CHAN 10323 Booklet cover.qxd 15/9/06 11:55 am Page 1 CHANDOS CHAN 10323 RUMON GAMBA CHAN 10323 BOOK.qxd 15/9/06 12:02 pm Page 2 The Film Music of Francis Chagrin (1905–1972) premiere recordings (except track 1) 1 Overture from ‘Helter Skelter’ 6:34 From ‘An Inspector Calls’ (arranged and orchestrated by Philip Lane) 2 Portrait of Eva 3:25 Photograph courtesy of Nicolas Chagrin From ‘The Colditz Story’ 3:31 (arranged by Philip Lane) 3 Prelude 2:00 4 Finale 1:31 Suite from ‘Greyfriars Bobby’ 11:42 (arranged by Philip Lane) 5 Main Titles and Opening Scene 3:50 6 Bobby escapes to Edinburgh 5:22 7 Finale 2:30 From ‘The Four Just Men’ 3:05 (edited by Philip Lane) 8 Theme 1:28 9 Main Titles 1:37 10 ‘The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra’ 5:19 (arranged by Philip Lane) Francis Chagrin 3 CHAN 10323 BOOK.qxd 15/9/06 12:02 pm Page 4 Four Orchestral Episodes from ‘The Intruder’ 11:11 (edited by Philip Lane) The Film Music of Francis Chagrin 11 Preamble 1:48 12 Conflagration 3:21 Francis Chagrin described himself as ‘Rumanian popular songs. When he had saved enough, he 13 Pursuit at night 3:58 by birth, British by nationality and cosmopolitan enrolled in 1933 at the École normale for two 14 Vindication 2:04 by inclination’. He was born Alexander Paucker years, where his teachers included Paul Dukas in Bucharest on 15 November 1905 to wealthy and Nadia Boulanger. He began writing From ‘Easy Money’ Jewish parents who expected their son to take modest film scores, but sensing that war was (edited by Philip Lane) his rightful place in the family business. not far away he made a trip to Britain to see 15 Il basso ostinato 6:40 Reluctantly he complied, if only initially, by how the business worked here. He fell in love reading for an engineering degree in Zurich, with the country immediately and made it his Suite from ‘Last Holiday’ 14:19 while secretly putting himself through the city’s home permanently in 1936. (arranged by Philip Lane) music conservatory. After graduating in 1928 In London he continued studies with his exact 16 Main Titles 1:50 and having ‘done the right thing’ by his parents, contemporary and fellow exile, Matyas Seiber. 17 Romance 3:51 he expected his family to allow him to pursue With the outbreak of war, he was appointed his musical ambitions. When this failed to musical adviser and composer-in-chief to the 18 Nocturne 4:01 materialise, he left home and made for Paris. BBC French Service and in particular the 19 Samba 1:44 Already married for the first time, the move was programme Les Français parlent aux Français, 20 Epilogue 2:53 doubly precipitated by his wife’s infidelities. He, for which he was decorated ‘Officier d’Académie’ ever the gentleman, saw his move to Paris as by the French government in 1948. He spoke Yugoslav Sketches from ‘The Bridge’ 10:42 grounds for his wife to divorce him for elegant and fluent French, and was often taken 21 Village Feast 3:07 desertion! for a Frenchman. In addition, he spoke perfect 22 Omladina (Childhood) 2:35 It was in Paris that he acquired his new English (albeit with a French accent), was fluent 23 Dusk 2:05 name. He chose Chagrin to reflect his sadness in Rumanian and German, knew much Italian and 24 The New Bridge 2:55 at the divorce and being disinherited Spanish, and for a trip to the USSR in October TT 77:34 (although there was later some relaxation of 1966 studied Russian. this), but primarily to make a clean break from Soon after his move to Britain he took an BBC Philharmonic his past. Even though by now his family were Irish bride who presented him with two sons, willing to support him financially, he refused, Julian and Nicolas, both of whom would make leader Yuri Torchinsky preferring to make his own way by playing in their mark in the acting profession – Julian Rumon Gamba night clubs and cafés-chantants and writing most famously as the white-faced mime artist 4 5 CHAN 10323 BOOK.qxd 15/9/06 12:02 pm Page 6 in the park in Antonioni’s Blow-Up, and Nicolas to Gerard Hoffnung concerts with items like truly memorable evening and instead of it An Inspector Calls (1954) as Puck in the first Covent Garden production The Ballad of County Down. In addition there being a case of lecturer and class, it became Director: Guy Hamilton of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That is much chamber music, and songs in English instead an intimate ‘at home’ with a living, Screenplay: Desmond Davis (from the play by he worked so hard to give his family the and French. As well as conducting his own film working composer