A real Hatto record - and a mystery

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Mr. Mike

2019-07-27 02:17:01 UTC

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This is a real Hatto LP. But the 3rd piece on side 2 is supposedly
"Intermezzo (Waltz Theme)" from the Spellbound Concerto.

http://mjq.net/classical/covers/spellbound-not.mp3

There is no such section in the Spellbound Concerto, this music does
not sound like it is written by Rozsa, and according to the record
label, this is the "Spellbound Concerto" by "Walter."

Any idea who this is really by?

Andrew Clarke

2019-07-27 03:57:46 UTC

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Post by Mr. Mike
http://mjq.net/classical/covers/hatto1.jpg
http://mjq.net/classical/covers/hatto2.jpg
This is a real Hatto LP. But the 3rd piece on side 2 is supposedly
"Intermezzo (Waltz Theme)" from the Spellbound Concerto.
http://mjq.net/classical/covers/spellbound-not.mp3
There is no such section in the Spellbound Concerto, this music does
not sound like it is written by Rozsa, and according to the record
label, this is the "Spellbound Concerto" by "Walter."
Any idea who this is really by?

What an interesting bit of barringtoncoupeana! It's appeared under various guises, the London Variety Theatre Orchestra is either a made-up name (cf Herda Wobbil) or a scratch recording band. Gilbert Vinter was real enough, celebrated as a composer of brass band music, and as principal conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra which was and is employed by the BBC as a light music band. It also employed early Naxos/Donau conductors Barry Wordsworth and Johannes Wildner, as well as Czech refugee Vilem Tausky:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Concert_Orchestra>

W. A. Chislett sounds like a pseudonym also, but actually isn't: he seems to have been a prodigious writer of sleeve notes for HMV among others, but not always under his real name, however:

<https://www.discogs.com/artist/1726121-W-A-Chislett>

As for the Intermezzo (Waltz Theme) it is evidently neither a concerto nor spellbinding. Initially I thought it was probably just a Slow Valse, but the faster interludes suggest that it might have been film music rather a piece of light music.

Andrew Clarke
Canberra

c***@gmail.com

2019-07-27 05:49:50 UTC

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This recording was made in Hamburg using Paul Lazare's setup - a pick up band of moonlighting players mostly from the NDR SO. It went under various pseudonyms, evidently a London name was thought to sound better for this repertoire.

As for Spellbound, maybe "Concerto" was a mistake rather than a con, I haven't compared your mp3 with this soundtrack album from Spellbound https://www.discogs.com/Miklos-Rosza-Spellbound-Original-Motion-Picture-Score/release/960606 but I'd make a bet that it's one of these movements

WA Chislett also had a monthly column in Gramophone for years and years called Knights at the Round Table, a round up of recordings of lighter classics, brass band and suchlike

Post by Andrew Clarke

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Concert_Orchestra>
<https://www.discogs.com/artist/1726121-W-A-Chislett>
As for the Intermezzo (Waltz Theme) it is evidently neither a concerto nor spellbinding. Initially I thought it was probably just a Slow Valse, but the faster interludes suggest that it might have been film music rather a piece of light music.
Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Andrew Clarke

2019-07-29 02:26:32 UTC

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Post by c***@gmail.com
This recording was made in Hamburg using Paul Lazare's setup - a pick up band of moonlighting players mostly from the NDR SO. It went under various pseudonyms, evidently a London name was thought to sound better for this repertoire.

For a hilarious review of the kind of thing that Paul Lazare got up to, I recommend

<http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/mikroyale.htm>

Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Andrew Clarke

2019-07-27 14:58:49 UTC

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It may be part of the music written by Walter Goehr for a British film called "Spellbound" which appeared in 1941. Goehr appears on the credits under the pseudonym "George Walter" so the confusion is understandable.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellbound_(1941_film)>

It was released in the USA as "Ghost Story" or "The Spell of Amy Nugent". It is available on YouTube:

It is a typical product of the Huckaback-Molestrangler School of Dramatic Arts.

Dipping into the film, I don't hear any slow valses. Perhaps it's something Goehr wrote for something else?

Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Andrew Clarke

2019-07-27 15:04:17 UTC

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Post by Andrew Clarke

It may be part of the music written by Walter Goehr for a British film called "Spellbound" which appeared in 1941. Goehr appears on the credits under the pseudonym "George Walter" so the confusion is understandable.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellbound_(1941_film)>
http://youtu.be/lMzXgAt8UP0
It is a typical product of the Huckaback-Molestrangler School of Dramatic Arts.
Dipping into the film, I don't hear any slow valses. Perhaps it's something Goehr wrote for something else?
Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Eureka! It comes in, very briefly, at about 4'5".

Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Kerrison

2019-07-28 13:51:50 UTC

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Post by Andrew Clarke

It may be part of the music written by Walter Goehr for a British film called "Spellbound" which appeared in 1941. Goehr appears on the credits under the pseudonym "George Walter" so the confusion is understandable.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellbound_(1941_film)>
http://youtu.be/lMzXgAt8UP0
It is a typical product of the Huckaback-Molestrangler School of Dramatic Arts.
Dipping into the film, I don't hear any slow valses. Perhaps it's something Goehr wrote for something else?
Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Eureka! It comes in, very briefly, at about 4'5".
Andrew Clarke
Canberra

The Wiki entry on Walter Goehr reveals that he was also called just "G. Walter" on occasion ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Goehr

Incidentally, has anyone ever heard his own orchestration of "Pictures at an Exhibition"? ... Indeed, has it ever been played?!

Andrew Clarke

2019-07-28 15:05:04 UTC

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Post by Kerrison

Post by Andrew Clarke

It may be part of the music written by Walter Goehr for a British film called "Spellbound" which appeared in 1941. Goehr appears on the credits under the pseudonym "George Walter" so the confusion is understandable.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellbound_(1941_film)>
http://youtu.be/lMzXgAt8UP0
It is a typical product of the Huckaback-Molestrangler School of Dramatic Arts.
Dipping into the film, I don't hear any slow valses. Perhaps it's something Goehr wrote for something else?
Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Eureka! It comes in, very briefly, at about 4'5".
Andrew Clarke
Canberra

The Wiki entry on Walter Goehr reveals that he was also called just "G. Walter" on occasion ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Goehr
Incidentally, has anyone ever heard his own orchestration of "Pictures at an Exhibition"? ... Indeed, has it ever been played?!

The "Promenade" orch. Goehr appears on an extraordinary recording by Slatkin and the Nashville Symphony: it contains various orchestrations of the Mussorgsky plus a Liszt Piano Concerto, not to mention the Star Spangled Banner.

<https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7975931--liszt-piano-concerto-no-1>

Walter was the father of contemporary composer Alexander Goehr whose music I haven't heard but probably should have. Recommendations?

Andrew Clarke
Canberra

Mr. Mike

2019-07-28 19:05:31 UTC

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Thanks for the interesting detective work, Andrew!

Kerrison

2019-07-28 21:21:24 UTC

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Post by Mr. Mike
Thanks for the interesting detective work, Andrew!

Interesting that Slatkin has made at least three "composite" 'Pictures' with each 'Picture' and 'Promenade' by a different arranger. His first compilation was played during the 1991 Proms in London by the Philharmonia Orchestra and the various arrangers were Lawrence Leonard, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lucien Cailliet, Sergei Gorchakov, Leonadis Leonardi, Henry Wood, Mikhail Tushmalov, Leopold Stokowski and Maurice Ravel.

His second compilation was played at the 2004 Proms by the BBC Symphony and this time the orchestrations were by Byrwec Ellison, Gorchakov, Walter Goehr, Emile Naoumoff, Geert van Keulen, Ashkenazy, Carl Simpson, Cailliet, Wood, Lawrence Leonard, Leo Funtek, John Boyd, Ravel, Stokowski and Douglas Gamley. This 'live' performance was issued on a 'Warner Classics' CD.

The Nashville compilation on 'Naxos' starts off with the first Promenade in an arrangement by Wilson Ochoa. However, the remainder seem to be the same as in the 2nd compilation. In view of the fact that there are now about two dozen orchestrations of "Pictures," starting with Tushmalov in 1886 and with the latest being by Tomasz Golka this very year, the scope for any number of such compilations seems to be endless!

According to the Wiki entry, Walter Goehr omitted "Gnomus" which seems very odd indeed. I wonder why ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictures_at_an_Exhibition

The 'Naxos' CD is on YouTube so you get to hear the Ochoa 'Promenade' at the start ...

And here is the 2004 'Great Gate' by Douglas Gamley, with the BBC Symphony Mens Chorus and grand Albert Hall organ joining in the fun ...

Andrew Clarke

2019-07-29 00:54:32 UTC

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Post by Mr. Mike
Thanks for the interesting detective work, Andrew!

My pleasure, Mike. I enjoyed doing it. And I'd completely forgotten about Alexander Goehr.

Andrew Clarke
Canberra