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British Film Classics   Various   Available on Chandos Records (CHAN 241-12)   2 CD SET Running Time: 74:00, 67:29 Crotchet   Amazon UK   Amazon US Disc 1 ‘Main Titles’ from The Trap - Ron Goodwin ‘March’ from Things to Come - Arthur Bliss ‘Valse caprice’ from Uncle Silas - Alan Rawsthorne ‘Prelude’ from Hamlet - William Walton Suite from Murder on the Orient Express - Richard Rodney Bennett ‘March’ from The Dam Busters - Eric Coates ‘Ship’s Waltz’ & ‘Rumba’ from In Search of the Castaways - William Alwyn ‘Main Titles’ from The Belles of St. Trinian’s - Malcolm Arnold ‘Dawn Patrol’ from Coastal Command - Ralph Vaughan Williams ‘Warsaw Concerto’ from Dangerous Moonlight - Richard Addinsell ‘Scorched Earth’ from The Overlanders - John Ireland ‘Waltz’ from Moulin Rouge - Georges Auric ‘Main Titles’ from David Copperfield - Malcolm Arnold Suite from Battle of Britain - William Walton Disc 2 ‘Colonel Bogey’ from The Bridge on the River Kwai - Kenneth Alford ‘Main Titles’ from Scott of the Antartic - Ralph Vaughan Williams ‘Luftwaffe March’ from Battle of Britain - Ron Goodwin ‘Prologue’ from Henry V - William Walton ‘Prelude’ from Odd Man Out - William Alwyn ‘Elegy for Viola and Orchestra (2nd Movement)’ from Lady Caroline Lamb - Richard Rodney Bennett ‘Piano Concerto No. 2 (1st Movement)’ from Brief Encounter - Sergey Rachmaninov ‘London Prelude’ from The Inn of Sixth Happiness - Malcolm Arnold ‘Touch her soft lips and part’ from Henry V William Walton ‘Love Scene’ from Four Weddings and a Funeral - Richard Rodney Bennett ‘Main Titles’ from 633 Squadron - Ron Goodwin ‘Main Titles and Nocturne’ from The Cruel Sea - Alan Rawsthorne ‘Prelude’ from Richard III - William Walton ‘Main Titles’ from Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines - Ron Goodwin ‘Finale’ from Oliver Twist - Arnold Bax ‘Spitfire Prelude’ & ‘Fugue’ from The First of the Few - William Walton Compiled from various past Chandos releases this is a fairly enjoyable trip down memory lane to revisit some famous and often notable themes and suites from a number of distinguished British film productions ranging from 1940 right up to the early 1990s. There’s no doubting this 2 CD set will have general appeal and all of the recordings are well produced and performed. Highlights would certainly include the timeless work by Vaughan Williams and of course Ron Goodwin’s 633 Squadron. Although much of the music on offer here in stylistic terms is somewhat removed from the sensibilities of modern day film scoring, you could still do far worse than to pick up a copy of this solid compilation and with almost two and a half hours of film music to savour no one can say they aren’t getting their money’s worth! Mark Hockley 3 Editor’s note: we are offering only a short review of this release as most if not all of the original albums from which the material has been drawn have already been reviewed in detail on Film Music on the Web. These can be found by composer in the alphabetical review index from our homepage. You may also like to read Nick Haysom’s review of the associated British Film Music Prom given by the BBC Concert Orchestra on August 16 2003.
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