Notes and Editorial Reviews
Bracing and evocative fun.
If one or two of the most recent editions in this series have, so far as I’m concerned, lacked a certain frisson, this one makes ample amends. The theme is orchestral strings and the tone is set immediately by Leroy Anderson whose
Belle of the Ball exudes charm and glamour. There is a novice entrant in this series in the shape of Jack Shaindlin, Ukraine-born but a long time American resident. He and his band produce a fine version of
Beyond the Blue Horizon. Variety is maintained by another noviciate, Frederick Fennell, whose pizzicatos animate
Love Is Sweeping the Country (from
Of Thee I Sing) with both fun and verve. One company that consistently
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produced the goods was Mercury, which was fortunate to have David Carroll on its books. Evidence arrives in the shape of the 1961
Dance of the Slave Maidens, the Borodinsed popular hit better known as
Stranger in Paradise.
George Martin, now Sir George, penned
Serenade to Double Scotch. Maybe those pop bands that later drove him round the bend in the Parlophone studios — even the Beatles perhaps — drove him back to the solace of the bottle. It’s a spruce and welcoming opus. Why doesn’t someone revive it? Given the album theme it’s no surprise to encounter the elite gents from The Melachrino Strings nor the chic Clebanoff Strings in
Cumana — chic is, on reflection, a
sine qua non for this catchy item. I’d often wondered what happened to Monia Liter and here is something of an answer. This pianist, who so graced British Dance Bands in the 1920s, playing with Nat Gonella and Al Bowlly and so many others, later ran the Recorded Music Library at Boosey and Hawkes. Thanks to David Adès for providing that nugget in his ever-reliable and biographically important sleeve-notes. Liter’s conducting of Cyril Watters’
The Willow Waltz is genuinely luscious.
There are gems sprinkled throughout. There’s Percy Faith’s elegant sophistication, a confident Paxton of van der Linden playing
Spending Spree, and some music from the Tony Hancock film
The Rebel. It was written by Frank Cordell, whose band plays it with due spice. We also renew acquaintance with the eminent veteran of the genre, Charles Williams, whose 1952 recording of
Vanessa is richly succulent and successful. Guild doesn’t settle into a single groove, and thus doesn’t neglect the pick-me-up humour of
Periwinkle, directed by King Palmer.
These titles were all recorded within about a decade, between 1952 and 1961. He booklet cover art will give you some idea of the bracing and evocative fun it enshrines.
-- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
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Works on This Recording
1.
Belle of the Ball by Leroy Anderson
Conductor:
Leroy Anderson
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1951; USA
Length: 2 Minutes 35 Secs.
2.
Beyond the Blue Horizon, song by Richard Whiting / W. Fran
Conductor:
Jack Shaindlin
Period: Modern
Written: 1944; United States of Ame
Length: 2 Minutes 51 Secs.
3.
Of Thee I Sing: Love is sweeping the country by George Gershwin
Conductor:
Frederick Fennell
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1931; USA
Length: 2 Minutes 33 Secs.
4.
Prince Igor: Dance Of The Slave Maidens by Alexander Borodin
Conductor:
David Carroll
Period: Romantic
Written: 1869-1887; Russia
Length: 3 Minutes 49 Secs.
5.
Thanks for the Memories by Ralph Rainger
Conductor:
Geoff Love
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 21 Secs.
6.
Serenade to Double Scotch, for pops orchestra by George Martin
Conductor:
Ron Goodwin
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 41 Secs.
7.
Gigi: Gigi by Frederick Loewe
Conductor:
George Melachrino
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1958; USA
Length: 2 Minutes 55 Secs.
8.
Cumana by Allen Barclay
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Clebanoff Strings
Length: 3 Minutes 17 Secs.
9.
Willow Waltz, for orchestra by Cyril Watters
Conductor:
Monia Liter
Length: 3 Minutes 6 Secs.
10.
Perfidia by Alberto Dominguez
Conductor:
Xavier Cugat
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1939
Length: 2 Minutes 55 Secs.
11.
Bouquet by Percy Faith
Conductor:
Percy Faith
Period: Modern
Length: 3 Minutes 19 Secs.
12.
Jumbo: The most beautiful girl in the world by Richard Rodgers
Conductor:
William Hill-Bowen
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1935; USA
Length: 2 Minutes 56 Secs.
13.
Adios, for voice & ensemble by Enric Madriguera
Conductor:
Geoff Love
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Music of the Mountains
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 55 Secs.
14.
Then You May Take Me to the Fair, song (from "Camelot") by Frederick Loewe
Conductor:
Cyril Ornadel
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 46 Secs.
15.
Time Waits for Me, song by Cliff Friend
Conductor:
Reg Owen
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 50 Secs.
16.
Spending Spree, for pops orchestra by Alan Thurlow
Conductor:
Dolf van der Linden
Length: 2 Minutes 7 Secs.
17.
Nurseryland, for pops orchestra by Angela Morley
Conductor:
Angela Morley
Period: Modern
Length: 3 Minutes 11 Secs.
18.
On the Loose, for pops orchestra by Pat Beaver
Length: 2 Minutes 40 Secs.
19.
The Rebel: Main Title Theme by Frank Cordell
Conductor:
Frank Cordell
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 13 Secs.
20.
The Rebel: Oo-La-La by Frank Cordell
Conductor:
Frank Cordell
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 24 Secs.
21.
Vanessa by Bernie Wayne
Conductor:
Charles Williams
Period: Modern
Length: 3 Minutes 4 Secs.
22.
Faraway Music, for pops orchestra by Steve Race
Conductor:
Steve Race
Length: 2 Minutes 21 Secs.
23.
The Singer Not The Song: Theme by Philip Green
Conductor:
Philip Green
Written: 1961
Length: 2 Minutes 23 Secs.
24.
Strolling Home, for pops orchestra by Robert Farnon
Conductor:
Robert Farnon
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 51 Secs.
25.
Periwinkle, for pops orchestra by Stuart Crombie
Conductor:
King Palmer
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 59 Secs.
26.
Jeunesse, for pops orchestra by Anthony Mawer
Conductor:
Hugo De Groot
Period: Modern
Length: 2 Minutes 0 Secs.
27.
Romance in the Breeze, for pops orchestra by Edward White
Length: 2 Minutes 51 Secs.
28.
Holiday for Strings by David Rose
Conductor:
David Rose
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; USA
Length: 3 Minutes 57 Secs.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 1 Customer Review )
Lovely to listen to. February 15, 2013
By Joyce B. (Courtice, Ontario) See All My Reviews
"The music is so well done that you will want to listen to the entire disc."
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