March 2025

Legends of Light Music

All of the articles in the above category, which appeared on the RFS website over the years, have now been reproduced and posted in the 'Articles' section of the LLMMG website for easy reference.

March 2025

RFS Website

Due to insurmountable technical problems, Geoff Leonard, who has run the website of the former Robert Farnon Society for the last ten years, has been obliged to permanently shut the site down.

I am pleased to inform you that I have been able to acquire the entire set of data files, as a result of invaluable assistance from Jonathan Burns, and with due thanks to Geoff Leonard.

These will now be held as an archive; no further additions will be possible, but they will soon be accessible via the LLMMG website.

Tony Clayden
14/03/2025

March 2025

Robert Walton

It is with great sadness that I have just learned of the death – in Ireland – of Robert Walton, which occurred about six months ago.

Robert had been a stalwart member of the former Robert Farnon Society for many years and – after having retired to the 'Emerald Isle' – he maintained a steady stream of contributions to the RFS website, which were always of great interest.

I am hoping to produce a full obituary in due course.

Tony Clayden
14/03/2025

March 2025

For information about past and upcoming episodes of Friday Night is Music Night on BBC Radio 3 you can follow this link: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001xmxc/episodes/player

It shows previous episodes which are still available for replay via BBC Sounds (for up to 30 days after broadcast).

21st March 2025 at 7.30pm
London Soundtrack Festival
Live from Alexandra Palace Theatre the BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Richard Balcombe, appear in the first ever London Soundtrack Festival playing film and TV music.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028shk

28th March 2025 at 7.30pm
Sounds of Spring (repeat)
Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra, soprano Ilona Domnich and glass harmonica player Alasdair Malloy in music of spring. Live from BBC Maida Vale studios.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001zgl0

4th April 2025 at 7.30pm
05/07/2024 (repeat)
Mezzo soprano Kathryn Rudge joins conductor Martin Yates and the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Alban Arena, St Albans, in a programme tinged with classical antiquity. Recorded last summer.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0020hzm

11th April 2025 at 7.30pm
Invitation to the Dance (repeat)
Richard Balcombe conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra, singers Katie Birtill and Lance Ellington and bass clarinet player Derek Hannigan in dance-related light music.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002036l

March 2025

(click to enlarge)

February 2025

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Tickets are available at:
www.ticketsource.co.uk/misbournesymphonyorchestra

January 2025

Laurie Holloway
(1938-2025)

The composer, pianist and musical director Laurie Holloway has died at the age of 86.

An obituary by Anthony Wills can be found in our Obituaries section, HERE

January 2025

"The History of the Northern Dance Orchestra"

The BBC Northern Dance Orchestra was a big band run by the BBC and formed in 1956 as the successor to the BBC's Northern Variety Orchestra. Known to listeners as the NDO, it broadcast on the radio daily, usually from recordings made at the Playhouse Theatre in Hulme, Manchester, and on many trips to halls throughout the UK.

The NDO project produced for Serenade Radio — 3 x one hour programmes on the NDO and NVO, with contributions from people who knew and worked with the bands, and lots of great music!

Listen here!

December 2024

Click above to visit the website
and open the Christmas Cracker!

October 2024

Ernest Tomlinson
1924 - 2015
A life in music with pictures and ...
a little light music!

The presentation by Hilary Ashton (daughter of light music maestro, Ernest Tomlinson) which featured at our most recent meeting in October was recorded by Jonathan Burns and can be viewed here.

A full report on the meeting can be found here

October 2024

Sergio Mendes
(1941-2024)

The Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes, who with his band Brasil '66 introduced Bossa Nova to a worldwide audience in the 1960s, has died aged 83.

An obituary by Anthony Wills can be found in our Obituaries section, HERE

September 2024

The Story of Light Music

Sunday 22nd September 2024 at 7:15pm on BBC Radio 3

Marking the centenary of composer Ernest Tomlinson’s birth (whose 'Little Serenade' – 1955 - is one of the treasures of British light music) and exploring the sound-world of pioneering light composers Eric Coates, Robert Farnon, Frederic Curzon, Ronald Binge, Peter Hope and others – presenter and singer Catherine Bott takes a look at what light music means today and its deep legacy for radio, television and film scores as well as its re-emergence on digital platforms like Tik Tok. Contributors include composer Peter Hope, conductor John Wilson, Ernest Tomlinson's daughter Hilary Ashton, modern day light music composer Thomas Hewitt-Jones and organist Richard Hills.

The programnme is available here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002383y

September 2024

BBC Proms

Sunday 1st September at 1.00 pm

On Radio 3 there was a repeat of a programme, first broadcast in March, looking at Henry Mancini's life and career including archive interviews.

Monday 2nd September at 7.30 pm

BBC Proms presented Ultra Lounge - Henry Mancini & Beyond.

Henry Mancini was more than one of the greatest composers in the history of film music. He was also one of the most versatile musicians of his or any time. Marking a century since the flautist, composer and conductor’s birth in Ohio, Edwin Outwater and the BBC Concert Orchestra celebrate the man and his music in styles ranging from jazz to light classical and film music.

Among the classics are the slinky 'Lujon' and themes from The Pink Panther and Peter Gunn, joined by gems from the lounge music and space-age pop genres Mancini helped inspire, including easy-going tracks by Burt Bacharach, Les Baxter and Juan García Esquivel.

Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 2. It is now available on BBC iPlayer for 11 months here: bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0022njg

Anthony Wills

August 2024

A Centenary Celebration - Three Musical Luminaries –
Trevor Duncan, Ernest Tomlinson and Angela Morley

On Bank Holiday Monday, August 26th 2024 Serenade Radio presented a special feature to commemorate the centenaries of these famous composers, who made a great contribution to world of British Light Music in the years after World War Two.

Compiled and introduced by André Leon and produced by Tony Clayden, the programme features some of the trio's most prominent compositions.

You can catch up on our LLMMG streaming service.

August 2024

THE BIG INTERVIEW - John Wilson

There is a new item in the Articles section of the website reproducing an in-depth interview with John Wilson by George Hall which appeared in 'The Stage' during June.

June 2024

Mark Fitz-Gerald Orchestra
concert at The British Home

A report on this event can be found in the Reports section of the website - here

Click here for archived news items