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Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra Celebrating 60

Ken Bruce salutes the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra in their 60th anniversary year. This week's featured archive concert is Radio's Golden Greats from October 1997.

Celebrating 60 - Ken Bruce salutes the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra on their 60th anniversary. This week's featured archive concert is "Radio's Golden Greats" which was part of the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú's 75th anniversary season in October 1997. The show was broadcast from Alexandra Palace and presented by Roy Hudd recalling the music of Gracie Fields; Cavan O'Connor; Flanagan and Allen and Tony Hancock. Guest vocalists are Friday Night favourites - Joan Savage; Maryetta and Vernon Midgley and William Davies at the console of the Ally Paly organ. The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra are on hand to provide light music by Haydn Wood; Eric Coates and Charles Williams.

Hailed by Sir Arthur Bliss as "a worthy instrument, ready at hand to present a brilliant new era of 'entertainment' music'" the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra are very much today a jewel in Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio 2's crown. The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra made its first broadcast on 11th September 1952 on the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú General Overseas Service with a repeat broadcast on the domestic service three days later. But the story starts 20 years before when the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú brought together a group of players under the title the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú 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 Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú 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 Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú decided the time was right for a light music orchestra and the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra was born.

Today, the 60 musicians who make up the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra broadcast weekly in Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú 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 Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú 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 Buble; 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 Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú musicians.

1 hour, 57 minutes

Music Played

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Barry Wordsworth

    High Adventure

    (Williams)

    • Friday Night Is Music Night - Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú.
  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra

    Valse Serenade

    (Robinson)

    • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra – Decca.
  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra

    Donna Diana Overture

    (Reznicek)

    • Melodies For You - Decca.
  • Eric Coates

    The Dam Busters March

    Orchestra: Ron Goodwin and His Concert Orchestra. Conductor: Eric Coates.

    (Coates) The Music of Eric Coates – Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio Classics

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Say It With Music

    (Various)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    News Huddlines Theme

    (Rowley)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Limehouse Blues

    (Furber/Braham)

  • Joan Savage

    Vitality (Gay's The Word)

    (Novello) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Roses From The South

    (Strauss II)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Romance – The Magic Bow

    (Paganini)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Knightsbridge March

    (Coates)

  • Vernon Midgley

    Hear My Song

    (Luckesch/Klose/Pepper) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • Maryetta Midgley

    Ziguener

    (Coward) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • William Davies (Organ)

    Sandy McPherson Medley

    (Various)

  • Joan Savage

    Sally

    (Haines/Leon/Towers) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    I'm Only A Strolling Vagabond

    (Runneke)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Calling All Workers

    (Coates)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Horseguards

    (Wood)

  • Maryetta Midgley

    Waltz Of My Heart

    (Novello) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Devil's Galop

    (Williams)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    High Adventure

    (Williams)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Paradise for Two (Maids of the Mountains)

    (Tate/Harris/Valentine)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Hancock's Half Hour

    (Morley)

  • Roy Hudd

    Strollin'

    (Reader) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • William Davies (Organ)

    Reginald Dixon Medley

    (Various)

  • Joan Savage

    Olde Tyme Dancing

    (Addinsell) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • Vernon Midgley

    One Alone

    (Romberg) (Ft. Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton)

  • Stanley Black (Piano)

    That Old Black Magic

    (Arlen)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Manhattan Skyline

    (Shire)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Robin Stapleton

    Here's To The Next Time

    (Hall) (Ft. the Ensemble)

  • Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Concert Orchestra/Barry Wordsworth

    High Adventure

    (Williams)

    • Friday Night Is Music Night - Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú.

Broadcast

  • Fri 24 Feb 2012 20:00