Welcome to one of the largest fan websites on the internet. Mantovani, the "Grand Master"* of light orchestra music  wanted his large string orchestra to sound as if it were playing in a cathedral. Avoiding echo chambers or electronic gadgetry of any kind, he achieved this unique majestic and elegant sound using nothing but his arrangements, orchestrations, and his amazing leadership. There were no electronically amplified strings or other instruments atypical to a large concert or recording orchestra. The orchestrations used the natural acoustics of the concert halls and recording studios. The arrangements simply achieved the absolute best from the instruments used and the talent of virtuoso musicians. Nothing "easy listening" came from Mantovani and His Orchestra. The presentations required careful listening as any dedicated fan will tell you. The delicate and poignant renderings, harmonies, and amazing counterpoints are legendary and are still appreciated by music lovers around the world. Even simple themes were dressed up to classical, concert worthy, and heart touching performances under the baton of Mantovani. This site is dedicated to perpetuating his legacy and that of the talented virtuoso musicians also responsible for the music.

Mantovani heard something in melodies that made them better and then interpreted what he heard into elegant orchestra arrangements. He made melodies sweeter and more touching than imagined even by the composer. For instance, check out this link to Strauss Blue Danube to support this opinion. You will not hear the Blue Danube played more beautifully even in Vienna. If you have trouble sleeping, would like to calm your unborn baby so that you can sleep during pregnancy, perhaps you could put some Mantovani on your CD Player and relax. Many others have and it really works. What a nice way to relax. It doesn't mean the music is "easy listening". It is not. Mantovani music calls for some sophistication and a good music ear. But even with a tacit understanding, it is beautiful and spiritually fulfilling. To the right, millions watched Mantovani conduct his orchestra in prime time in 1959.

 

New from The Mantovani Experience Legacy of Love DVD Mantovani and His Orchestra

Program Amapola Be Mine Tonight Charmaine Autumn Leaves Fly Me To The Moon La Mer La Vie En Rose Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps Somewhere Over The Rainbow Stranger In Paradise Tenderly Together Unchained Melody What A Wonderful World

We expect reviews shortly but this webmaster has viewed and listened to the offering and found it to be a wonderful experience. Mantovani fans likely will want this to be part of their collection. Order directly from http://www.themantovaniexperience.com. Tell em we sent you. Use your [Back] button to return to the Mantovani Fan Website. I really like the DVD label (above) that looks like a 45 RPM Record. Very clever!

 

Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth Conductor: Roderick Dunk Leader: Cynthia Fleming featuring soloist Michael Wooldridge at the mighty Pavilion Compton Theatre Pipe Organ Presented by: Ed Stewart Produced by violinist Franck Leprince and Paul Barrett (orchestra percussionist using original Charley Botterill instruments) The concert features music from the original Mantovani orchestrations with the kind assistance of Kenneth Mantovani
"MANTOVANI CONCERT SPECTACULAR" AT THE PAVILION, BOURNEMOUTH Another virtual full house, a sea of happy, expectant faces, a couple of hours of string magic: this, indeed, was the third Mantovani Orchestra (UK) concert organised by percussionist Paul Barrett, this time in an April setting instead of January. Bournemouth responded with a gloriously sunny day, which was a good omen for the evening concert. There were other changes, too, from what had gone before. First, the new venue, the splendid Pavilion Theatre, in the heart of Bournemouth, still going strong after over 80 years (it was opened in March 1929). According to Hugh Ashley's book "Bournemouth Pavilion A Celelebration 1929-2006", Mantovani was due to make his debut there on 4 August 1939, but we all remember what happened on that day, and his appearance was cancelled. Although the acoustics in the Pavilion are perhaps not quite as good as those of the previous location, The Lighthouse Theatre in Poole, the atmosphere was warmer, more intimate, even. Occasionally, it was difficult to catch sight of one soloist or the other from the vantage point of the stalls, but you could easily follow what was being played by glancing at the razor-sharp pictures on the large screen to the rear of the stage. A word or two about the screen and the exemplary camera work is appropriate. Mixing live musicians with film shots and stills, it provided magnificent support to the stage musicians. At one point the synchronisation of a black and white film of Monty conducting at Elstree in 1959, with "Holiday For Strings" being played on stage, was uncanny; it really looked as if the maestro himself was conducting the music! A masterly piece of innovation, so congratulations are in order to Craig and all those at Philip Stannard Associates for a remarkable achievement. The second change we noticed was the introduction of brand new string, woodwind and guitar ensembles, made up of seasoned London sessioneers, complementing the excellent brass section retained from January 2009. Led by Cynthia Fleming from Texas, the string players recreated once again the famous "Mantovani Sound", giving the best perfomance yet of something which is not easy to replicate. It was obvious that the musicians were enjoying themselves, perhaps playing a different type of music from that usually encountered. Last but not least, we met a new conductor, the renowned Roderick Dunk of "Friday Night Is Music Night" fame. His curriculum vitae includes conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra and so many others. Would this versatile, talented man shape up to the new challenge, we wondered. Having made a study of the British Light Music tradition, Dunk infused the proceedings with lively conducting, putting his body and soul (or so it seemed) on the line in each number. Indeed, he brought the orchestra onto a new level with his enthusiasm and body language, and proved to be a worthy successor to Sam Newgarth, MBE. Cleverly, Dunk introduced a few bars of "Charmaine" into "The Count Of Luxembourg Waltz", the perfect appetiser to a feast of musical delights. The first of four Latin numbers arranged by Cecil Milner, "El Relicario", was also an appropriate choice, for it was in this very theatre in 1931 that Sir Dan Godfrey conducted one of Milner's own compositions. We next encountered a delightful version of Cole Porter's "Night And Day", made even more interesting in a modern format, Mantovani himself never having recorded this wonderful tune in stereo. What was immediately noticeable was the positioning of the celli and basses - to the right of the conductor instead of behind the string ensemble. In their new positions they were heard to much greater effect. "Jealousy" was moody and dramatic with "luftpauses" to heighten the tension, leader Fleming adding to the excitement with a vibrant solo. Next came Roland Shaw's thrilling arrangement of "Delilah" then we enjoyed "Around The World" with Mike Lovatt's magnificent trumpet solo. The musicians now took a breather to allow for a novel interlude. Paul Barratt was aware of the theatre's Compton organ, one of the very few left in this country, and invited a guest organist, Michael Wooldridge of Worthing, to step up to the keyboards of the theatre       's "glorious music maker," installed for its opening in 1929. Wooldridge filled the arena with a glorious sound, playing a Blackpool Tower medley which included "I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside", "Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner" and "12th Street Rag". Entertaining us without any written music, he was keenly watched on the big screen (the organ was at the side of the stage) by Rod Dunk and his musicians. It brought back many memories of the days when Reginald Dixon ruled the roost at the Blackpool Tower. Returning with the deeply romantic "Come Prima", the strings and	accordion reminded us that the whole of Europe seemed to be listening to this in 1958. Compere Ed Stewart asked us who originally had the hit with this evocative song, several folk offered up "Perry Como" but, as Ed reminded us, it was Marino Marini. The fiery "Gypsy Dance" from "Carmen" was expertly played before we enjoyed Monty's own million seller "Cara Mia" with organist Wooldridge doing the honours on piano. The first half ended with a marvellously exciting "James Bond Suite"; first, Rod Dunk presided over an adaptation of the "James Bond Theme", featuring guitarist Ian Laws, then came Monty's delicate scoring of "From Russia With Love" and two Roland