Handel's Water Music was performed for the first time in 1717 at a royal celebration with a grand parade of boats on the Thames and the patron, King George I, was so enthusiastic that the young Handel had to repeat it several times. It is rousing, catchy, graceful and jubilant at the same time - a triumphant success to this day.

The popular Music for the Royal Fireworks was composed for the fireworks display in London's Green Park on 27 April 1749, with which King George II celebrated the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the Peace of Aachen. The suite was conceived for a gigantic wind ensemble - originally for an outdoor performance. Immediately after the first performance, Handel produced a version for string orchestra with wind instruments. It was in this version that it began its triumphal march through the concert halls of the world. W.A. Mozart described the Music for the Royal Fireworks as a "spectacle of English pride and joy".

The Collegium 1704 under its conductor Václav Luks has made a name for itself for its detailed and subtle interpretations and its great joy in playing. These attributes also come to the fore in the Collegium's new CD and allow Handel's "Water & Fire" to shine in royal splendour.