大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Celebrating 60
Ken Bruce salutes the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra on their 60th anniversary featuring an archive concert from their 25th anniversary year - 1977.
Celebrating 60 - Ken Bruce salutes the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra on their 60th anniversary. 2012 will be a celebration of bronze, silver, gold and. diamonds. Yes, this summer we'll host the Olympic Games and celebrate the H.M Queen's Diamond Jubilee but Radio 2 kicks off the year with an 11 part archive series celebrating another 60th anniversary - the birth of the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra.
In this first programme Ken recalls the early days of the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra when they were called the 大象传媒 Opera Orchestra and their principal conductor was Stanford Robinson - the brother of broadcaster Eric Robinson. Then a chance to hear a concert from the 大象传媒 archives from their silver anniversary year - 1977. 25 Glorious Years from the Royal Festival Hall features music from Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss II); The Desert Song (Romberg); Glamorous Night (Novello); and Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien.
Hailed by Sir Arthur Bliss as "a worthy instrument, ready at hand to present a brilliant new era of 'entertainment' music'" the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra are very much today a jewel in 大象传媒 Radio 2's crown. The 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra made its first broadcast on 11th September 1952 on the 大象传媒 General Overseas Service with a repeat broadcast on the domestic service three days later. But the story starts 20 years before when the 大象传媒 brought together a bunch of players under the title the 大象传媒 Theatre Orchestra - their main role was to provide incidental music to radio plays - under their principal conductor Leslie Woodgate.
When not required in the drama studios, the orchestra gave light music and opera concerts. In 1949 the orchestra was renamed the 大象传媒 Opera Orchestra with Stanford Robinson as conductor. Its brief was to be an "opera cum second symphony orchestra.an orchestra capable to putting over the finest light music to great effect". Three years later the 大象传媒 decided the time was right for a light music orchestra and the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra was born.
Today, the 60 musicians who make up the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra broadcast weekly in 大象传媒 Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night. They are equally at home playing Bach and Beethoven as accompanying Dame Shirley Bassey. In this 11-part series, Ken Bruce trawls the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra archives for some classic performances from their first 60 years.
A feast for light music fans - each week the series will broadcast a show from the orchestra archives. The series will feature archive performances from the likes of light music legends Sidney Torch; Vilem Tausky; Robert Farnon; Eric Coates; Willi Boskovsky; Stanley Black; and Ron Goodwin. Plus concert performances from Matt Monro and Dudley Moore as well as more recent collaborations with Michael Bubl茅; Lionel Richie and Peter Gabriel.
Ken Bruce talks to the players and conductors past and present for their musical memories and tells the story of this remarkable group of 大象传媒 musicians.
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Music Played
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Barry Wordsworth
High Adventure
(Charles Williams)
- Friday Night Is Music Night.
- 大象传媒.
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Barry Wordsworth
Hungarian Rhapsody
(Liszt, arr. Torch)
- 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Plays Classical Masterpieces.
- 大象传媒.
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大象传媒 Theatre Orchestra Cb: Stanford Robinson
Monckton Melodies
(Monckton)
- The Golden Age of Light Music 鈥� Four Decades of Light Music Vol 1 20鈥檚 & 30鈥檚.
- Guild.
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大象传媒 Opera Chorus and Orchestra
Caro Mio Ben
(Giordani)
- Beniamino Gigli in Concert 1938-1955.
- Eklipse.
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Prelude Act 3 - Lohengrin
(Wagner)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Our Waltzing Years
(Arr. Sidney Torch)
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John Hanson & 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Kenneth Alwyn
Serenade: The Student Prince
(Romberg)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Kenneth Alwyn
Farnon Fantasy
(Robert Farnon)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Adagio - Spartacus
(Khachaturian)
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Cynthia Glover, John Lawrenson & 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Vilem Tausky
Bess You Is My Woman Now (Porgy and Bess)
(Gershwin)
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John McCarthy Singers & 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Vilem Tausky
Polotvsian Dances
(Borodin))
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Vilem Tausky
Overture: Die Fledermaus
(Strauss II)
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Cynthia Glover, John Lawrenson & 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Vilem Tausky
A Waltz Dream
(Oscar Straus)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Opening & Closing Number 鈥� Pineapple Poll
(Sullivan)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Intermezzo 鈥� Karelia Suite
(Jean Sibelius)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Vilem Tausky
Shine Through My Dreams (Glamorous Night)
(Ivor Novello)
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John McCarthy Singers, 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Elizabethan Serenade
(Binge)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Carousel Waltz
(Richard Rodgers)
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Ensemble & 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra
25 Glorious Years of Theatre Music
(Various)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Ashley Lawrence
Capriccio Italien
(Tchaikovsky)
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大象传媒 Concert Orchestra Cb: Barry Wordsworth
High Adventure (Sig Tune)
(Charles Williams)
- Friday Night Is Music Night.
- WMEM.
Broadcast
- Fri 20 Jan 2012 20:00大象传媒 Radio 2