Shaw scores, "You Only Live Twice" and "Goldfinger". The brass on the latter really roared, and the whole medley had a tempo which drew excited applause. While this was going on, the big screen was showing the famous James Bond "Iris" image bearing the legend "Mantovani Is Back"! The bubbling "Can Can" from "La Boutique Fantasque" opened the second half, followed by a choice version of "It Happened In Monterey" with its lovely obligato scored by Ronnie Binge. This particular piece, and "Zapateado", which followed, gave most trouble at rehearsals, but Rod Dunk made sure that "it was alright on the night". Lapping wave sound effects drew us into the lovely soft introduction to Eric Coates' masterpiece "Sleepy Lagoon", an absolute gem highlighting Paul Barratt on glockenspiel. The effervescent "Tico Tico" and the plaintive "Arrivederci Roma", featuring accordionist Eddie Hession, transported us to new heights of delight before Mike Lovatt delivered a blistering trumpet solo on "What Kind of Fool Am I". So overcome was compere Ed Stewart that he asked for an unscheduled encore which Lovatt and the musicians gave with much good grace. Michael Wooldridge now reappeared with his selection from "Phantom Of the Opera", supported by flickering black and white images from the vintage movie starring Lon Chaney. His complete mastery of the Compton organ was evident throughout as it powered its way into every corner of the theatre. From this truly virtuoso performance, this writer recognised "All I Ask of You", "Music Of The Night" and the main theme, among others. A rare gem from the '50s, "Dream Dust" was beautifully played, percussionist Barratt showing us his skills on vibraphone, before David Rose's classic opus "Holiday For Strings" - with pizzicato strings highlighted - made its appearance. Paul Barrett then donned his trolley conductor's hat for "The Trolley Song", accompanied by big screen pictures of San Francisco's cable cars. Another wonderful Milner scoring, "Granada", brought the printed programme choices to a conclusion, but encores were sought and granted. As the opening bars of "Charmiane" were struck up, a large still photo of Ronnie Binge appeared on the screen, acknowledging his part in the creation of the Mantovani string sound - a really nice touch. With appropriate sound effects, "Thunder And Lightening Polka" brought the concert to a thrilling end. Or not quite. Ed Stewart, who was in impish mood throughout despite suffering a calf injury during rehearsals, asked for an unscheduled encore to the encore, and Rod Dunk kindly obliged. A great show then, enjoyed by over 1200 patrons, in comparison with just over 700 drawn to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's "Last Night Of the Proms" show in the same theatre the previous night. An interesting sideline was the introduction to the audience of viola player Brian Mack who had played on Mantovani TV shows many years ago. As always, Kenneth Mantovani willingly provided the sheet music and his unflagging support, and thanks are also due to co-promoter Franck Leprince and, of course, Paul Barratt himself, who worked tirelessly on and off stage to make this evening an outstanding success. Poole Audi, the principal sponsors, came up trumps, too, with a splendid reception in the "green room" afterwards. Let's all hope that there will be more nights like this in the near future under the stewardship of Rod Dunk who brought the musicians to new heights. Colin MacKenzie.               PIctures: Top of article, the Marque at the Pavillion, Bournemouth (UK) Left Column Conductor Roderick Dunk followed by Leader Cynthia Fleming (from Texas, USA). Above, accordionist Eddie Hession; Trumpet, Mike Lovatt; Conductor Roderick Dunk talking to Mantovani Arranger Cecil Milner's nephew Tim Milner following concert. Above right, Mantovani biographer, Colin MacKenzie admiring the console or keydesk of the mighty Compton Theatre Pipe organ that demonstrated itself so magnificently during the concert at the hands (and feet) of master organist, Michael Wooldridge (photo below at the Tower Wurlitzer TPO).
Mantovani Concert Spectacular, Bournemouth Pavilion (From the Bournemouth Echo (UK) newspaper: by Jeremy Miles "After two sell-out concerts in Poole, Paul Barrett’s celebrated Mantovani Orchestra had set itself a tough task – to pull off the hat-trick in the midst of financial belt-tightening. Cocking a snook at those who swore it couldn’t be done, this astonishing orchestra and the unshakable Mr Barrett emerged triumphant on Sunday night with riotous applause from a packed Pavilion ringing in their ears. Three years after the retired businessman and part-time musician set about living his dream by recreating Mantovani’s famed light orchestra (and playing all the percussion parts himself), the entire enterprise has been catapulted into a new league. The orchestra now features some of Britain’s finest musicians and leading conductor Roderick Dunk.	This sell-out concert hosted by broadcaster Ed Stewart and watched by members of the Mantovani family, marked both the 30th anniversary of Mantovani’s death and the Bournemouth 200 celebrations, It found the super-smooth 45 piece outfit gliding sensationally through the maestro’s shimmering back catalogue.The evening offered a potent mix of romantic and popular tunes including perennial favourites like Charmaine and Cara Mia. There was also back projection from the Mantovani archive and a solo or two on the theatre’s famed Compton organ." Please, if you attended this concert, we would love to receive and publish your review. Why should you Brits wish to keep this boffo event to  yourselves. There is a world of fans in 84 plus countries who would like to learn about this wonderful concert from first hand participants. We truly wish to influence other orchestras to attempt such a feat. Please do what you can to keep Light Orchestra Music, especially that of Mantovani, alive and available to this sometimes troubling world. Please email us at:

