Good old George Frideric Handel, he was born in Germany in 1685 and died in London in 1759, leaving an estate worth a fortune.

In between he was lionised in his native country and in Italy, where he beat the Italians at their own game of Italian opera.

And in 1727 he became a naturalised Englishman and the dominating composer of the 18th Century. I doubt any English composer could get a look in for at least 200 years after Handel hit the spot.

Opera, oratorio, orchestral music and chamber pieces, it was all fine music quickly composed and long-lasting. His Messiah is still being sung on regular occasions, his operas are often revived and his Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks aren't far from any top ten of classical music.

And then there is his anthem Zadok The Priest, used at every English coronation since that of George II.

The Sussex Symphony Orchestra pulled out all the stops on Saturday evening for its celebration of Handel's music.

The full semi-professional orchestra was led by its musical director Mark Andrew James, there were three solo singers, Sir Charles Mackerras turned up to conduct the orchestra for The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and the Hallelujah Chorus.

And Handel came up trumps in this glorious romp through his prodigious output, raising more than £20,000 for the Save The Children Fund.

And this was a double celebration. In addition to some glorious Handel pieces, all the favourites were there and a couple of rarities, so too were young musicians from four Sussex schools which specialise in music.

There were the choirs of Blatchington Mill School, Brighton College, Christ's Hospital School at Horsham and Dorothy Stringer School, as well as selected orchestral players from the same schools.

And with Joe McGann playing George Frideric, complete with full-bottomed wig and frock coat, was Sally Taylor from BBC South Today as interviewer bringing out details of Handel's life.

McGann's accent might have been a little wobbly and the brass section of the orchestra also a little uneven but, if you are going to celebrate any composer's life, then this will be the model to copy.

Entertaining? Hugely. Enthusiastic? Definitely. This was good five star stuff which taught me much about this formidable composer and his life and music.

And one thing Mark Andrew James is good at is getting his soloists.

His choice of soprano Kate Royal, tenor Andrew Rees and baritone Mark Stone was inspired.

Sussex Symphony provided a great classical music event to launch this season to a fine start.