Connections

Whether it’s Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve, or some other festive occasion, fireworks play a major role. In fact, for many of us, they’re the highlight of the celebration..

In the words of one pyrotechnic company, fireworks are—“a feast for the senses, a symphony of light, sound, and emotion.”

A bit over the top, perhaps, but there is a considerable amount of music about fireworks—even some to be played during the displays themselves.

In this hour, a sampling—from the nostalgic to the explosive—in works by Handel, Corelli, Offenbach, Debussy, Stravinsky, and more.

FEATURED RECORDINGS

Title	Group/Artist	Catalog #	UPC
Debussy - Complete Works for Piano Vol. 1 [for Feux d'artifice]	Jean-Efflam Bavouzet	Chandos CHAN 10421	095115142127
Offenbach: La Princesse de Trébizonde [for Overture]	London Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Daniel	Opera Rara 792938006321	0792938006321
Stravinsky: The Firebird [for Stravinsky’s “Fireworks,”]	London Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati	Mercury Living Presence 432 012-2	028943201223
Handel: Water Music; Fireworks Music [for Music for the Royal Fireworks-Suite I]	English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardner	Decca 4783357	028947833574
Trionfo Romano,[for Grande Sinfonia with trumpets, by Angelo Corelli]	Ensembles Exit & Hemiolia, Emmanuel Resche-Caserta	Chateau de Versailles CVS071	3770011431809
Randy Newman: Avalon (soundtrack)	Unnamed studio orchestra & conductor	Reprise 9 26437-2	075992643726
Goldsmith: Christus Apollo [for Fireworks: A Celebration of Los Angeles]	London Symphony Orchestra, Jerry Goldsmith	Telarc CD-80560	089408056024