The Golden Age of Light Music: Fiddles and Bows
rec. 1950-62
Detailed Track-List see below
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC GLCD 5201 [72:03]
Volume 101 in Guild’s exhaustively selective trawl through the acreage of Light Music reminds us both of old stagers but also new entrants in the company’s lists.
The title track belongs to a constant companion of the marque, Roger Roger, who gives us the Spirit of 1962 in de luxe form via Emile Deltour’s Fiddles and Bows. This is immediately and profitably contrasted with the languorous orchestration of Close as Pages in a Book, the Sigmund Romberg tune arranged by the magic pen of Robert Farnon. A classy swinger comes via Frederick Fennell’s performance of Cole Porter’s Blow, Gabriel Blow from a Mercury LP. Released the same year, but on Parlophone, was Steve Race’s so-so Nicola, performed by the composer and his orchestra.
Hans Georg Arlt had a strong pedigree as a violinist and one suspects, from the title, that Chaconne (written by Edmund Kötscher) will reveal some classical, indeed baroque stringency. Actually it turns out to be a very light-hearted affair indeed. Eric Parkin will be much better known as a pianist (of Bax, Ireland, Mayerl and many others) than as a composer but his The Lonely Dancer, arranged and performed by Farnon for Chappell is highly effective. In his notes David Ades reminds the reader that many years later in 1997 Parkin recorded an album of his own Farnon transcriptions.
A novelty offering called The Bottle Theme is convincingly rendered by Robert Chauvigny, but this is eclipsed by the discipline and allure of David Rose’s orchestra presenting the American Hoe-Down with its movie music style fade-out. Percy Faith proves succulent and romantic in his arrangement of Harold Arlen’s Right as the Rain. Inevitably one will encounter Latin-Americana during one’s travels — Ole Guapa in this case — and also a pocket piano concerto, including Rhapsody in Blue allusion, in The Strong and the Tender, a Bernie Wayne composition complete with Harry James trumpet solo in its 8 minute length.
Some much-loved names reappear in the final tracks — Dolf van der Linden, Kurt Rehfeld, Werner Muller and Acquaviva — but the most engrossing tune is Anglesey, from British Scenes, written by Trevor Duncan — real name, Leonard Trebilco. I’ve repeatedly praised Trebilco’s evocative, classically infused pieces and this one is a product of a close study of Vaughan Williams and George Butterworth; it’s a lovely piece. It also ends a well transferred album with requisite variety of mood, band, composer, conductor and record label.
Jonathan Woolf
A well transferred album with requisite variety of mood, band, composer, conductor and record label.
Detailed Track-List
1 Fiddles And Bows Emile Deltour ROGER ROGER Conducting THE MODE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2:32
2 Close As Pages In A Book Sigmund Romberg, Dorothy Fields, arr. Robert Farnon ROBERT FARNON AND HIS ORCHESTRA (LP label credits 'Jack Saunders Orchestra') 2:20
3 Blow Gabriel Blow Cole Porter FREDERICK FENNELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2:23
4 Nicola Steve Race STEVE RACE AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2:25
5 Always On My Mind Philip Green PHILIP GREEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA 3:40
6 Scenic Railway Roger Roger ROGER ROGER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2:30
7 Chaconne Edmund Kötscher HANS GEORG ARLT AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA 2:09
8 Poppycock Cyril Watters WESTWAY STUDIO ORCHESTRA 2:35
9 The Lonely Dancer Eric Parkin, arr. Robert Farnon QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON 2:52
10 The End Of A Love Affair Edward C. Redding CYRIL STAPLETON AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2:48
11 The Bottle Theme Robert Roger Maurice Chauvigny ROBERT CHAUVIGNY AND HIS ORCHESTRA 1:52
12 American Hoe-Down David Rose DAVID ROSE AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2:44
13 Ole Guapa Ari Malando WERNER MULLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as 'Ricardo Santos') 3:06
14 Right As The Rain Harold Arlen, arr. Percy Faith PERCY FAITH AND HIS ORCHESTRA 4:07
15 Bubble Car Felton Rapley TELECAST ORCHESTRA Conducted by CHARLES WILLIAMS 2:31
16 Chablis Franck Pourcel FRANCK POURCEL AND HIS ORCHESTRA 2:44
17 The Strong And The Tender - Concerto Bernie Wayne, real name Bernard Weitzner BERNIE WAYNE AND HIS ORCHESTRA 7:53
18 Out And About King Palmer DOLF VAN DER LINDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as 'Paul Franklin' on disc label) 2:32
19 Romantic Rhapsody Felton Rapley QUEEN'S HALL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Conducted by ROBERT FARNON (as 'David King' on disc label) 3:06
20 Joyeux Réveil Roger Roger ROGER ROGER Conducting THE MODE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2:56
21 Anglesey (from 'British Scenes') Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Charles Trebilco NEW CONCERT ORCHESTRA Conducted by DOLF VAN DER LINDEN (as 'Nat Nyll' on disc label) 4:31
22 Shopping Tour Bruce Campbell LANSDOWNE LIGHT ORCHESTRA (probably STUTTGART RADIO ORCHESTRA Conducted by KURT REHFELD) 2:14
23 Some Of These Days Shelton Brooks WERNER MULLER AND HIS ORCHESTRA (as 'Ricardo Santos') 2:30
24 A Man With A Dream (from the musical 'Seventh Heaven') Victor Young, Stella Unger, arr. Jimmy Mundy THE NEW YORK 'POPS' SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by TONY ACQUAVIVA 2:44