CD REVIEW - MANTOVANI
SINGLES 1951 – 1962
Jasmine JASMCD2825 [77:02]

Having been a Mantovanian for 73 years – the first record I ever bought, a 78rpm shellac disc, was White Christmas (track four here) with Adeste Fideles as the B side – it is a great joy to be reviewing a new mono/stereo collection of early hits on both sides of the Atlantic featuring Monty's magnificent shimmering string oeuvre that was developed by Ronald Binge (1910-79).

Many of us are likely to already have on our shelves all this album's tracks with the exception of Victor Young's lovely Blue Star (The “Medic” Theme), which was only released in Australia. What would be regarded as the “usual suspects” are here: Diane, Charmaine, Dancing with Tears in My Eyes, Blue Danube, The Song from the Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart), Queen Elizabeth Waltz, Swedish Rhapsody, Luxembourg Polka, Lonely Ballerina, Stranger in Paradise, Around the World and 15 other tracks including Theme from "A Summer Place" taken from an LP.

The booklet notes have album compiler, Austin Powell, telling the great man's story from the 20s to the 60s, including how the cascading string effect was achieved.

If the magic of Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-80) is a discovery for you or you no longer hold the view that his music was "too commercial", I hope you get as much enjoyment out of this album now as many of us have in various forms over the years. The release is a fitting tribute to the memory of probably the finest conductor and light orchestra our country has ever had.

© Peter Burt, March 2025

Available from Jasmine is also a four CD set of 99 original Mantovani mono recordings from 1951-54 on JASBOX 15-4.