CD REVIEW
– BEGUINE AND BUGATTI STEP
The Aspidistra Drawing Room
Orchestra
Hampden Roar (F.
Hartley) Stringing Along (E.
Tower) Melodie Beguine (J. Olan)
*At The Codfish Ball (L. Pollack)
Thistledown (H. Wood) Kitchen Rag
(F. Baron) *Tell Me Again (Grosz)
The Bugatti Step (J. Jezek) April
Message (C. Ancliffe) Whistling
Rufus (K. Mills) *I Never Knew
How Wonderful You Were (J. Burke)
Puszta Fox (M. Erdelyi) La
Patrouillette (V. Sumkai) Ich
Brauche Keine Milionen (P.
Kreuder) *Drifting And Dreaming
(E. Schmidt) Precision (C.
Dumont) Love’s Awakening (A.
Ketelbey) Blue Tango (L.
Anderson) *I’ve Joined The
Squirrel Family (H. Trix) Moomin
(R. Farnon) Launische Geige (H.
Zander).
*vocal numbers
It seems hardly
possible that the Aspidistra
Drawing Room Orchestra was formed
as long ago as 1995. During these
twenty years, it has admirably
occupied a distinctive niche in
the world of Light Music and its
popular annual London concerts
continue to attract a loyal band
of regular supporters.
The new release
marks the players' fifth foray
into the recording studio, and
once again contains a good mix of
pieces by British, European and
American composers. The
orchestra’s repertoire has
always included a good measure of
lesser-known works by often
unfamiliar composers, and this CD
is no exception. It gives us the
opportunity to savour the
delights of works by e. g. Mihali
Erdelyi, Frank Baron, Hans Zander
and Victor Sumkai and these 'rub
shoulders' with the likes of
– inter-alia – Robert
Farnon, Albert Ketelbey, Montague
Ewing, Leroy Anderson and Haydn
Wood. Five of the tracks are
vocal numbers, featuring Liz
Menezes (who is also one of the
violinists) and Camilla Cutts.
The Orchestra
plays with its usual combination
of precision, panache and
enthusiasm; congratulations are
due once again to Adam Bakker and
his merry band of music-makers
for producing another very
enjoyable and highly
recommendable CD.
It can be obtained
from Aspidistra, and some of the
previous issues may also be
available – check the
website.
© Tony Clayden
– December 2015
|
