The resurgence of British Light Music in recent
years has encouraged a spate of recordings, to which these performances
by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Barry Wordsworth make
a worthwhile addition.
The recording, produced by Andrew Keener in London’s
Henry Wood Hall, is warm and sympathetic, nor does it lack impact
when required. And the production standards are particularly high,
with a well planned booklet containing exemplary notes by George
Hall.
The music is rather less even than these accolades
might suggest, and those wanting a single disc of this fare might
turn instead to Ronald Corp and the New London Orchestra on Hyperion.
There are highlights, to be sure, including the pieces by Elgar
and Arnold as one would expect; but besides these Hubert Bath’s
Cornish Rhapsody and Arthur Wood’s Barwick Green –
the latter the theme tune from The Archers (this might well mean
something to our UK readers) – are banal, to say the least.
Eric Coates gains two fine performances of his
spirited marches, some of the best since Elgar and not heard as
often in our concert halls as they should be. By the Sleepy Lagoon,
the now famous signature tune from ‘Desert Island Discs’,
is given a rather prosaic performance, lacking the additional
woodwind counterpoints that bring added interest. However, set
against that is the splendid richness of the RPO’s string
tone, a real bonus throughout the disc.
Although Wordsworth’s performance of Charles
Williams’s The Devil’s Galop does not quite match
the intensity generated by Corp on his disc, the other pieces
by this talented composer – Heart O’ London and Rhythm
on rails – add an extra distinction to this Warner Classics
issue. In fact the disc makes something of a feature of music
inspired by railways, with Edward White’s marvellous Puffing
Billy and Vivian Ellis’s equally inspired Coronation Scot.
While this may not class as a first choice in
this increasingly competitive market, there are some appealing
features about this disc, and anyone buying it is unlikely to
be disappointed.
Terry Barfoot