Here’s another nostalgic
slice of Edwardian romanticism recorded
with all the colour and bravura of early
20th century performances.
The compilation kicks off with a rather
pompous patriotic choral piece, Men
of England with the sopranos and
contraltos in full strident voice. Knights
of the King is another proud ceremonial
march full of swagger and bravado in
the tradition of the grand marches of
Aïda, Faust and Iolanthe
In Holiday Mood
displays Ketèlbey’s considerable
evocative talents: ‘On the Promenade’
is a jolly march capturing glistening
sea waters and hot sands with a hint
of romance; ‘Down the Stream’ is a gentle
pastoral picture, one can visualise
breezes playing through overhead boughs
as a swain rows his love downstream;
and the ‘Illuminated Fête’ depicts
all the fun of the fair in an exuberant
waltz.
‘Rule Brittania’ segues
into ‘Three Blind Mice’ and a bewilderment
of many other tunes from Wagner, and
1812, to English folksong in
the first of Ketèlbey’s cleverly
comic Tangled Tunes. More incredible
modulations and sudden gear changes
occur throughout the second with Verdi
and Wagner running alongside Johann
Strauss and ‘Little Brown Jug’ etc.
More mangled melodies from ‘John Peel’
to Rossini’s ‘William Tell’ played in
outrageously comic style add up to the
third Tangled Tunes and the same
pattern with a Christmas twist pervade
the fourth. All four are great fun.
The plaintive Phantom
Melody is very well known and in
this version for piano and cello one
can imagine it being played in early
silent cinemas to accompany scenes in
which the heroine is cast out into the
cold, cold snow. My Heart Still Clings
to You has Edgar Coyle and an unrestrained
Columbia Orchestra tugging at the heartstrings.
So does the Indian Maiden’s Love Song,
Silver-Cloud while Wildhawk
has more familiar Indian dances and
war-path music patterns familiar from
countless old westerns although some
of the material does not stray very
far from Croydon. Wonga described
as an ‘oriental intermezzo’ is something
of a weird mix of darkest Africa and
shaky Middle East. The Vision
of Fuji-San has us journeying to
the Far East for exotically busy, portentous
and romantic music frequently punctuated
with vibraphone, celesta, bells and
gong.
A Sunday Afternoon
Reverie begins with bells tolling
a phrase that uncannily pre-echoes John
Williams’s famous Close Encounters
of the Third Kind five-note alien
signal, although the rest of the piece
is firmly grounded in pastoral serenity.
Canzonetta in this very early,
and scratchy 1912 recording is another
sentimental ditty with the strings stretching
their saccharine portamenti to the limit.
Christmas bells introduce a distinctly
twenties jazzy take on carols and Christmas
and homely music.
The compilation ends
with birds a-twittering in the 1927
recording of one of Ketèlbey’s
most popular miniatures In a Monastery
Garden with plummy contralto Nellie
Walker stirring this over-ripe confection
to perfection.
This fourth volume
of Ketèlbey exotica is yet another
beguiling, nostalgic wallow (it’s amazing
how much historical material has been
collected for this series). Sit back,
relax and enjoy these over-ripe renditions.
Ian Lace
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.110870 [64:33]