The BBC Concert Orchestra
Of the five orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Company, the BBC Concert Orchestra is the most oriented toward light music, popular music, and jazz. The orchestra's name is somewhat inaccurate: although it does often perform live concerts, the group's most important tasks are connected to radio broadcasting.
The BBC Concert Orchestra grew out of the BBC Theatre Orchestra, which was formed in 1931 and was later renamed the BBC Opera Orchestra. In 1952, that group was reorganized as the BBC Concert Orchestra. The following year, it became the house orchestra for the BBC program Friday Night is Music Night, which as of the late 2010s, remained on the air as the world's longest-running radio program. The orchestra performed a variety of other light music on BBC programs, accompanied popular singers, sometimes teamed with the BBC Big Band, and at times performed operatic and symphonic works. For two decades, the group gave live concerts at London's Camden Theatre, moving to the Hippodrome in North London in 1972. The orchestra's first conductor was Gilbert Vinter. Subsequent conductors have included Charles Mackerras (1954-1956), Vilem Tausky (1956-1966), Marcus Dods (1966-1970), Ashley Lawrence (1970-1989), Barry Wordsworth (1989-2006), Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart (2010-2017, remaining as the principal guest conductor), and Bramwell Tovey (2018-). Composers associated with the BBC Concert Orchestra have sometimes been associated with popular music spheres; they include Radiohead guitarist and keyboardist Jonny Greenwood, who became the orchestra's composer-in-association in 2004. The orchestra's other responsibilities have included recording jingles for BBC News programs.
The BBC Concert Orchestra has a large catalog of recordings, many of them covering British light music, film music, and symphonic music that has not been recorded elsewhere. Many of their recordings have appeared on the Bainbridge, Excalibur, Dutton Laboratories (which has issued a lengthy series of light music/easy listening recordings), Chandos, and Somm labels. In 2019, the orchestra issued an album on Regent of music by its new composer-in-residence, Dobrinka Tabakova.
© James Manheim /TiVo
-
Classiques pour orchestres
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Crispian Steele-Perkins, William Stephenson, Rumon Gamba
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.09.2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Frederick Converse: American Sketches
Klassik - Erschienen bei Dutton Epoch am 06.10.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
British Light Music Premieres, Vol. 6
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Klassik - Erschienen bei Dutton Epoch am 05.03.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Of Such Ecstatic Sound
Rupert Marshall-Luck, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Joseph Spooner, John Andrews
Klassik - Erschienen bei EM Records am 09.03.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Song of the Birds
Raphael Wallfisch, Vernon Handley, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca (UMO) am 01.01.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
British Light Music
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Philip Martin, Roderick Elms, Kenneth Alwyn
Klassik - Erschienen bei Marco-Polo am 25.06.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dialogue for Piano and Orchestra: II. Allegro moderato
The BBC Concert Orchestra, John Andrews, Martin Jones
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei Resonus Classics am 24.02.2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
John Foulds, Vol. 4
Ronald Corp, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Dutton Epoch am 21.07.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Williams Performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra
Original Soundtrack - Erschienen bei MD Chapel Music am 05.02.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Seth Lakeman Live with the Bbc Concert Orchestra (Live)
Seth Lakeman, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Folk - Erschienen bei Proper Records am 29.12.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Robert & Clara Schumann: Piano Concertos
Lucy Parham, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca (UMO) am 01.01.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Age Of The Silver Screen 2 - The Love Story
Original Soundtrack - Erschienen bei Plaza Mayor Company Ltd am 01.03.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wild Arabia (Original Television Soundtrack)
Barnaby Taylor, The BBC Concert Orchestra, William Goodchild
Original Soundtrack - Erschienen bei Silva Screen Records Ltd am 29.04.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Showtime - 25 years of the BBC Concert Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Dutton Epoch am 01.11.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Toivo Kuula - Songs and Orchestral Music
Klassik - Erschienen bei Dutton am 20.06.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Shadow Left by the Invisible Man (Arr. by Davide Mantovani)
Seckou Keita, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Mark Heron
Klassik - Erschienen bei Claves Records am 12.05.2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Simply Beautiful Miro (Arr. by Davide Mantovani)
Seckou Keita, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Mark Heron
Klassik - Erschienen bei Claves Records am 21.04.2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
F. d'Erlanger: Concertos & Orchestral Music
Klassik - Erschienen bei Dutton Epoch am 01.04.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cecil Armstrong Gibbs: Odysseus & George Dyson Four Songs for Sailors
Klassik - Erschienen bei Dutton Epoch am 25.03.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brian: Symphony No. 1 "The Gothic Symphony"
BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Klassik - Erschienen bei Hyperion am 25.11.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo