Reginald
Leopold and his Orchestra
rehearsing for Grand
Hotel
Relays
of Light classical music
started in 1925 from The
Grand Hotel in Eastbourne
and were, to quote the
Radio Times of the era, 'Music
of the Palm Court
Orchestra'.
The Lounge Hall of the
Grand was used - it did
not actually have a Palm
Court.
The
'Grand Hotel' programme
itself ran on Sundays
from 1943 to 1973 and was
generally broadcast live,
usually from the Concert
Hall at Broadcasting
House but occasionally on
location.
It
was hosted by violinist
Albert Sandler until
early in 1948 when he was
taken ill and left the
programme being replaced
by Tom
Jenkins (Sandler
died the following
August). Both
had previously been
musical directors of the
Grand Hotel Eastbourne
(Sandler 1924-28
and Jenkins 1938-40). However
other hotels were also
used, notably the Royal
Bath, Bournemouth and
these programmes were not
called 'Grand Hotel'.
It
lapsed for a couple of
years before returning
for its final series in
1951 when it was
pre-recorded and
introduced by Tom Jenkins
with the Palm Court
Orchestra and guest
baritone Alfred Swain.
Max Jaffa took over
in 1956, succeeding Jean
Pougnet, and stayed to
the end. Featured
artists at this time were
Jack Byfield, Max Jaffa
and a different singer
each week. Vanessa Lee
was a favourite of the
programme, but many other
operatic sopranos were
also invited to appear.
Reginald
Leopold
directed the Palm Court
orchestra
for 17 years, until 1973.
The
programme was revived for
a while in the eighties
using Max Jaffa and
subsequently the show
went round the regions
using different musical
combinations. It was
revived in 1995 for a
one-off celebration using
a larger orchestra
conducted by Roderick
Dunk
The programme's signature
tune was Strauss's 'Roses
from the South'.
There
was a similar programme,
now forgotten, called
'Carnival Concert', which
featured John Blore and
his orchestra (with
interval music by
organist Charles Smart)
playing 'music from the
Winter Garden'.
www.ukmagazineshop.co.uk
offers a 'Reginald
Leopold and Grand Hotel'
CD for ?9.95 (ref
.C110)
Listen
to 'Grand Hotel' played
by Reginald Leopold and
the Palm Court Orchestra
as broadcast on 2nd.
January 1972.
Programme is introduced
by Reginald Leopold.
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