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GLCD 5212 – Bright Lights
Various
To the CD in our Shop
Weekend Edition of Brattleboro Reformer – 14.6.2014
BRIGHT LIGHTS Like the Energizer Bunny, the Guild Light Music series, “The Golden Age of Light Music,” goes on and on and has now reached number 212, which is titled “Bright Lights.” As usual, there are two dozen or more vintage record¬ings drawn from long-playing albums of the late 40s up to the early stereo years, played by mostly British orchestras.
According to the program notes, “This collection pays tribute to the many talented light music composers who contributed to the production music libraries operated by various London publishers to satisfy the requirements of professional users in the media.” (That takes a bit of interpretation!) Among the 25 selections, none of which are familiar to me, are “Beachcomber,” “Hurly-burly,” “Pastorale,” “Hydro project,” and “Prelude to a play.” They are all lightweight and quite enjoyable. Among the players are the Brussels New Concert, New Concert, Harmonic, Danish State Radio, New Century, Queens Hall, Telecast, London Promenade, and Group-Fifty…take a breath…orchestras.
I do love this series and can recommend just about any of the 212 titles in it.
Frank Behrens
Journal into Melody – December 2013
The idea behind this new Guild Light Music selection is to showcase those talented composers who have made it big in the light music world and in Library Music in particular. The album title is also the title of the first track by Den Berry and Stuart Cromie played in a bright optimistic manner by the Brussets New Concert Orchestra. As you would expect there are a number of well-known titles such as Beachcomber by Clive Richardson and Twentieth Century Express (Making Tracks) by Trevor Duncan but there are also some lesser known pieces and one in particular as far as I’m concerned, Main Event by Hubert Clifford, a real corker of a number played with great gusto by the Danish State Radio Orchestra conducted by Robert Farnon, which I think I might have opened the CD with. Another piece, by Charles Williams this time, is Hydro Project, not exactly new to me but great all the same. Cecil Milner is in there with a charming number he called Trysting Place an the Harmonic labet followed by Bruce Campbell’s Tempo for Strings played by the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, reminding me to ask, have these continental radio orchestras gone the same way as the BBC house orchestras or are they still playing light music? Two more cracking pieces that I have but pleased to see included are March Heroique by Walter Collins played by the London Promenade Orchestra and conducted by him with the added bonus of Levy Sound Studios unique sound, and Race Day by Roger Roger. Another jolly but powerful number is Jack Beaver’s Holiday Camp March played by the New Century Orchestra under the baton of Sidney Torch, who by the way is represented by My Waltz For You with him conducting the Queen’s Halt Light Orchestra. Vivian Etlis, always associated with Coronation Scot, has a really catchy number to his narre, Procession played by the Danish State Radio Orchestra conducted by Hubert Clifford, as does King Palmer and Richard Mullan writing as Peter Kane with Walter Collins on the podium again and the Levy sound enhancing the very catchy Rhythm of the Clock. Jack Strachey, Ernest Tomlinson, Frederic Curzon and a host more light music backroom boys all make appearances on this fine release, and so they should.
KW