WATER & FIRE Decap

Eric Sleichim and organist Reitze Smits arranged 2 iconic works by Handel, the Water Music suite and Music for the Royal Fireworks, for saxophone quintet and large organ. After the first premiere with this programme in August 2016 at the MA Festival Bruges, a new premiere actually awaits: in WATER & FIRE Decap / Handel revisited BL!NDMAN [sax] will in fact perform this programme together with a decap organ. The combination of saxophone and organ has already been widely used in new music. The sounds of these instruments blend brilliantly and dynamically the organ and saxophone quintet are well matched, both in the loudest and softest passages. The monumentality of Handel’s orchestral music comes fully into its own in this unique scoring. Rich acoustics and the possibility of setting up the instruments scattered throughout the room lead to a multidimensional perception of this beautiful music. As an organ point between these two Baroque icons stands the opening movement of Jean-Féry Rebel’s lesser-known suite Les Elémens, a musical sledgehammer blow that was way ahead of its time.