Orchestra

This 3-CD box set of unreleased recordings by the Kurt Edelhagen Jazz Orchestra made for the German Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) radio station in Cologne presents a fascinating snapshot of an important episode in the history of European jazz. The collection has been put together by Dr Bernd Hoffmann, a German broadcaster and musicologist, who has made the selection from more than 3000 tracks in WDR’s archives. The “100” in the title refers to the fact that the centenary of Edelhagen’s birth was in June last year and that this release celebrates the anniversary.

In Bulgaria, both folk and art music evince an ancient tradition that strikes awe even in some of the great music nations today. The way Pancho Vladigerov incorporated these folk-music themes into his concert pieces shows not only his affinity for them but also suggests that he felt something of a calling to promulgate and champion the folk-traditions of his central European homeland. The most-performed work of Pancho Vladigerov’s is undoubtedly his Bulgarian Rhapsody op.16 “Vardar” from 1922. The most outstanding must be his Seven Symphonic Bulgarian Dances op.23 (1931), with which he might have wanted to create a counterpart to Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances, or Grieg’s Norwegian Dances or similar such popular aural nationalistic postcards.

This album of some of the 20th century’s most captivating songs and standards are heard here in dazzling new arrangements by Richard Balcombe. With a perfect marriage of words and music, these classic songs have a timeless appeal. Whether written for movies, revues or musicals, or specifically for the most renowned singers of the day, all the greatest composers and lyricists of the time are represented in this outstanding new collection.