The John Wilson Orchestra was formed by British orchestral conductor John Wilson in 1994. A lush symphonic orchestra built around a jazz big band, it is renowned for resurrecting the original arrangements, which John Wilson himself has re-created, of MGM musicals and the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein. These were featured in three extravaganza Prom concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 2009, 2010 and 2011, all of which were recorded and broadcast by BBC Television. The John Wilson Orchestra has handpicked virtuoso performers, uses skilled session singers and top choirs, and attracts international star soloists from opera and musical theatre and jazz at its large-scale concerts. John Wilson is also a devotee of big band jazz and dance music, and British light classical music, such as the works of Eric Coates.
Contents |
The John Wilson Orchestra has been acclaimed for showing how "authentic period performance" extends to screen musicals.[1]
In an interview with Rebecca Franks for the BBC Music Magazine prior to the 2010 Proms season John Wilson explained how the specific make-up of the orchestra reflects this purpose. He also highlighted the need for the best quality musicians:
The orchestra’s been together a good 15 years and its make-up is very specific. It’s modelled on the old contract movie orchestras in America. And that's basically the combination of a dance-band brass, rhythm and saxophone section, so four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes who all double, and a rhythm section, who are all very specific specialists in this style. And then on top of that you have a woodwind and French horn section.
But I think the key thing is getting the right string players. It has to be a very high octane, high gloss, soloist sort of player. The string sound isn’t blended down, it’s blended up. You play up to the best. It’s a very in-your-face, expensive sort of string sound and it takes a lot of playing. You have to have the best players, but we're spoilt in this country for terrific orchestral performers.[2]
Two of the BBC Proms Concerts, from the celebrated annual summer series in London's Royal Albert Hall, established the unique role of the John Wilson Orchestra in reviving original arrangements of classic film and theatre musicals.
John Wilson is the man whose keen ears have reconstructed orchestrations thought lost to us for good and whose amazing orchestra has been custom made to deliver the kind of playing that takes you way beyond make-believe. "Technicolour for the ears?" You’d better believe it.[3]
Both Proms were recorded and broadcast by BBC Television.
At Prom 22 in 2009, the John Wilson Orchestra caused a sensation[4] with A Celebration of MGM Film Musicals, with restored arrangements by John Wilson. The soloists were Sarah Fox, Thomas Allen, Kim Criswell, Curtis Stigers and Seth MacFarlane.
Imagine the soundtracks of your best beloved MGM musicals after an auditory steam-clean; better yet, imagine being there in the moment of recreation and hearing the crack MGM Symphony put through its paces, a saturation of swooning strings, mellow trombones, saxes, and a bevy of gleaming trumpets, their extravagant vibrato lending the sound an expensive sheen.[5]
The BBC televises certain Proms every year, of which this was one. Uniquely, they have also released a DVD of the concert. This concert was revived for a national tour of Britain in November 2010.
The evening paid tribute to, among others:
In 2010, the John Wilson Orchestra returned to the Royal Albert Hall for an evening featuring John Wilson's painstakingly recreated arrangements of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. In interview, John Wilson explained that "every single piece has been newly originated, edited and reconstructed. At least a third of the music we had to put together from scratch."[6]
This project grew out of an invitation by Proms controller Roger Wright for John Wilson to do a concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein's death. As the John Wilson Orchestra specialises in film music, Wilson decided to revive the original film orchestrations.
Most of what we’re doing hasn’t been played in concert since the original film recording sessions. We’re doing the film versions of The King and I, South Pacific, Oklahoma, Flower Drum Song, Carousel, The Sound of Music – mainly this time the films were produced by 20th Century Fox, not MGM, but it’s that same sumptuous, expensive sound, which is perfect for the Royal Albert Hall.[7]
The choir was the Maida Vale Singers and the world-class international soloists from opera and musical theatre included Julian Ovenden, Sierra Boggess, Kim Criswell, Anna-Jane Casey and Rod Gilfry.
As in the MGM film musicals Prom, this concert featured John Wilson's reconstructions of the following arrangers' original film score versions: Robert Russell Bennett, Adolph Deutsch, Edward B. Powell, Gus Levene, Bernard Mayers, Pete King, Irwin Kostal and Herbert W. Spencer.[8]
During November, the John Wilson Orchestra reunited with soloists Sir Thomas Allen, Kim Criswell, Sarah Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Curtis Stigers for a British national tour of A Celebration of Classic MGM Musicals, visiting Manchester,Nottingham, Gateshead, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Bournemouth.[9]
The John Wilson Orchestra's CDs for Vocalion include
In addition the John Wilson Orchestra has collaborated on a CD recording for Sir Paul McCartney.