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.
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Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Alwyn, York Bowen & Hubert Parry
Classical - Released by Dutton on Jan. 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Great American Songbook
The BBC Concert Orchestra, James Morrison, Keith Lockhart
Jazz - Released by ABC Jazz on Jun. 2, 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The BBC Concert Orchestra: The Love Story
Jazz - Released by Platinum Collection on Jan. 10, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Be My Love - A Tribute To Mario Lanza
Joseph Calleja, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Steven Mercurio
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan. 1, 2012
Stereophile: Record To Die For24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Musique Orchestrale (Volume 4)
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Kim Criswell, Leonard Slatkin, William Dazeley
Classical - Released by Naxos on Sep. 19, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elizabeth Remembered
Debbie Wiseman, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Classical - Released by Silva Screen Records on Oct. 21, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Doreen Carwithen: Film Music
Gavin Sutherland, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on Jul. 12, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musique Orchestrale (Volume 2)
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Alistair Young, David McCallum, Leonard Slatkin
Classical - Released by Naxos on Apr. 28, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Julius Harrison - Bredon Hill
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on Oct. 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Foulds - Keltic Suite
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on Jul. 26, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BBC Concert Orchestra Plays Songs from The Movies
Film Soundtracks - Released by Music Manager on Jul. 30, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Malcolm Arnold Edition, Vol.1 - The Eleven Symphonies
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Vernon Handley, Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on Jan. 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Film Music of Clifton Parker
Rumon Gamba, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Cinema Music - Released by Chandos on Jan. 1, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Songs From Sunset Boulevard - EP (From "Sunset Boulevard")
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Petula Clark, The BBC Concert Orchestra, David White
Musical Theatre - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on Apr. 4, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sword from the Stone (Radio 2 House Music Show)
Passenger, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Pop - Released by Nettwerk Music Group on Apr. 30, 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Amore
Joseph Calleja, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Steven Mercurio
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan. 1, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Eric Coates - Sound and Vision
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on Feb. 1, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sir Edward German
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on Mar. 25, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Africa (Original Television Soundtrack)
Sarah Class, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Elizabeth Purnell
Film Soundtracks - Released by Silva Screen Records Ltd on Mar. 18, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sea Fever: Songs By British Composers
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Roderick Williams
Classical - Released by Dutoon on Oct. 22, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Edward German: Symphony No.1
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on Oct. 1, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo