine TWV 41:B4 in B flat major
Bocchi: Sonata X
Mr Charles: Suite 1: Chasse
Lully: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs (Le Bourgeois gentilhomme)

A famous French horn virtuoso in his days, the shadowy figure known only as 'Mr Charles the Hungarian' was an eccentric opportunist who travelled to Dublin in March 1742. A natural entrepreneur, he capitalized on the 'Handelmania' surrounding Handel's residence in the city at the time, and produced a concert at the Smock Alley Theatre which consisted mainly of Handel's music. This album recreates the programme and the bohemian atmosphere of the event, showcasing solos for various instruments, some of which had never been heard in Ireland before. The highly resourceful Irish Baroque Orchestra and Peter Whelan have a proven record of curating enticing programmes inspired by Ireland's musical heritage, and this is yet another fine example. Together with works by Hasse, Telemann and Bocchi, a performance of John Walsh's early edition of Handel's Water Music gives a perfect cross-section of this captivating moment in Dublin's musical history.

"Here is an unusual and delightful programme from bassoonist and director Peter Whelan...Irish Baroque Orchestra with its several concertante players imbue the music with lucidity and a spirited sense of enjoyment which I find infectious." - BBC Music Magazine, August 2023.