Keyboard Player Magazine Challenge (update, 30 May, 2010) The goal is to produce, as close as possible, a ‘virtual’ version of Mantovani's "Charmaine".  From Andrew Gilbert.

Cathedral (UK))!                                   Andrew Gilbert at a Rodgers Organ originally built for the Blackburn Cathedral

For many years, I’ve written a monthly article in Keyboard Player called Computer Music and our readers have often asked how they can recreate the signature sounds of various artistes and orchestras. I’ve covered, for example, Eddie Calvert’s trumpet and the sounds of the Bert Kaempfert and James Last orchestras. I was recently asked how to recreate the Mantovani ‘sound’, and by this the reader meant the cascading strings sound. I could have dealt with this by telling him to simply overlap the notes or add lots of reverb, but I thought I’d stick to my principles and do things properly, after all, we all know there’s much more to Mantovani than just that sound. And so this project began! I’ve been a Mantovani fan since the age of about 8 or 9 when, seeing my developing interest in music, my Dad started playing me his collection of 78 rpm records, one of which was Charmaine. I was hooked from the first few bars. A few years later I started playing all types of organ, classical, theatre, and especially electronic, and this was about the time that the home organ stopped sounding just like an organ and started to become more orchestral. Charmaine was almost mandatory for demonstrating the strings sounds back then! A career then followed that took me all over Europe and to Japan, as an organist and also as a product designer. A constant life ‘on the road’ can become very tiring and, as the home organ market started its decline, I turned to teaching music and music technology, as well as writing for Keyboard Player magazine here in the UK – please check us out at www.keyboardplayer.com. Now, by music technology I mean the use of computers to make music but, as well as teaching the technological aspects of the subject, I’ve been on a quest to get people to make ‘proper’ music with them. We’ve all heard the robotic, synthetic fare that fills the pop charts, but I wanted them to make music that had real feeling and soul. Thankfully, the technology now exists to make wonderful orchestral, instrumental and big band sounds as well as all those drums and synthesizers! The aim for the challenge is to produce a ‘virtual’ version of Charmaine that’s as close to Mantovani’s original as I can possibly make it. Not an easy task, but one I that look forward to with relish. As the project develops, I’ll keep you informed of its progress. I can transcribe music quite well, but there’s nothing to beat the sight of a real score. So a few internet enquiries went out and it wasn’t long before I was put in touch with Wes Stillwagon, who very kindly provided me with Mark Peterson’s transcription of Charmaine as an excellent starting point. To show you how the computer itself reads and plays this score exactly as written, completely unaided, I’ve recorded an mp3 of its attempt. Well, it’s Charmaine but it’s certainly not Monty! As I sometimes write on my students’ school reports, “Shows potential, but could do better!” Next time, I’ll explain a little more about how the project will proceed. Thanks for your interest. Andrew Gilbert Editor's note: We encourage such projects that do so much to promote and maintain the grand legacy of Mantovani. The Charmaine arrangement is available to orchestras and those interested in participating in the project of Andrew Gilbert for the cost of materials, packaging, and shipping (on a CD). We would be delighted to feature an article on such endeavours inspired by Andrew Gilbert. We are looking forward to hearing about and featuring your Mantovani related effort on the Mantovani Fan Website. Please email me: Mark Peterson is the Music Director for Barton College, Wilson, North Carolina and Music Director/Conductor of the Barton College, Wilson Symphony Orchestra. I suggest you visit Andrew's website and listen to his (MP3) recordings. Andrew is a very gifted musician and his arrangements are outstanding and very touching. While listening to the recordings I honestly felt there was a significant Mantovani influence in his presentation. Thank you Andrew.

