LONDON LIGHT MUSIC MEETINGS GROUP

SPRING GATHERING ON 21st MAY 2023

The sun shone on the Lancaster Hall Hotel as we arrived for our twice-yearly celebration of the glorious world of light music. Unlike our meeting last October, there were no rail strikes to limit our audience; however London Underground saw fit to close the local station at Lancaster Gate, thus inconveniencing those who had to take a long walk from the next station!

After Tony Clayden welcomed everyone to the meeting, he played us (appropriately) Spring Morning by George Melachrino. Tony explained that he had first heard this piece in the spring of 1953 , when it was used on a BBC Television Newsreel feature describing the preparations for the forthcoming Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. He followed it with a track from a new Dutton Epoch release, entitled On the Promenade from the suite In Holiday Mood by Albert Ketèlbey. The next piece was the theme to the television series 'Van der Valk' – Jack Trombey's composition, Eye Level, and we then listened to the Bert Kaempfert orchestra playing, That Happy Feeling, from another new CD release on the Jasmine label.

We then welcomed Anthony Wills for an extended feature on one of the 20th century's finest songwriters – Burt Bacharach, who sadly died recently. Anthony opened with his first big hit, Magic Moments, sung by Perry Como. As Burt was 29 at the time (1957) it was surprising that his talents had not become apparent earlier, particularly as the 'B' side -Catch A Falling Star was also destined to become a 'standard'!

Writing with lyricist Hal David, it is noticeable how relatively straightforward their early songs were, by comparison with the complex and highly sophisticated creations that were to follow.

We then listened to Twenty-four Hours From Tulsa performed by Gene Pitney and Anyone Who Had A Heart, which was sung by Dionne Warwick, for whom Bacharach wrote countless songs. The fact that it also became a big hit in Britain for Cilla Black didn’t exactly please Dionne!

Bacharach and David were commissioned to write title songs for films. We listened to two of them – This Guy's In Love With You (Sacha Distel) and A House Is Not A Home (Dionne Warwick) – a song which was covered by many other leading artists. This was followed by What's New Pussycat? from Tom Jones and The Look of Love (from Diana Krall).

After a slightly crackly recording of Promises, Promises sung by Tony Roberts – not regarded as a Bacharach masterpiece, Anthony concluded with one of the best –Close To You performed by The Carpenters and featuring the golden brown voice of the much missed Karen Carpenter.

When Burt Bacharach died in February of this year, aged 95, it left a yawning gap in the world of melodic music and one wonders if that void will ever be filled.
To conclude the first section of our programme, Tony Clayden played the Troll Dance from a CD "Music from Norway". We adjourned for tea.

Part two was given over to our guest speaker Derek Holland, who is active in music making, and conducts several orchestras. He loves Light Music and makes a practice of including some, even in his predominantly classical concerts.

As light music originally derived from classical music, Derek concentrated on composers who had initially been known for serious music but had later become more famous for lighter works. An example was Sir Arthur Sullivan, whose operettas were destined to be remembered in later years whilst his serious works slipped into relative obscurity. Then, Derek played us The Final Joust from Sullivan's Merchant Of Venice suite, conducted by Andrew Penny. Albert Ketèlby, a composer with similar background to Sullivan, was then represented by With Honour Crowned , a work composed for the 1935 Jubilee. Our next composer with a classical background was Montague Philips, and we listened to the delightful Richmond Park from his Surrey Suite.

Next, we turned to Eric Coates, much championed by Sir Edward Elgar- who actually made a habit of going to see him conduct. Coates became known as "The Uncrowned King of Light Music". To illustrate his work, Derek played us the march Queen Elizabeth –this being the final movement of the suite The Three Elizabeths. The performance was conducted by Eric Coates himself.
The next composer to be represented was Haydn Wood. From his suite "Cities Of Romance", performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Gavin Sutherland, we listened to Seville.