and invited friends. This J.B. Priestley) standard of living he knew as a boy, and which scores he frequently conducted orchestral was 1971; during the last two or three years Cast: Alastair Sim, Jane Wenham, Bryan would have been his had he stayed in the concerts here and abroad, and in 1951 of his life he had suffered a series of heart Forbes, Olga Lindo family business, goes some way to explaining formed his own chamber ensemble which gave attacks, the fourth of which he succumbed to The faithful transferral to the screen of the the huge quantity of commercial work he regular concerts and broadcasts of varied and on 10 November 1972. Years before, theatrical classic was one of several did – for films, television and commercials. unusual repertoire. conducting for Antonio’s Spanish Ballet, he collaborations between Chagrin and director At the height of the war, and as a reaction The sheer volume of his commercial work is had suffered an attack during the first act of a Guy Hamilton. It produced a theme for the to the plight of one young composer, Robert staggering: it includes 200 films, television production, but remained at his post until the main female character, Eva Smith, which I have Gill, Chagrin founded the Committee (later (including a Dr Who in 1964) and many interval. The true professional to the last! developed here into a ‘portrait’ echoing her Society) for the Promotion of New Music commercials – for soap, hair shampoo, tooth various moods, from happiness to the depths (SPNM) as a way of allowing composers to brushes, chocolate bars etc. In 1963 he was Helter Skelter (1949) of despair. Sim plays the mysterious inspector hear their music played rather than have it elected Film Composer of the Year in the Director: Ralph Thomas who confronts an upper-middle class family unacknowledged and unplayed by the artists Harriet Cohen International Awards. Screenplay: Patrick Campbell with the death of Eva, who is supposedly in and organisations to whom they sent scores. His friends remember him as incredibly Cast: Carol Marsh, David Tomlinson, Jimmy the employ of its head but who seems to have The list of composers whose music was heard industrious, but selfless, resourceful, urbane Edwards, Terry-Thomas touched each member of the family at some through the auspices of the Society reads like and with a great generosity of heart. His Most of the composers in this series made time or another. Whether she is really one a veritable Who’s Who of British composers. fellow composer, Benjamin Frankel, who wrote little attempt in their lifetimes to concertise person or a combination of many is left to the Britten, Tippett and Walton may not be there several obituaries of him, struck the right tone their film music. Chagrin was very much the audience to decide, and the inspector remains but Alwyn, Arnold, Bennett, Birtwistle and when he wrote that Chagrin was ‘always able exception. He prepared no fewer than four of an enigma up to the very end. Maxwell Davies certainly are. In 1973, in to see the lighter aspect of serious effort’. I the titles here for the concert hall. Helter memory of its founder who had died the met him just once when I was a student. He Skelter was a scatty comedy, obviously The Colditz Story (1954) previous year, the SPNM established the had come to an inner-city Arts Centre to talk designed as a British Hellzapoppin, with Director: Guy Hamilton Francis Chagrin Fund for Young Composers. about writing music for films. It was an everything thrown in (including custard pies) Screenplay: Guy Hamilton and Ivan Foxwell His own concert music ranges over most inclement night and only twenty people had and an endless parade of guest stars, all (from the book by P.R. Reid) genres. In the orchestral field, there are two turned up. When he came onto the stage, I felt around a story of an heiress and the BBC. This Cast: John Mills, Eric Portman, Lionel Jeffries, completed symphonies, a piano concerto, a somewhat ashamed at the meagre audience unlikely menu brought forth music Chagrin Ian Carmichael, Richard Wattis Prelude and Fugue, and a Rumanian Fantasy, and embarrassed for him, but he turned the thought mouldable into a concert overture One of the most famous stories from World written for harmonica-virtuoso Larry Adler and situation around in a second, inviting us all to which was published in 1951 and first War Two made a fine vehicle for a cast of commercially recorded by him. He contributed sit in a semicircle on stage with him. It was a commercially recorded twenty years later.