I have had nothing but praise for this Guild series The Golden
Age of Light Music, but I have to admit that my heart sank
when I saw the title of this disk – Melodies for Romantics.
I know that all music is emotional – music is the most emotional
art there is – despite what odd ideas Stravinsky might have held,
but melodies for romantics? It’s almost as bad as Sinatra’s Songs
for Swingin’ Lovers. I was ready to stick my finger down my
throat to get rid of the, already growing, sickening taste in
my mouth. After all, we real men don’t want this lovey–dovey stuff.
It’s the musical equivalent of having your mum kiss you in public,
in front of your friends.
So
you could have knocked me down with a Valentine Card (something
else we symphonic music lovin’ guys don’t relate to) when
I found myself enjoying every second of this disk. I was very
impressed with Conrad Salinger’s arrangement of The Boy
Next Door – full of restraint and yet highly colourful.
The great, and much missed, Angela Morley delivers a suave
and lounge-band version of Gershwin’s A Foggy Day (in London
Town). J George Johnson’s (who he?) Central Park Romance
starts with a kind of horse drawn buggy ride feel (an American
version of Benjamin Frankel’s Carriage and Pair, perhaps)
before displaying a simply gorgeous tune, in a lovely orchestration,
complete with piano solo. You can always rely on Morton Gould
to deliver the goods in his arrangements and this one, of
Gershwin’s The Man I Love, is tender and string based.
Marvellous.
Kuhn’s
Shipboard Romance beings exactly like Ronald Binge’s
Sailing By, but quickly goes its own way. Adding maracas,
this ship is somewhere nice and warm, perhaps just off the
Cuban coast, and we’re sipping a Hemingway
Daiquirí (also known as a Papa Doble) –
two and a half jiggers of Bacardi White Label, juice of two
limes and half a grapefruit, six drops of maraschino liqueur,
served frozen. Very refreshing. Otto Cesana started piano
studies at 10 years of age, and he was adept on the organ
as well as in orchestration and harmony. His original works
appeared at venues such as New York City's Town Hall. Enchantment is a lovely piece – with
a gorgeous cor anglais solo in the middle, which is surrounded
by big, but not overwhelming, brass choruses. Norrie Paramor’s
racy Wedding Day quotes Wagner – the Bridal March
from Lohengrin – in a quite lovely scherzo–like setting.
The
original compositions are well placed, in this collection,
between arrangements, by some of the best arrangers in the
business, giving a real variety of moods and textures.
The
transfers are up to the usual very high standard we have come
to expect from this company’s stable. The notes are good, but
not exhaustive and I loved it. So, between you and me, my mum
can kiss me in front of my friends – as long as she’s quick about
it.
Bob Briggs
Details
of works and artists:
Jerome KERN (1885–1945) I Dream Too Much [2:29]
Hugh MARTIN (b. 1914)
and Ralph BLANE
(1914–1995) The Boy Next Door (from
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)) (arranged by Conrad
SALINGER (1901–1961)) [3:00]
Gus KAHN (1886–1941) and Nacio Herb BROWN (1896–1964)
You Stepped Out Of A Dream (arranged by Frank
CORDELL (1918-1980)) [3:16]
Cole PORTER (1891–1964) Could It Be You (arranged by
Robert FARNON (1917–2005)) [3:05]
George GERSHWIN (1898–1937) A Foggy Day (arranged by Angela MORLEY (1924–2009)) [2:33]
J George JOHNSON
Central Park Romance [3:19]
George GERSHWIN
The Man I Love (arranged by Morton GOULD (1913–1996)) [3:29]
Irving BERLIN (1888–1989) Soft Lights And Sweet Music;
They Say It’s Wonderful [3:00]
Burton LANE (1912–1997) and E Y “Yip” HARBURG (1896–1981) When I’m Not Near The Girl I
Love (from Finian’s Rainbow (1947)) [3:37]
Joseph F KUHN: (1924–1962) Shipboard Romance [4:09]
Otto CESANA
(1899-1980) Enchantment [3:07]
Billy ROSE (1899–1966), Irving
KAHAL (1903–1942) and Dana
SUESSE (1909–1987) The Night
Is Young And You’re So Beautiful (1936) [3:16]
Nacio Herb BROWN and Earl K
BRENT (1914–1977) Love Is Where You Find It [2:14]
Nacio Herb BROWN Temptation [3:15]
Jacob GADE (1879–1963) Jealousy (1925) (arranged
by Sidney TORCH (pseudonym
for Sidney TORCHINSKY) (1908–1990)) [2:55]
Max STEINER (1888–1971) It Can’t Be Wrong (arranged by
Ron GOODWIN (1925–2003))
[2:55]
Gonzalo ROIG (1890–1970) and Agustin RODRIGUEZ: Yours (Quiereme Mucho) (arranged
by Don Mario Ruiz ARMENGOL
(b1914)) [3:14]
Charles AZNAVOUR (b.1924) Sur Ma Vie (In My Life) [2:36]
Dorothy FIELDS (1905–1974)
and Jimmy McHUGH
(1894–1969) I’m In The Mood For Love
(1935) [3:06]
Arthur FREED (1894–1973) and Nacio Herb BROWN: All I Do Is Dream Of You (arranged by Ronald
BINGE (1910–1979)) [1:59]
Richard HEUBERGER (1850–1914) The Kiss In Your Eyes (arranged
by Eric JUPP (1922-2003)) [3:15]
Richard WHITING (1891–1938) and Johnny MERCER (1909–1976) Too Marvellous
For Words (1937) [3:03]
Sunny SKYLAR (1913–2009) and Consuelo VELAZQUEZ (1916–2005)
Besame Mucho (Kiss Me A Lot) [2:33]
Laurent HESS, Charles TRENET (1913–2001) and Paul
MISRAKI (1908–1998) Why Do You Pass Me By (Vous Qui
Passez Sans Me Voir) [2:59]
Richard RODGERS (1902–1979) People Will Say We’re In Love
(from Oklahoma!) (1943)
[2:53]
Norrie PARAMOR
(1914-1979) Wedding Day [2:17]
Michael Freedman and the Debutantes (Love Is
Where You Find It), Conrad Salinger Orchestra/Buddy Bregman (The
Boy Next Door), The Melachrino Strings/George Melachrino (I Dream
Too Much), New World Theatre Orchestra (Central Park Romance),
The Rio Carnival Orchestra (Shipboard Romance), Ron Goodwin and
his Concert Orchestra (It Can’t Be Wrong), Don Amore (Besame Mucho),
Mario Ruiz Armengol (Yours), Warren Barker (When I’m Not Near
The Girl I Love), Ronald Binge (All I Do Is Dream Of You), Otto
Cesana (Enchantment), Frank Chacksfield (Temptation), Frank Cordell
(You Stepped Out Of A Dream), Frank de Vol (Soft Lights And Sweet
Music; They Say It’s Wonderful), Robert Farnon (Could It Be You),
Morton Gould (The Man I Love), Leroy Holmes (Too Marvellous For
Words), Eric Jupp (The Kiss In Your Eyes), Geoff Love (People
Will Say We’re In Love), Angela Morley (Wally Stott) (A Foggy
Day), Glenn Osser (The Night Is Young And You’re So Beautiful),
Norrie Paramor (Wedding Day), Jack Payne (I’m In The Mood For
Love), David Rose (Why Do You Pass Me By), Boris Sarbek (Sur Ma
Vie), Sidney Torch (Jealousy) all conducting “their own” Orchestras.
