• The triumph as well as the sorrow of Eric Coates (1886-1957) is that his music is familiar – his By the Sleepy Lagoon is used as the Desert Island Discs theme – but few know his name or what else he wrote. His wistful, elegant orchestral writing, full of yearning oboe melodies, uplifting brass fanfares, foot-tapping string tunes, is the epitome of that neglected category: “British light music”. The conductor John Wilson, a dazzling champion of this repertoire, indifferent to fashion but now leading it, has made us listen again.
Eric Coates: Orchestral Works Volume 3 (Chandos), played by the BBC Philharmonic, includes the evocative Cinderella, the well-known Dam Busters March and The Three Elizabeths (1944) – celebrating Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth of Glamis and Princess Elizabeth (as she was at the time). The BBC Philharmonic plays with buoyancy and style. The booklet notes are invaluable: a slice of British history compressed into a few well chosen words.
• As a conductor of baroque music, as well as a harpsichordist, Harry Bicket ranges widely, with Handel at the heart of his repertoire. His latest Handel recording on Linn, with his English Concert, is Serse (Xerxes), which bowls along energetically, the orchestral playing especially rewarding. In a top Handelian cast (no countertenors; the roles of Serse and his brother Arsamene are sung by mezzo-sopranos). Lucy Crowe (Romilda), Paula Murrihy (Arsamene) and Mary Bevan (Atalanta) are masterly and nuanced, with Daniela Mack, Neal Davies and William Dazeley adding stylish character. The versatile Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo sings the title role. Her ripe, vibrato-rich voice might not be to all tastes – sample Ann Murray or Anne Sofie von Otter for contrast – but she makes a powerful impact.
• John Bridcut’s films about musicians go to the heart without sacrificing the music. Michael Tippett: The Shadow and the Light is his latest, and is as fine as any. Contributors include Colin Davis, Andrew Davis, Alexander Goehr, Mark-Anthony Turnage and his biographer, Oliver Soden – as well as Tippett himself, in extensive archive footage. Don’t miss it. BBC Two, Thursday, 9pm/iPlayer.