(Update) My first thoughts have been concerned with getting the notes that I’m going to play as accurate to the original as possible. The score you sent me has been an invaluable part of that, of course. It’s inevitable  that two professionals will sometimes hear things differently (and Mark and I may well be working from different recordings) but I have made a few changes to the notation so far. I hear a few subtle differences to the ‘movement’ in the lower strings parts and some of the harmonies, for example and the introductory chords in his score do not appear on the audio. Can I emphasise that I’m not for one  second criticising Mark’s score but merely saying that I hear things a little differently at times.   I’m doing my ‘auditioning’ of the original Mantovani tracks in a piece of software called Wavelab 5. This allows me to split the track into sections, and to replay short fragments cyclically. I can also use time-stretching playback, to take the original tempo of 85BPM down to around 65BPM, while keeping the pitch the same as the original. The final weapon in my armoury is the use of EQ, or equalizer software. I can split the sound into up to ten frequency ranges,  and boost or cut any of them at will.   I can isolate, for example, the high strings for the ‘cascades’, the double basses, or that spine-tingling downwards run played by the violas and cellos. These techniques let me hear much more detail than normal playback, though I have to say that there are times when I just turn off all the gizmos and let the ‘#1 Ear’ do its thing!   The ongoing family illnesses have eaten into my time and the resulting pressures mean that I haven’t yet had time to go through the entire score, but I have concentrated on the first verse. I think I’ve got it pretty much right and have transferred the results of all the listening and ‘auditioning’ to a new version of the score that, once complete, I will send back to you. I’d be delighted for you to make this available as well as Mark’s work, to give people two alternative ‘takes’ on the piece.   I’ve also been working on what I have to do with the software instruments available to me to get the actual sounds that will appear on the finished track as good as possible. I’m fortunate that, working for Keyboard Player, I get sent a lot of software to review and some of the suppliers were most interested to hear of how their ‘kit’ was going to be used in the project.   It became apparent very early on that merely using an ensemble strings ‘patch’ (‘computer-speak’ for ‘sound’ in this case) wasn’t going to cut the mustard and that I’d have to build up every ensemble line in the piece with a true ensemble of digital voices. That meant running through all the sounds at my disposal – quite a lengthy process!   Amongst the software that’s proven its worth so far are Garritan’s Personal Orchestra Version 4 (known for short as GPO4), and IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonik. These both offer a whole raft of ensemble and solo strings and I’ve found it vital to put in as many solo sounds as possible.   Their individual tonal characteristics and playing techniques (which I have to play in ‘live’) really help the final result sound more natural. I also have a couple of older instruments from Garritan, in the shape of a wonderful Stradivari violin and a Gofriller cello. I’m currently waiting on the updates to these, which should be even better.   I also have IK Multimedia’s Symphonic Strings 2. This uses different string sections to Philharmonik, but produced to the same quality. They have been selected so that the two instruments complement each other well.   Andrew Gilbert

Everybody takes Mantovani for granted (except the 43,565,453 record customers who have bought his LP's) "Mantovani has been such a remarkable per­former over the last twenty years and such a prolific record seller that most people in the trade just take him for granted. A new LP by Mantovani? Everyone, including our distributors, radio programmers, dee­jays, retail stores buyers — all know it contains great music and will rush up the charts. It happens every time an LP by the maestro is released. Fifty-three released—fifty-three on the charts —and eight of them gold record winners! His in-person concert tour has been an over­whelming success every year he has per­formed in the U.S.A. His 13th tour begins Sept. 28th - it's SRO already. No wonder we take him for granted. Thank goodness 43,565,453 Mantovani fans don't. His newest LP, "The World of Mantovani", will be available soon. It should hit the charts in about four weeks." From a September 27, 1969 full page  advertisement by London (Decca, USA) in "Billboard" (USA) entertainment magazine.

 

 

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Miscellaneous Recent Releases of Original Mantovani And His Orchestra Recordings HIS MUSIC LIVES ON Mantovani's music lives on ... and there several forthcoming and recent releases to prove it!  from Colin MacKenzie

