Handel Remixed 2, Barbican

Hanel re-imagined at the Barbican

by Peter CulshawSunday, 20 September 2009

When I met the Nigerian rebel pop star Fela Kuti I asked him who was the greatest musician - he didn’t hesitate before replying George Frederic Handel. Kuti was wearing only a pair of red underpants at the time and smoking a massive spliff. His music has echoes of Handel, certainly in some keyboard lines, in all its solidity and moments of transcendence. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised at Handel’s continuing reach across the centuries and continents. Beethoven and Mozart are among many to have re- arranged Handel.

Explore topics

Share this article

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

more Classical music

Remembering conductor Andrew Davis (1944-2024) Fellow conductors, singers, instrumentalists and administrators recall a true Mensch

Hallé, Wong, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - meeting a musical communicator Drama and emotional power from a new principal conductor

Guildhall School Gold Medal 2024, Barbican review - quirky-wonderful programme ending in an award Ginastera spolights the harp, Nino Rota the double bass in dazzling performances

Queyras, Philharmonia, Suzuki, RFH review - Romantic journeys Japan's Bach maestro flourishes in fresh fields

Classical CDs: Swans, hamlets and bossa nova A promising young pianist's debut disc, plus Finnish mythology and a trio of neglected British composers

Christian Pierre La Marca, Yaman Okur, St Martin-in-The-Fields review - engagingly subversive pairing falls short A collaboration between a cellist and a breakdancer doesn't achieve lift off

Ridout, Włoszczowska, Crawford, Lai, Posner, Wigmore Hall review - electrifying teamwork High-voltage Mozart and Schoenberg, blended Brahms, in a fascinating programme

Sabine Devieilhe, Mathieu Pordoy, Wigmore Hall review - enchantment in Mozart and Strauss Leading French soprano shines beyond diva excess

Špaček, BBC Philharmonic, Bihlmaier, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - three flavours of Vienna Close attention, careful balancing, flowing phrasing and clear contrast

Watts, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Bignamini, Barbican review - blazing French masterpieces Poulenc’s Gloria and Berlioz’s 'Symphonie fantastique' on fire

Bell, Perahia, ASMF Chamber Ensemble, Wigmore Hall review - joy in teamwork A great pianist re-emerges in Schumann, but Beamish and Mendelssohn take the palm

First Persons: composers Colin Alexander and Héloïse Werner on fantasy in guided improvisation On five new works allowing an element of freedom in the performance

Follow @theartsdesk