3.0 out of 5 stars
Fine performances of some charming but forgettable music, February 13, 2010
This review is from: Anthony Collins: Vanity Fair; Etc. (Audio CD)
Anthony Collins (1893-1963) is still well remembered as a conductor (e.g. for his recordings of Sibelius's symphonies in the early 1950s), and some of his music - including some of the pieces featured here - have appeared in various light music collections. His music is pleasant and mostly unassuming, with some colorful instrumental touches and some atmospheric textures, even though it rarely lingers in the mind afterwards. This Dutton release contains some fine light music pieces, including the slightly more substantial Symphony for strings no. 1, but also some film music of variable quality.
Victoria the Great was Collins' first film score and sounds much like a mix of Elgar and Walton. It is a fine if forgettable score with some nice touches that perhaps make for a single pleasant listening experience. The Valse Lente from Odette has, inexplicably, been recorded before - it's attempt at some light and lithe charm sounds merely desperate and dull. The selection from the Lady with a Lamp isn't much more interesting. The Festival Royal Overture, however, is a rousing, triumphant work worth hearing, and the encore Vanity Fair - probably Collins' only work that is at all known - is pleasant and attractive. The Song of Erin is an effective, very atmospheric and quite beautiful little piece, and the folk inspired music in the suite Eire is colorful enough to be worth hearing once. Santa Cecilia is a sunny but slight character piece.
The Louis XV Silhouettes are also slight but charming pieces emulating Lully's style in a very British Light Music vein; witty and attractive without much substance. The slightly more substantial symphony for strings draws on Haydn as a source of inspiration, and doesn't avoid pastiche. Still, it is a jolly, witty work with a reflective Adagio Molto and a light-footed concluding Allegro Vivace. The performances by the BBC Concert Orchestra under John Wilson are impeccable, full of sparkling wit and atmosphere, and the sound quality is good. Overall, this is an attractive, charming release - few pieces are truly memorable, but they are almost all pleasant and inventive enough to deserve a single listening (the music starts to fall apart if heard more than once, however).
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