Music of Eric Coates. Kenneth Edge, saxophone; Andrew Penny, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.555194.
By John J. Puccio
Naxos originally recorded this album in 1993 and at the time released it in their full-priced Marco Polo line. Now, in 2022, they have rereleased it as part of their regular Naxos line-up, which, ironically, used to be their budget series but is now pretty much full price. Whatever, it’s good to have it back.
English composer Eric Coates (1886-1957) may not be as well known today as he was in the first half of the twentieth century, where people often referred to him as the “king of light music.” Nevertheless, many of his compositions remain popular today, not the least of which is “By the Sleepy Lagoon,” which has been the signature tune of BBC Radio’s “Desert Island Discs” for the last eighty-odd years.
Now, you might think it somewhat odd for a Slovakian orchestra to be playing English light music, but under the astute direction of English conductor Andrew Penny, the Slovak Radio Symphony do a good job conveying the sultry enchantment of Coates’s music.
So, the program starts with Coates’s most-familiar melody, “By the Sleepy Lagoon,” written in 1930. As the title suggests, it’s sleepy, leisurely, pictorial music that moves dreamily along at a casual pace. Maestro Penny’s way with it is to draw it out even further than the composer probably intended, but it’s certainly tranquil and relaxing.
Next is the Springtime Suite from 1937. It’s in three movements describing morning, noon, and twilight on a balmy spring day. Like the music itself, Penny’s handling of it is sweet and mild. Yes, it borders on the overtly sentimental, but it’s pleasant, nonetheless.
After that is the delightful Saxo-Rhapsody from 1937, featuring soloist Kenneth Edge on saxophone. It’s essentially a theme and variations, lasting about nine or ten minutes depending on who is playing it. Penny and Edge are closer to nine, so they are not needlessly drawing anything out here. It has a fresh swagger and an engaging rhythm.
The other longer work on the disc is also the earliest, the Four Ways Suite from 1927. Coates represents “Northward,” “Southward,” “Eastward,” and “Westward” with music appropriate to various parts of the world: Scotland, Italy, China, and the American South. While I would liked to have heard a little more zest from Penny and his team, the performance radiates a fragrant, honeyed charm.
The rest of the selections are fairly brief, stand-alone pieces: “Footlight Waltz” (1939), “The Eighth Army March” (1942), “The High Flight March” (1956, and Coates’s final composition), “Lazy Night” (1932), and “Last Love” (1939). As with the rest of the program, Penny and the Slovak orchestra take things gently, cozily, the music moving serenely along. Perhaps the marches could have used a touch more pizzazz, but it’s all of a whole; this is Coates in the lightest, most-delicate vein.
Producer Murray Khouri and engineer Hubert Geschwandtner recorded the music at the Concert Hall of Slovak Radio, Bratislava, Slovakia in April 1993. The sound is much as I remember from Naxos in the early Nineties. It’s soft and warm, which, in fact, nicely complements the kind of music we have here.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
English composer Eric Coates (1886-1957) may not be as well known today as he was in the first half of the twentieth century, where people often referred to him as the “king of light music.” Nevertheless, many of his compositions remain popular today, not the least of which is “By the Sleepy Lagoon,” which has been the signature tune of BBC Radio’s “Desert Island Discs” for the last eighty-odd years.
Now, you might think it somewhat odd for a Slovakian orchestra to be playing English light music, but under the astute direction of English conductor Andrew Penny, the Slovak Radio Symphony do a good job conveying the sultry enchantment of Coates’s music.
So, the program starts with Coates’s most-familiar melody, “By the Sleepy Lagoon,” written in 1930. As the title suggests, it’s sleepy, leisurely, pictorial music that moves dreamily along at a casual pace. Maestro Penny’s way with it is to draw it out even further than the composer probably intended, but it’s certainly tranquil and relaxing.
Next is the Springtime Suite from 1937. It’s in three movements describing morning, noon, and twilight on a balmy spring day. Like the music itself, Penny’s handling of it is sweet and mild. Yes, it borders on the overtly sentimental, but it’s pleasant, nonetheless.
The other longer work on the disc is also the earliest, the Four Ways Suite from 1927. Coates represents “Northward,” “Southward,” “Eastward,” and “Westward” with music appropriate to various parts of the world: Scotland, Italy, China, and the American South. While I would liked to have heard a little more zest from Penny and his team, the performance radiates a fragrant, honeyed charm.
The rest of the selections are fairly brief, stand-alone pieces: “Footlight Waltz” (1939), “The Eighth Army March” (1942), “The High Flight March” (1956, and Coates’s final composition), “Lazy Night” (1932), and “Last Love” (1939). As with the rest of the program, Penny and the Slovak orchestra take things gently, cozily, the music moving serenely along. Perhaps the marches could have used a touch more pizzazz, but it’s all of a whole; this is Coates in the lightest, most-delicate vein.
Producer Murray Khouri and engineer Hubert Geschwandtner recorded the music at the Concert Hall of Slovak Radio, Bratislava, Slovakia in April 1993. The sound is much as I remember from Naxos in the early Nineties. It’s soft and warm, which, in fact, nicely complements the kind of music we have here.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
