The Maid of the
Mountains was one of the two big
hits on the London stage during the
First World War, one that ran for 1,352
consecutive performances. It’s not as
well remembered as Chu Chin Chow
but it brought almost as much cheer
and enjoyment. Its composer was from
a moneyed family, London-born but Highlands-leaning.
Harold Fraser Simson - the hyphen was
a later affectation - began life in
the City of London but his musical aspirations,
strong though cautiously delayed, finally
bore fruit in 1911 when a comic opera
called Bonita hit the London
boards.
Five years later he
worked with lyricist Harry Graham on
The Maid of the Mountains, a
book by Frederick Lonsdale. Its stage
self comprised a comic mêlée
of Governors, Generals, brigands, citizens
and assorted dancing girls, just the
thing for 1916. Musically speaking Fraser-Simson
owed a great debt to G&S, to Lehár
in the waltz scene and in the more esoteric
moments to the Coleridge-Taylor of Hiawatha
and the lighter orchestral music. There
were some interpolations during the
early stages. James W Tate, brother
of Maggie Teyte, supplied three impressive
numbers, My life is love, Love
will find a way (maybe the best
known song of all) and A paradise
for two. Tate happened to be the
stepfather of one of the original stars
of the production, José Collins.
For those interested in esoterica one
of Tate’s writing partners was Archibald
Thomas Pechey who wrote under the august
name "Valentine" and was the
father of TV cook Fanny Craddock. Such
are the ways of theatrical dynasties.
The musical play has
its peculiarities in that Baldassare,
its leading man, Michael George, sonorous
and packed with personality as ever,
recites rather than sings. Its original
performer was a leading figure of the
time, and a suitable candidate for the
non-singing actor, Arthur Wontner. Nevertheless
there’s plenty of verve and variety
to see one through, especially when
the brigand Beppo holds the stage. This
was a role taken in the first production
by Thorpe Bates, a singer of wide repute
and one who made many 78 discs. The
maid is the Collins role. These parts
are here taken by Christopher Maltman
and Janis Kelly. They’re both full of
personality and command, and Kelly is
fearless when called upon.
Richard Corp leads
an evocative performance using full
orchestrations. His direction is assured
and knowing. There are some opportunities
for the solo violin in the Nocturne
and for the principal cello in Dividing
the Spoil in Act I. Strings are
warm and sympathetic. Maltman is especially
fine in this number with its G&S
resonance. Though the three acts seem
well proportioned the finale to Act
I is very brief and perhaps a little
unsatisfactory – it lasts barely a minute.
Donald Maxwell does
a splendid turn as the General and the
smaller parts are all excellently cast
and well taken. There are no weak links,
no signs of slumming or archness. Love
will find a way does have a Lehár
lilt and A Bachelor Gay has a
rude music-hall vitality that momentarily
takes us to from a musical play to the
sing-along of the halls – infectious,
actually.
The notes, from which
I’ve cribbed much of the background,
are excellent and amusing. The booklet
has full texts. You’ll have encountered
this first on Hyperion CDA67190, released
back in 2000, but at its reduced Helios
price bracket this is a veritably enjoyable
slice of British musical theatre.
Jonathan Woolf
New London Light Opera Chorus 
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