This disc continues Chandos’ popular new film music series and features music by British composer Alan Rawsthorne.

This disc features an interesting selection of music ranging from the popular The Cruel Sea to a short government promotional film for British woll entitled The Dancing Fleece.

Of the nine film scores included in this collection, all except one are premiere recordings.

This disc is given the stamp of authority by the assistance of composer Gerard Schurmann, who worked with Rawsthorne as orchestrator on many of the original film scores and was present at the recording sessions, and by Philip Lane’s skills in reconstruction from the original soundtrack.


Rawsthorne’s music is marked by clarity of expression and form, craftsmanship and concision. His personality is disclosed in a degree of understatement, refusal to compromise or follow fashion and, where fitting, a laconic wit. In private correspondence he disclosed his belief that ‘music from films is rarely satisfactory on its own’. This may reflect the practical difficulties arising from a dearth of extended passages in his scores amenable for extraction and translation to the concert hall.

To single out a few of the many scores featured on this new disc:

Bernard Hermann held that Uncle Silas was one of the greatest film scores ever written. It accompanies a melodramatic suspense story set in early Victorian times.

Sarabande for Dead Lovers is the story of the tragic love affair between Konigsmark and Sophie Dorothea, wife of the Elector of Hanover, later to become George I of England. The score contains references to the ubiquitous dance sequence ‘La Folia’.

Rawsthorne wrote a twenty-minute score for a government promotional film promoting British wool – The Dancing Fleece. It is cast in the form of a ballet, portraying the process of manufacture.

The plot and the style of the film The Cruel Sea is an unglamorous portrayal of life and death on a corvette in the Atlantic during World War Two – the sea is the villain.

Rawsthorne provided a rich miniature score to Lease of Life, which included, as a direct reference to the plot, a brief piano concertante.


This disc continues Chandos’ popular new film music series and features music by British composer Alan Rawsthorne.

This disc features an interesting selection of music ranging from the popular The Cruel Sea to a short government promotional film for British woll entitled The Dancing Fleece.

Of the nine film scores included in this collection, all except one are premiere recordings.

This disc is given the stamp of authority by the assistance of composer Gerard Schurmann, who worked with Rawsthorne as orchestrator on many of the original film scores and was present at the recording sessions, and by Philip Lane’s skills in reconstruction from the original soundtrack.


Rawsthorne’s music is marked by clarity of expression and form, craftsmanship and concision. His personality is disclosed in a degree of understatement, refusal to compromise or follow fashion and, where fitting, a laconic wit. In private correspondence he disclosed his belief that ‘music from films is rarely satisfactory on its own’. This may reflect the practical difficulties arising from a dearth of extended passages in his scores amenable for extraction and translation to the concert hall.

To single out a few of the many scores featured on this new disc:

Bernard Hermann held that Uncle Silas was one of the greatest film scores ever written. It accompanies a melodramatic suspense story set in early Victorian times.

Sarabande for Dead Lovers is the story of the tragic love affair between Konigsmark and Sophie Dorothea, wife of the Elector of Hanover, later to become George I of England. The score contains references to the ubiquitous dance sequence ‘La Folia’.

Rawsthorne wrote a twenty-minute score for a government promotional film promoting British wool – The Dancing Fleece. It is cast in the form of a ballet, portraying the process of manufacture.

The plot and the style of the film The Cruel Sea is an unglamorous portrayal of life and death on a corvette in the Atlantic during World War Two – the sea is the villain.

Rawsthorne provided a rich miniature score to Lease of Life, which included, as a direct reference to the plot, a brief piano concertante.



This disc continues Chandos’ popular new film music series and features music by British composer Alan Rawsthorne.

This disc features an interesting selection of music ranging from the popular The Cruel Sea to a short government promotional film for British woll entitled The Dancing Fleece.

Of the nine film scores included in this collection, all except one are premiere recordings.

This disc is given the stamp of authority by the assistance of composer Gerard Schurmann, who worked with Rawsthorne as orchestrator on many of the original film scores and was present at the recording sessions, and by Philip Lane’s skills in reconstruction from the original soundtrack.



