King George I was so taken with George Frideric Handel’s Water Music that the composer and his 50 musicians on a barge on the Thames had to play it three times, including an hour-long performance in the small hours after the king had had supper.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Classics in the City concert under guest conductor Erin Helyard was, mercifully for the musicians, much shorter, although with music so magnificent and so beautifully played there were no doubt many of the audience in a packed City Recital Hall who would have happily listened through an encore performance.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra performs Handel’s Water Music with conductor Erin Helyard at the City Recital Hall. Photo © Craig Abercrombie

Written in 1717, seven years after Handel started his job with the then Elector of Hanover, the three orchestral suites of dances were part of an entertainment on the river aimed at restoring the king’s popularity following a prolonged stoush with his son the Prince of Wales, later to become George II.

Like The Messiah and Music for the Royal Fireworks, the suites have become staples of the classical repertoire, being performed and recorded...