MANTOVANI / MARIO DEL MONACO Vocalion CDLF 8145. This CD is available from 17th May from Vocalion Records. It has never previously been released in the UK on CD, and includes two bonus tracks from the recordings made at the Kingsway Hall in central London in September 1962, "Ciao Ciao Bambina" and "The White Dove." Although not the best of collaborations, it is an interesting album nevertheless. You can compare the powerful voice of Del Monaco, who sings in Italian, Neapolitan and English, with the soft Mantovani strings to see how many of the tracks are ultimately successful. MANTOVANI PRESENTS HIS CONCERT SUCCESSES Vocalion CDLF 8147 Also available from 17th May from Vocalion. It is the best example of how a Mantovani concert actually sounded, although mostly studio recordings were used along with actual concert sounds from the Royal Festival Hall in London. Mantovani introduces the pieces of music with his usual whimsy, and there's a nice "new" arrangement of "Moon River" with Norman Barker on soprano sax to admire. THE MAGIC OF MANTOVANI Decca/Universal 5326904 (double CD set) CD1: Charmaine / September Song / La Vie En Rose / Cara Mia / Summertime * / Exodus (Main Theme) / Swedish Rhapsody / When I Fall In Love / The Very Thought Of You / Tenderly / Some Enchanted Evening / Moon River / La Mer / Days Of Wine And Roses / My Way / Fool (You Didn't Have To Hurt Her) / Autumn Leaves / Diane / A Walk In The Black Forest / Around The World // CD2: Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing / Stardust / As Time Goes By / Till / And I Love You So / Fly Me To The Moon / I Wish You Love / Misty / Stranger In Paradise / Almost There / Lara's Theme / Smoke Gets in Your Eyes / Moulin Rouge Theme / Try To Remember / Summertime / The Londonderry Air / Unchained Melody / Three Coins In The Fountain / Tonight / Goodnight Sweetheart A double album available generally in the UK which seems to be selling well in the leading supermarkets, probably thanks to a TV advertising campaign. There are 39 tracks rather than 40. Track 5 on CD1 should have been "Summertime In Venice" but it is "Summertime", that glorious melody enhanced by Stan Newsome's dreamy trumpet solo. You can hear it again as track 15 on side two! Apart from this serious error and the lack of any inlay notes, the collection is well worth having, particularly as the sound quality is so good. According to its creators, "this new compilation takes a lifestyle approach to the original recordings, presenting his best loved recordings via a new and accessible animated TVC treatment which references 1950s animation styles." Not quite sure what all that means, but this is a fine set, retailing at between £8.99 (Sainsburys) and £10.99 (Morrisons) depending on which supermarket you visit. It is also stocked by the HMV chain. Purchase theVocalion disks direct from Dutton Laboratories: http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/ +44 1923 803 001 UK (01923) 803 001   The Vocalion releases always include the wonderfully written and educational notes developed by Colin MacKenzie.

MANTOVANI THE COMPLETE COLLECTION Spectrum SPECSIG 2046 (five CD set) CD 1: Charmaine / Moulin Rouge Theme / Moon River / Diane / Come Prima (More Than Ever) / Poppa Piccolino / Summertime In Venice / La Vie En Rose / Cornish Rhapsody / April In Portugal / Arrivederci Roma / Autumn Leaves / Answer Me / If I Loved You / The Legend Of The Glass Mountain / I Talk To The Trees / Out Of My Dreams / Stranger In Paradidse / They Say it's Wonderful / Some Enchanted Evening // CD2: Warsaw Concerto / My Foolish Heart / Laura / Forgotten Dreams / Unchained Melody / Come Back To Sorrento (Torna A Surriento) / Limelight / September Song / Fly Me To The Moon / Over The Rainbow / Story Of Three Loves / Vaya Con Dios / Serenata D'Amore / Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo / Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing / Three Coins In The Fountain / Clair De Lune / Song of India / Siboney / September In The Rain // CD3: With These Hands / I Love Paris / Faraway Places / The Dream Of Olwen / A Very Precious Love / I Dream Of Jeannie / Tenderly / Beautfiul Dreamer / Blue Star / Till There Was You / Greensleeves / Swedish Rhapsody / When I Fall In Love / Seventy-Six Trombones / Goodnight Irene / No Other Love / Shall We Dance? / Tonight / Two Different Worlds / Jamaica Farewell // CD 4: Almost Like Being In Love / C'est Magnifique / Old Folks At Home / I'll Be Seeing You / Together / Deep Purple / Si (Go Before You Break My Heart) / Cara Mia / The Very Thought Of You / Solitude / Gigi / The Old Fashioned Way (Les Plaisirs Des Modes) / A Walk In The Black Forest / Give My Regards To Broadway / Dream / The Missouri Waltz / The Party's Over/ The Yellow Rose of Texas / Autumn In New York / The Happy Wanderer // CD5: Till The End Of Time / By The Time I Get To Phoenix / A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening / The Whiffenpoof Song / Cabaret / Tulips From Amsterdam / Till / It's Impossible / The Way You Look Tonight / Strangers In The Night / If I Only Had Time / Tea For Two / I Can't Stop Loving You / Theme (Love Story) / Whispering / The Anniversary Waltz / How Are Things In Glocca Morra ? / Little Green Apples / Me And My Shadow / Where Have All The Flowers Gone ? This particular collection is the biggest ever, except for the 10 CD set recently issued in Japan, and can be purchased from HMV at £14. Although it is billed as "The Complete Collection", it is, of course, not so, but it's a useful, comprehensive look at part of the great man's stereo output. There is some duplication with the MAGIC OF MANTOVANI collection, but that is inevitable, and for anyone looking to familiarise themselves with the "Mantovani Sound" this is very much a recommended issue. There are some good inlay notes by Hugh Palmer which kindly draw attention to my 2005 biography and also Wes's extensive fan website dedicated to Mantovani, and there are also two photos of Monty which I haven't seen before. And, of course, the music is wonderful. HALLO FRAULEIN - MARGOT HIELSCHER (4 tracks with MANTOVANI)  Bear Family Records BCD 16162 BG (Double CD set) CD1 tracks 9 through 12: Why, I'll Never Know / Ding Dong / Frere Jacques (with The Stargazers) / Anette (with The Stargazers) Issued on the occasion of Margot Hielscher's 90th birthday in September 2009, this 53 track set has just turned up in HMV, London, retailing at £15. Margot is a German singer and actress who appeared in numerous German language films over a lengthy period. All of these are illustrated in the album notes (in German) and there is an extensive discography. She sings with various orchestras and duets twice with Vico Torriani, who recorded with Monty in the 1950s and appeared in a couple of movies with him. Of interest, too, is a German language version of "Yours", the hit Monty recorded with Vera Lynn back in 1942, and even Bert Kaempfert turns up as producer of Margot's "Allein In Barcelona" recording, but the bonuses for Mantovani completists are the four tracks listed above that she recorded with him at Decca in 1951. These perhaps were meant to show how well she could sing in English (and she certainly could), but they were never released commercially and appear here for the very first time. The orchestra Monty used was a pre-Charmaine one, but the quality nevertheless shines through, and there is additional support from The Stargazers on two of the melodies. It would be interesting to know whether Ronnie Binge did the arrangements. The actual record labels are illustrated on page 59 of the notes and show that they were made in England and issued as samplers (not for sale) in 78 rpm format.

Mantovani Home Greensleeves Honoured

A Blue Plaque for Mantovani At last, a Blue Plaque has been awarded to the memory of our hero, Annunzio Paolo Mantovani by Poole Heritage in recognition of Mantovani's service to music. . His former home, "Greensleeves" in Bournemouth (UK) has a Blue Plaque suitably affixed, which reads, "Annunzio Paolo Mantovani 1905 - 1980  Conductor Lived Here." We thank the present owners of Greensleeves who gave us permission to photograph the Plaque. Mantovani live in Greensleeves between 1961 to 1976. From Colin MacKenzie Editor note: The home was named Greensleeves by Mantovani who considered the composition his favourite. The arrangement from Mantovani And His Orchestra, arranged by Ronnie Binge evidences the perfect combination of arranger and conductor. Who could argue against that opinion? It is easy to recall the photos of Monty posing with his beautiful Rolls Royce's in the driveway. Our thanks to Poole Heritage for so honouring our hero and his music.

Mantovani Trombonist Bill Brown's Trombone   Here we see Gordon Brown, son of Mantovani's 1950s trombonist, with his father's Selmer E flat tenor trombone. This photograph was taken in February of this year. Gordon informs us that this was not the original trombone used on "Charmaine" and those fabulously successful waltz recordings of the early '50s. That particular instrument, an American King one, was sold when Bill obtained this Selmer E flat tenor at the new Selmer showroom in central London. Bill used d in this field. Many thanks to veteran musicologist Alan Dixon, who sent the photograph along; Alan keeps in touch with Gordon Brown, now living in retirement near Weston-Super-Mare in the west of England. Colin MacKenzie with thanks to Gordon Brown and Alan Dixon. About the Selmer Brand: For information on the current company, see Conn-Selmer. (From Wikipedia.org) Check out the All American High School Program sponsored by Conn-Selmer: The All-American High School Program was established by Conn-Selmer in order to "recognize the most outstanding high school instrumental music programs in America." For a period of six years Conn-Selmer and seven chosen high schools will enjoy a special relationship that rewards excellence and encourages the growth in music and music education. The current seven selected schools include... Concord High School (Elkhart, Indiana) - Elkhart, Indiana DeKalb High School (Indiana) - Waterloo, Indiana Grant High School - Grant, Michigan Grayson County High School (Kentucky) - Leitchfield, Kentucky Knox Community High School - Knox, Indiana Mishawaka High School - Mishawaka, Indiana Penn High School - Mishawaka, Indiana

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The "Mantovani Concert Encores" from Hallmark, The Mystery solved "The Concert Encores CD mystery is solved! It IS Mantovani and his Orchestra and it IS the original music.

