NARRATOR: The idea was ambitious... [ Horns blaring ] ...the best musicians in the United States, one momentous week in New York City, performing in this all-star orchestra exclusively for our cameras to explore the most exciting music ever written, to produce a television series of masterpieces... [ Snaps fingers ] ...from music director Gerard Schwarz, and for an audience [Dramatic chords strike] of just you.

♪♪♪ [ Flourish plays ] SCHWARZ: Welcome to "The All-Star Orchestra."

Today's program has excerpts of Handel's "Water Music," Haydn's Symphony No.

96, the "Miracle," and Augusta Read Thomas's "Plea for Peace."

The opening work that we're doing on this "All-Star Orchestra" program is a suite that I made from Handel's "Water Music."

Georg Friederich Handel was born in Halle in Germany, and his first important job was in Hanover, working for the elector Georg Ludwig.

He wrote music for his court.

Interestingly, Georg Ludwig became King George I, so he ascended to the throne of England, and now Handel was on his second trip to England and he changed his name to George Frederick Handel, became an Englishman, and then had a great success, because George I love Handel and loved the music.

"Water Music" was a piece that was literally to be performed on the water.

FARINA: The work was premiered on the Thames.

FERRILLO: They were out on barges in the river, and he was making a great show.

CROCKETT: They say the original group was 50 musicians.

SCHWARZ: And they played the Handel "Water Music."

Eighteen movements -- takes about an hour.

So, 8:00, they took off, and, sure enough, for an hour, they played the "Water Music."

And the king was so thrilled, he made them play it a second time.

Then they stopped for dinner, where the musicians serenaded them during dinner, and on the way back, King George wanted them again to play the whole "Water Music," which they did.

Supposedly, they didn't return back until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.

It must have been some party.

CROCKETT: One of the challenges of the piece is that it's --you're playing virtually continuously.

So I can only imagine how exhausted that bassoon, or those bassoonists, must have been after having played it three times over the space of a couple of hours.

SCHWARZ: We've taken five movements from this F-major suite.

CROCKETT: It's sort of the, uh, the greatest hits, really.

LEE: Every movement's a gem.

FERRILLO: Very happy, energetic music.

KIM: I just love this piece, and I'm so delighted to perform it here with the All-Star Orchestra.

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96.

Haydn really was not only the father of the string quartet, but of the symphony.

Mozart said that Haydn writes symphonies that make him smile, and touch him.

There was a producer of concerts in England, Johann Peter Salomon.

Salomon met with Haydn, and he said, simply, "I want to bring you to London, and you're going to produce concerts in London for me."

Well, he came at exactly the right moment, and Haydn said yes.

Haydn made two trips there, and he wrote his last 12 symphonies -- they are referred to as the London symphonies.

Now, how come Haydn's Symphony No.

96 is called the "Miracle"?

Well, this is the story -- a true story: Everybody was assembled in a Hanover Room -- it's a rectangular concert hall seating between 700 to 800 people, and they all wanted to have a look at Haydn, the great master who was sitting at the harpsichord and leading the orchestra in his symphonies.

CROCKETT: People were so frantic to hear what Haydn was up to that they left their seats.

SCHWARZ: And they all pushed to the front of the stage to see this great master.

And, lo and behold... FARINA: A chandelier fell.

SCHWARZ: A huge chandelier -- didn't hurt anyone, because they all had moved forward, and everyone said, "Miracle!

Miracle!

Miracle!"

Boom, and that was it.

The symphony was called the "Miracle" symphony.

There's only one problem: it wasn't the 96th symphony, it was the 102nd symphony!

CROCKETT: Close enough.

[ Chuckles ] FERRILLO: It's always a great joy to play Haydn's symphonies.

KIM: There is something so sublime and elevated when playing Haydn's symphonies.

SCHWARZ: Playing these symphonies is just such an honor and a thrill for all of us.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy playing them.

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That happened in 1942.

And when we look back on that history, we can think of the great positive things that have happened in medicine and energy because of that discovery, but we can also think of the many negative things that have come because of the possibilities in weaponry.

Augusta sent me the premiere performance with soprano and string quartet -- I was just knocked out, so beautiful, so special.

The wordless soprano, so poignant.

And we then started a discussion of what she should do with this piece.

And what came about was the version you're going to hear now: string orchestra, trumpet, flute, and oboe.

And I was so happy to be able to do the premiere of this in 2018 at the Eastern Music Festival, and now, presented to you here, with the All-Star Orchestra.

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On our next program, we will feature music of Mendelssohn, Kodály, and Hovhaness.

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