Handel is the greatest, the best. If the Water Music and Fireworks are "pop" too bad, they're the best. Love both those and of course Messiah.
But I learned to love Bach when I roomed with a bunch of musicians at college and thanks to them was soaked in Glenn Gould and Wanda Landowska who were THE popular classical musicians in those days. Glenn Gould was so quirky you couldn't feel overawed by him. I tried to learn some of Gould's stuff on the piano myself I loved it so much, but my totally amateur ability and small town piano lessons weren't equal to it. I did get to play a Handel duet with my friend who played cello and we even performed for a ladies' writing club, really quite thrilling.