Ronald BINGE (1910–1979)
Elizabethan Serenade, Sailing By and other works
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Ernest Tomlinson
rec. October 1992, Concert Hall of Slovak Radio, Bratislava, Slovakia
Formerly available as Marco Polo 8.223515
Reviewed as downloaded from press preview
NAXOS 8.555190
[72:26]
I’m pleased that Naxos are finally reissuing some – hopefully, all – of the
British Light Music recordings formerly available on their sister label
Marco Polo. The only possible reason to be disappointed is if you have
already bought an earlier Naxos distillation of music from the series:
Naxos 8.555315 is also entitled Elizabethan Serenade and includes
that and the equally popular Sailing By, together with samples of
the other composers in the series.
The new, lower price should help to give these recordings wider
availability. We have already had the music of Richard Addinsell (8.555229
–
review); it looks as if Naxos are releasing the reissues in alphabetic order, so
their Eric Coates should be along soon. For some reason, the original Marco
Polo covers are being replaced for the reissues, with both releases to date
looking less sophisticated than before. Otherwise, this reissue is just as
‘admirable’ as I thought the original when I reviewed it alongside the
Marco Polo selection of music by Robert Farnon in August 2009. I look forward to the
reissue of the music of Farnon, too, an adopted Canadian and a musician’s
musician, known in the business as ‘the Guv’nor’.
Naxos deserve great credit for bringing us fine performances of this
approachable light classical music. It was dwindling in general popularity
even when the Marco Polo originals were appearing, but they did it great
service and it’s to be hoped that the reissues will do the same. To be
fair, other labels, such as Hyperion and Chandos have done more than their
bit, and Guild have been bringing us some very fine transfers of vintage
78, mono and stereo LP recordings of the repertoire –
review
of The Thirties Revisited 3.
Most of the music on this reissue is short and satisfying; most of the
pieces short enough to fit on one side of an extended play (EP) record. The
opening piece, the popular Elizabethan Serenade, and the
less-known The Water Mill also feature on Volume 1 of the Hyperion
Light Music series from the New London Orchestra and Ronald Corp (CDA66868,
download only, also a 4-CD set CDS44261/4, budget-price –
review). For all the well-deserved praise earned by that series, I’d be hard
pressed to say that the British orchestra in any way has the edge on their
Slovak colleagues.
In the early days of Naxos and Marco Polo recording with Central and
Eastern European orchestras cost less than their better-known counterparts,
allowing for plenty of rehearsal time before the recordings were set down.
I assume that was the case here, because Ernest Tomlinson, himself no mean
composer of light music, has captured the Binge idiom very well with these
players. Almost all the recordings in the series were made with the Slovak
orchestra and various British conductors, though a few were recorded nearer
home in Ireland with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
Though I had heard this recording in its earlier incarnation, there are
several pieces that I had forgotten; I was equally happy to make their
acquaintance again alongside the more familiar. The Saxophone Concerto is
one such work. I hate the saxophone when it’s doing things it wasn’t
intended for – like the ECM series of recordings where Jan Garbarek’s sax
weaves in and out of renaissance music where it has no business to be sung
by the Hilliard Ensemble. I know that puts me at odds with the many lovers
of the popular Officium series, but I enjoyed Binge’s concerto much more,
and this seems to be the only generally available recording. The fact that
it and several other pieces are not otherwise easily available is reason
enough to go for this reissue.
Speaking of discoveries and rediscoveries, Ronald Binge and ‘His Orchestra’
play his arrangement of September in the Rain on a mid-price Guild
CD which Johanthan Woolfe liked some time ago –
review
– but which I’ve only just discovered from B2B access. Entitled ‘Nature’s
Realm’, there’s nothing there quite in the category of that Dvořák work,
but it’s very enjoyable.
I’ve noticed Naxos CD prices creeping up in some quarters to over £10 in
some cases – with £10.46 the pre-release price for this album from one
dealer as I write –
but there’s no reason to pay more than £7.50, with the lossless download
and pdf booklet
for around £5.50.
These idiomatic performances remind us why so much of Binge’s music was
chosen for radio and TV theme tunes, now forgotten, but the music retains
its appeal and this reissue does it credit. Apart from the cover and some
minor updating, the booklet is unchanged from the Marco Polo release;
unlike some other labels, Naxos don’t skimp the details for their less
expensive reissues. Roll on the rest of these re-releases.
Brian Wilson
Contents
Elizabethan Serenade (1952) [3:35]
Scottish Rhapsody (1953) [6:23]
Miss Melanie (1956) [2:44]
Las Castañuelas (1960) [3:09]
Madrugado (1945) [3:41]
The Red Sombrero (1947) [2:40]
Trade Winds (1946) [4:52]
Faire Frou-Frou (1957) [2:19]
String Song (1955) [3:43]
Alto Saxophone Concerto (1956) [12:35]
The Watermill (1955) [3:45]
Scherzo: Allegro molto (1951) [3:59]
The Dance of the Snowflakes (1956) [3:28]
High Stepper (The ‘Aggie’Theme) (1952) [2:39]
Prelude: The Whispering Valley (1952) [4:19]
Venetian Carnival (1960) [3:45]
Sailing By (1963) [2:40]
Kenneth Edge (saxophone: saxophone concerto); Silvia Cápová (piano:
Whispering Valley)