So how do you reconcile that statement with the fact that the CD tunes play much faster than the original recording with some (especially Can-Can) at breakneck speed. Have you guessed it yet ?

Shock, horror, the CD tracks have been recorded from LP at 45 rpm or some such similar speed. Unbelievable, but it is so. A distinguished panel of experts (!), i.e. Alan Dixon, Paul Barrett and myself have sat in judgment with Paul Barrett putting his finger on the problem. With his musical background he immediately recognised that the pitch was not correct so he got out his stereo LP and played it at 45 rpm with Franck listening in as well! And solved the problem. When he first played the CD, Paul recognised Charlie Botterill's percussion, even though it was coming through at the wrong speed, so he then deduced that it might have been recorded at the wrong speed..

Why would Hallmark do this ? To get over copyright problems ? This doesn't seem likely as the recordings are now 50 years old and in the public domain in the UK. So did they make a mistake and record them from LP at the wrong speed. Surely not, but Nicholas Briggs tells me that when he sponsored a Ray Martin CD for Mike Dutton, Mike told him that he had received some of the recordings from EMI taped at the wrong speed! So that possibility exists. Another one is that they found the original recordings too slow and deliberately speeded them up...

Whoever is responsible for this mess ought to get his neck wrung. Not only has he issued the tracks at the wrong speed but has messed up the author title credits (Vernon Duke as composer of Autumn etc).

Alan very kindly has done a comparison as follows:

 

Selection	Stereo LP	Hallmark Debaucle	Black Arrangement for the Mantovani Orchestra
Clair de Lune Spanish Dance Can-Can Chanson de Matin Gypsy Airs Autumn Song of India Achon Rosmarin Meditation Perpetuum Mobile	4:45 4:23 2:07 3:56 5:39 5:58 3:24 2:13 4:39 3:06	3:48 3:31 1:40 3:10 4:38 4:46 2:43 1:45 3:44 2:39	No Recording 4:20 No Recording 2:58 4:58 No Recording 3:14 2:15 5:17 No Recording

The Stanley Black arrangements for the Mantovani Orchestra bear no comparison to the speeded up ones on Hallmark, yet Stanley Black gets arranger credits on some of the Hallmark titles. What a complete botch-up."  from Colin Mackenzie, with the help of Alan Dixon, Paul Barrett, and Franck Leprince.

So I believe our original statement regarding the validity of the offerings, given they are produced at the wrong speed and credits are in error would qualify this as a product that Mantovani would not have approved of prior to release. All of the themes may be found correctly identified and produced at the regular speed elsewhere.

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Inspired by Mantovanian, Rich Cox

Do you remember attending a live Mantovani and His Orchestra concert (Mantovani is on the podium)? We'd like to publish your story on this website. If you can provide a graphic copy (jpg or gif files) of the program/cover as an attachment to your email, all the better.

Please enter your comments on the Email form that opens. The email comment will be reviewed and posted right here on the website. c

Thank you in advance for your comments.

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From my Japan friend Akima Toru, a link to a 1959 video segment from a Mantovani television show featuring the music of Irving Berlin. The video features several close ups of musicians we honour on the Mantovani Fan Website including the  greats, Lionel Solomon, Emile Charlier, and Charley Botterill. In my opinion there may be nothing sweeter than an Irving Berlin composition being played by the great Mantovani. Enjoy (click the picture or here to go to the Youtube video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRjaB6LNavw&feature=channel Thank you Toru.

In memory of Paolo Mantovani

Amid many tribulations,
in the midst of so much sadness and despair,
in the midst of so much inhuman suffering,
in the midst of so much pain and helplessness,

We can find an island of peace and honest joy,
We can find a little peace of mind
To our consciences and hearts,

 

 from JavierVMaldonado on YouTube on a Mantovani and His Orchestra SelectionNew

To hear examples of the outstanding orchestrations by Mantovani and His Orchestra, visit the website Jukebox.