The resurgent 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
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Barry Wordsworth