Moving through the years to the BBC Light Programme days we meet Trevor Duncan, real name Leonard Trebilco, and listened to his impression of a Twentieth Century Express – [also known Making Tracks} as conducted by Andrew Penny. In similar idiom, we heard Rotten Row- dedicated by the composer, Angela Morley to Robert Farnon ( whose style it was intended to emulate).

Turning to the composer Phyllis Tate, we listened to Spring Morning In Kew from her suite London Fields.

Derek felt that it was an encouraging sign that there were still a few composers writing light music today (can’t be for the money!) and played us examples - Matthew Curtis (Outward Bound), Peter Wilson (Waltzing The World) and Philip White (Drake 400).

Derek was encouraged by the fact that there had recently been some reissues of light music CDs in recent months. Personally, I would be more encouraged if the BBC started employing light orchestras again *– but there’s probably nobody left at the BBC that has even heard of the genre!
*Sadly, a forlorn hope, I’m afraid – Ed.

I think that the excellent presentation by Derek was appreciated by everyone and have to say that – as a passionate devotee of light music, who has done considerable research into the genre – I had imagined that there might have been some points to either criticise, or with which to disagree. The fact that I didn’t says everything! It was first-rate!

We then took our second break.

Opening Part three, Martin Cleave presented a feature entitled "The Organist Entertains, but not necessarily on the organ !" –a selection of light music pieces written by organists. He opened with a Louis Mordish composition –Spectre on the Spree- played by Louis Mordish and his Players. This was followed by Lady Chatterbox- written by Joseph Seal and played by the BBC Northern Ireland Light Orchestra-conductor David Curry. Martin continued with two Reginald Porter-Brown compositions, Swiss Bluebells, played by Jack Salisbury and his orchestra and The Dance Of The Three Old Maids from Camarata and his orchestra.

Next, two Felton Rapley compositions. We heard Bubblecar from Charles Williams and the Telecast Orchestra and then Peacock Patrol, written under the pseudonym of Peter Barrington, from the same orchestra. Martin Cleave concluded his entertaining presentation with Vision of Delia by Henry Croudson, a feature for piano and orchestra, namely The Melachrino Strings.

Now it was my turn - with "Radio Recollections" . As a change from my usual format of featuring a number of different orchestras, I decided to play excerpts from a favourite edition of "Music While You Work" on 23.10.62 featuring Isy Geiger and his orchestra. If he were still alive, Isy would now be 136 – and the recollection that I actually met him (fifty years ago) makes me feel quite old!

Isy was born in Poland but spent many years in Vienna, in fact becoming an Austrian citizen where, amongst his friends he counted Franz Lehar and Emerich Kalman. Indeed Lehar used to come to the concerts which he gave in Vienna.

The first item was Perpetuum Mobile (Strauss) coupled with an Edward White composition, White Wedding. A Spanish waltz followed –Fiesta In Brazil by Armand Rodriguez.

I continued with two lively items – Clive Richardson's Continental Galop and Marbella by Peter Kerry. One of our biggest enemies at these meetings is the clock and I had to omit four super items and jump straight to the finale, which was an excellent arrangement by Isy Geiger, containing excerpts from several well-known works – Farandole from L'Arlesienne by Bizet, Prelude by Rachmaninov, Waltz by Chopin, Liebestraum by Lizst and culminating with the exciting finale of the Lustpiel Overture by Kela-Bela.

To conclude the afternoon's entertainment, Tony Clayden played us A Star Is Born by Robert Farnon, [used on a 1948 Pathé News feature at the time of the birth of HRH Prince Charles] followed by Charles Williams' Heart-O-London [commissioned for the 1953 Coronation] and finally, another Farnon composition [which seemed appropriate] - Royal Occasion performed by the Melodi Light orchestra.

Tony then thanked everyone who had attended the session and invited us back on the 8th October to do it all again.

© Brian Reynolds 2023

The next LLMMG meeting will take place at the Lancaster Hall Hotel on Sunday 8th October 2023 – All are welcome, please tell your friends !