Rawsthorne’s music is marked by clarity of expression and form, craftsmanship and concision. His personality is disclosed in a degree of understatement, refusal to compromise or follow fashion and, where fitting, a laconic wit. In private correspondence he disclosed his belief that ‘music from films is rarely satisfactory on its own’. This may reflect the practical difficulties arising from a dearth of extended passages in his scores amenable for extraction and translation to the concert hall.

To single out a few of the many scores featured on this new disc:

Bernard Hermann held that Uncle Silas was one of the greatest film scores ever written. It accompanies a melodramatic suspense story set in early Victorian times.

Sarabande for Dead Lovers is the story of the tragic love affair between Konigsmark and Sophie Dorothea, wife of the Elector of Hanover, later to become George I of England. The score contains references to the ubiquitous dance sequence ‘La Folia’.

Rawsthorne wrote a twenty-minute score for a government promotional film promoting British wool – The Dancing Fleece. It is cast in the form of a ballet, portraying the process of manufacture.

The plot and the style of the film The Cruel Sea is an unglamorous portrayal of life and death on a corvette in the Atlantic during World War Two – the sea is the villain.

Rawsthorne provided a rich miniature score to Lease of Life, which included, as a direct reference to the plot, a brief piano concertante.


This disc continues Chandos’ popular new film music series and features music by British composer Alan Rawsthorne.

This disc features an interesting selection of music ranging from the popular The Cruel Sea to a short government promotional film for British woll entitled The Dancing Fleece.

Of the nine film scores included in this collection, all except one are premiere recordings.

This disc is given the stamp of authority by the assistance of composer Gerard Schurmann, who worked with Rawsthorne as orchestrator on many of the original film scores and was present at the recording sessions, and by Philip Lane’s skills in reconstruction from the original soundtrack.



Rawsthorne’s music is marked by clarity of expression and form, craftsmanship and concision. His personality is disclosed in a degree of understatement, refusal to compromise or follow fashion and, where fitting, a laconic wit. In private correspondence he disclosed his belief that ‘music from films is rarely satisfactory on its own’. This may reflect the practical difficulties arising from a dearth of extended passages in his scores amenable for extraction and translation to the concert hall.

To single out a few of the many scores featured on this new disc:

Bernard Hermann held that Uncle Silas was one of the greatest film scores ever written. It accompanies a melodramatic suspense story set in early Victorian times.

Sarabande for Dead Lovers is the story of the tragic love affair between Konigsmark and Sophie Dorothea, wife of the Elector of Hanover, later to become George I of England. The score contains references to the ubiquitous dance sequence ‘La Folia’.

Rawsthorne wrote a twenty-minute score for a government promotional film promoting British wool – The Dancing Fleece. It is cast in the form of a ballet, portraying the process of manufacture.

The plot and the style of the film The Cruel Sea is an unglamorous portrayal of life and death on a corvette in the Atlantic during World War Two – the sea is the villain.

Rawsthorne provided a rich miniature score to Lease of Life, which included, as a direct reference to the plot, a brief piano concertante.

                           Artistic Quality 10   Sound Quality 10

"Chandos does it again!"...
"The music’s quality and originality is evident through all nine of the films represented here..." "Conductor Rumon Gamba and the BBC Philharmonic excel in presenting this music as concert hall worthy, which of course it is. Chandos’ dynamic, wide ranging recording will remind you why you paind so much for your stereo system. Even if you’ve never seen any of these films ... you’ll have loads of fun."

Victor Carr Jr

Alan Rawsthornes music is British film music of the 1940s and 1950s at its best. Rumon Gamba and the BBC Philharmonic have managesd to capture the nobility and delicacy of the composers music as well as the enthusiasm of the developing British film industry. This is an excellent album in an excellent series and is highly recommended.
‘From the gusto of the playing throughout it seems clear that the BBC Philharmonic enjoyed making this disc: understandably so.’
‘…brought vividly to life by the BBC Philharmonic under the baton of Rumon Gamba.’


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