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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Edward German: Symphony No.1
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on 1 Oct 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Coates: The Enchanted Garden; 10 Orchestral Pieces
John Wilson, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The BBC Concert Orchestra Performs Love Stories
Film Soundtracks - Released by MD Chapel Music on 5 Feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Now Comes Beauty
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Rupert Marshall-Luck, Roderick Williams, David Owen Norris, Gavin Sutherland
Classical - Released by EM Records on 27 May 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of British Light Music
Royal Ballet Sinfonia, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Gavin Sutherland, Barry Wordsworth
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Way of Light
Classical - Released by Orchid Classics on 5 Feb 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Film Music of Lord Berners & Constant Lambert
Rumon Gamba, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Mary Carewe, Joyful Company of Singers, Peter Broadbent
Cinema Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Loeffler: Divertissement Espagnol & La Villanelle Du Diable
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on 2 Feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Broadway
Renée Fleming, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Rob Fisher
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 7 Sep 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BBC Concert Orchestra Plays Songs from The Disney Movies
Pop - Released by Music Manager on 30 Jul 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legend of Omar Sharif - Soundtracks from Lawrence of Arabia, Funny Girl and Dr. Zhivago
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Film Soundtracks - Released by Graalgember - San Juan on 15 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The BBC Concert Orchestra: The Adventure Film
Jazz - Released by Platinum Collection on 10 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Raptures
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Jack Liebeck, Levon Parikian
Classical - Released by Orchid Classics on 15 Nov 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Fire That Breaks from Thee
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Rupert Marshall-Luck, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classical - Released by EM Records on 15 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Edgar Bainton: Symphony No. 3 & Rutland Boughton: Symphony No. 1 "Oliver Cromwell"
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on 19 Feb 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Foulds: Vol. 2
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on 1 Nov 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Humoresque
Rebecca Miller, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 21 Feb 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
British Light Music Premieres, Vol. 5
Royal Ballet Sinfonia, The BBC Concert Orchestra
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on 21 Jul 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Damase: Symphonie, Piano & Flute Concertos
Classical - Released by Dutton Epoch on 21 Jul 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gardner: The Ballad of the White Horse, Op. 40
City of London Choir, Ashley Riches, The BBC Concert Orchestra, Paulina Voices, Hilary Davan Wetton
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by EM Records on 31 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sullivan: Irish Symphony, Imperial March, Victoria and Merrie England & In Memoriam
The BBC Concert Orchestra, Linden Harris, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classical - Released by CPO on 29 Nov 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo