British Film Music at the Proms

[Steve Crook]

Way back in 2007, the BBC Proms did an evening of British Film Music, and I was there.



One of the many highlights of the evening was the performance of the ballet music from The Red Shoes. This was the first time it had ever been performed in public, from the original score, complete with the Ondes Martenot. The score had been unavailable for many years and we'd only managed to get it to the BBC the month before. In that time they'd sorted out all the parts, found an Ondes Martenot and someone to play it (thanks Cynthia Millar), and rehearsed the orchestra. That made the whole evening magical, especially as I was there with the widow Easdale and their children and grandchildren



But now some kind soul has put it all on YouTube. The whole thing starts at

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feJsR1Kgibc]YouTube - British film music, 1/14, William Walton - Battle of Britain - 'Battle In The Air'[/ame]

The performance of The Red Shoes is at

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm9fvYADxs]YouTube - British film music, 5/14, Brian Easdale - The Red Shoes - Suite[/ame]



Steve

[HUGHJAMPTON]

Great stuff, the classic era of film scoring for me Zipped over to YT to catch the rest of the Red Shoes score.



That was some achievement on the orchestra's part to get it all together in such a short period of time, taking into consideration they had other pieces to rehearse too. I'm quite fascinated by the Ondes Martenot: how does it work?



Thanks for posting Steve, as I don't have a TV, it's been a pleasure to watch, I'll check out the rest of the concert later.

[darrenburnfan]

I wonder if the fact that William Walton's Battle in the Air music for Battle Of Britain was arranged by Malcolm Arnold is the reason that it sounds more like a Malcolm Arnold composition than a William Walton one. There's definitely a lot of the Malcolm Arnold style and sound in it.

[Steve Crook]

name='HUGHJAMPTON']I'm quite fascinated by the Ondes Martenot: how does it work?

It's an early electronic musical instrument, somewhat similar to the Theramin, they both generate and mix a series of sounds. Precursors to the Moog and other full synthesisers.



The Theramin is operated by waving your hands around near two aerials. One controls the pitch, the other controls the volume. It was used on some SF films like The Day the Earth Stood Still and on the Beach Boys Good Vibrations.



The Ondes Martenot is operated by a short keyboard and a slider with a set of controls in a little drawer that set the range of the keyboard. So although it is only a short keyboard it can cover more octaves than a grand piano. The slider lets the player do a lovely glissando - as is heard when it comes in to the ballet music for The Red Shoes. After that introduction it adds some errie notes to tha ballet when Vicky is confronting her demons.



Steve

[Steve Crook]

name='darrenburnfan']I wonder if the fact that William Walton's Battle in the Air music for Battle Of Britain was arranged by Malcolm Arnold is the reason that it sounds more like a Malcolm Arnold composition than a William Walton one. There's definitely a lot of the Malcolm Arnold style and sound in it.

They started with William Walton's music for Battle of Britain, the Battle in the Air. You could easily imagine those circling Spitfires and Hurricanes. They had a medium sized screen at either side of the stage where they showed mainly stills but a few clips from the appropriate film.



After that, Richard E. Grant came in and he introduced each piece with a bit about the composer and the film. The Battle of Britain was followed by Constant Lambert's suite from Anna Karenia and then Vaughan Williams' prelude from 49th Parallel.





Philip Achille came on as the harmonica soloist for a suite from Genevieve and that was followed by Maurice Jarre's theme from Lawrence of Arabia. It was probably about then that I noticed that they had a lot more percussion than most orchestras. Jarre does use quite a lot of timpani in that theme and they had two sets. There was also quite a lot of use of the gong in various pieces, and not just in the music from the Rank films :)



Then came the one we'd been waiting for, the full 15 (or so) minute ballet from The Red Shoes. The Ondes Martenot was played by Cynthia Millar who has studied it for some time. She has also composed quite a bit of film music herself. She has nothing to do for the first part as the girl jumps into the shoes, through the fairground and the first trip down the long corridor. Then, as she realises it's all going wrong the Ondes Martenot comes in with some almost sub-sonic bass notes that add a very worrying air to the piece and then, as she imagines that the shoemaker is Lermontov and then Julian, there's a lovely electronic glissando as the player runs her hand up the keyboard. But I was surprised to see that she then does quite a lot of work for the rest of the piece as well. I always wondered exactly what part it played in the music. I just knew it had to be in there. It's got a great range, much wider than a piano. The range and various other things are controlled with the left hand, the right hand playing on the keyboard.





As they then got to the part where the girl is back in the ballroom and splits into three to be lifted and become a bird and a flower, they showed a short clip of that part of the film, and they synchronised it just about perfectly. It was wonderful to witness, and to be there with the composer's widow and family made it even more special. By the end, thinking about how long it was since it had been played as it was meant to be, I was getting a bit choked up.







But then they pulled another surprise on us, it was in the programme but I hadn't read that in detail and it wasn't mentioned on the web site. The next two items were to be the theme from Shadowlands and the march (of XXX Corps) from A Bridge Too Far. What do they both have in common? Not just Anthony Hopkins, they were both directed by our friend Dickie Attenborough. He came on stage to thunderous applause and introduced both pieces.





They finished up with Harry's Wondrous World from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, shame the kids had gone home by then, and the march from The Dam Busters. I heard someone whistling that as I walked back to the tube





What a wonderful evening





Steve

[HUGHJAMPTON]

Still be used today in film composition, that's interesting. Thanks also for that.

[darrenburnfan]

You are very lucky. I've never been to such a concert and heard a real orchestra play such wonderful music. I've only ever heard recordings in mono and stereo, on film soundtracks; CD's; DVD's; videos; audio tapes and vinyl records.

[Steve Crook]

name='darrenburnfan']You are very lucky. I've never been to such a concert and heard a real orchestra play such wonderful music. I've only ever heard recordings in mono and stereo, on film soundtracks; CD's; DVD's; videos; audio tapes and vinyl records.

I am very lucky, I know I am. And the harder I work at it, the luckier I get



It all just started off as an interest and a hobby. But one thing leads to another. I do a few things, meet a few people, and over the years I've been invited to some incredible events. But you have to put the hours in and make the effort.



Steve

[Wee Sonny MacGregor]

Not forgetting the Carry On medley put together by Gavin Sutherland. It's about 1 hour into the broadcast and very amusing.

[Steve Crook]

name='Wee Sonny MacGregor']Not forgetting the Carry On medley put together by Gavin Sutherland. It's about 1 hour into the broadcast and very amusing.

Yes, the full list from the programme was

-----------------------------------------------------

14 July 2007

Prom 2: Music from Great British Films

Time: 7.30pm - c9.45pm

Venue ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Tickets £6-£27.50 price code A or Prom for £5

Broadcasts:

Broadcast on BBC Two on 28 July 2007

Live on BBC Radio 3

Available as audio on demand for the week following the event







In the year of BAFTA's 60th anniversary and the month that BBC Two begins its Summer of British Film, a wide-ranging feast of some of the finest scores. John Wilson directs a celebration of the vivid musical colour that composers have brought to the silver screen through more than 60 years of British film-making.







Walton

Battle of Britain - 'Battle In The Air' (5 mins)

Lambert

Anna Karenina - Suite (10 mins)

Vaughan Williams

49th Parallel - Prelude (2 mins)

Adler

Genevieve - Waltz (3 mins)

Maurice Jarre

Lawrence of Arabia - Theme (3.30 mins)

Easdale

The Red Shoes - Suite (15 mins)

Arnold

Bridge On The River Kwai - March (3 mins)





Interval







Ireland

The Overlanders - March - Scorched Earth (4.30 mins)

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett

Love Theme From 'Yanks' (3.30 mins)

Eric Rogers

Carry On... Medley (7 mins)

Patrick Doyle

Much Ado About Nothing - Overture (4.20 mins)

Stephen Warbeck

Shakespeare In Love (5 mins)

Debbie Wiseman

Wilde - Suite (4.30 mins)

John Powell/Harry Gregson-Williams

Chicken Run (4 mins)

Addison

A Bridge Too Far (3.30 mins)

John Williams

Harry Potter - Harry's Wondrous World (4.30 mins)

Coates

The Dam Busters (3.45 mins)





Richard E. Grant narrator

Philip Achille Harmonica

Cynthia Millar Ondes Martenot

BBC Concert Orchestra

John Wilson conductor

-----------------------------------------------------



And then they sneaked in a few extras like the Shadowlands theme and Lord Dickie introducing that and the Bridge Too Far theme



See the full report



Steve

[dremble wedge]

name='Wee Sonny MacGregor']Not forgetting the Carry On medley put together by Gavin Sutherland. It's about 1 hour into the broadcast and very amusing.

But tragically the Carry On medley is split across two YouTube chapters in the above link

[Steve Crook]

name='dremble wedge']But tragically the Carry On medley is split across two YouTube chapters in the above link

There is some dodgy editing with the way they've split them into chapters. They cut the one of The Red Shoes a few bars before the end. But it's still better than nothing



Steve

[Wee Sonny MacGregor]

Agreed, but I'm fortunate in not having that problem. Don't know where I got the foresight to record it.

[Bernardo]

Saturday (1.8.09) 7.30 to 9.30 on BBC HD and Radio 3, there is a Prom Concert entirely devoted to MGM music Wizard of Oz, High Society, Singin' In The Rain, Meet Me In St Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi. John Wilson conducting his own orchestra and singers. The unusual point that differentiates this from R2's Friday Night Is Music Night is that he has scored the pieces as per original but now lost MGM music arrangements for the actual films named. He did this painstakingly by ear. All in the Radio Times, the quality TV mag.

[HUGHJAMPTON]

name='Bernardo']Saturday (1.8.09) 7.30 to 9.30 on BBC HD and Radio 3, there is a Prom Concert entirely devoted to MGM music Wizard of Oz, High Society, Singin' In The Rain, Meet Me In St Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi. John Wilson conducting his own orchestra and singers. The unusual point that differentiates this from R2's Friday Night Is Music Night is that he has scored the pieces as per original but now lost MGM music arrangements for the actual films named. He did this painstakingly by ear. All in the Radio Times, the quality TV mag.

I heard something of these lost scores on the World Service this morning. Wison was saying how they were just dumped, a lot of them were used as a foundation for a car park, apparently.

[Dave Rattigan]

Nice.



Can anyone tell me which of the Carry On films the harmonica theme was from?



It's on Parts 7 & 8, btw.

[Dave Rattigan]

Ah, turns out it was Carry on Cabby. Thought it might be, as they showed a still I figured out was from that movie.

[Bernardo]

name='HUGHJAMPTON']I heard something of these lost scores on the World Service this morning. Wison was saying how they were just dumped, a lot of them were used as a foundation for a car park, apparently.

You're an early bird too then Hugh J. My bedside radio set for R4 but always wake while the World Service is broadcasting.



There is a mini-article in the R.T. It appealed to my movie-buff side so I have set the recorder, it will be quite nice to have a good music video for a change. I hope I am not disappointed. I can not credit that an archive is just dumped, being in the USA I am surprised that they did not try to sell or, at least, donate the collection.

[HUGHJAMPTON]

name='Bernardo']You're an early bird too then Hugh J. My bedside radio set for R4 but always wake while the World Service is broadcasting.



There is a mini-article in the R.T. It appealed to my movie-buff side so I have set the recorder, it will be quite nice to have a good music video for a change. I hope I am not disappointed. I can not credit that an archive is just dumped, being in the USA I am surprised that they did not try to sell or, at least, donate the collection.

Too early, 3:00 am, but it does mean I finish early.



Like they said in the programme, these things weren't thought of having any historical value, once a film was finished, it was on to the next one.

[Guenther]

name='darrenburnfan']I wonder if the fact that William Walton's Battle in the Air music for Battle Of Britain was arranged by Malcolm Arnold is the reason that it sounds more like a Malcolm Arnold composition than a William Walton one. There's definitely a lot of the Malcolm Arnold style and sound in it.

Arnold wrote about a third of "Battle on the Air"...



In the manuscript are the first two thirds are in Walton's hand the last third is in Arnold's. :)



"arrangement" is the wrong word.