The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden In 1952 Alwyn joined the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet (now known as the
Birmingham Royal Ballet) Alwyn's friendship and stage performances with another popular British comic,
Bob Monkhouse, are chronicled in Monkhouse's autobiography
Crying with Laughter: My Life Story.
Musical theatre To mark the year of his 80th birthday, Alwyn was interviewed by
Edward Seckerson for BBC Radio 3's programme
Stage and Screen, broadcast on 21 November 2005. The programme notes record that "Alwyn's career has encompassed many of the highlights of post-war British musical theatre". •
The Crooked Mile (
Cambridge Theatre, London, 1959) starring
Millicent Martin and
Elisabeth Welch •
The Most Happy Fella (
London Coliseum, 1959) starring
Inia Te Wiata, Helena Scott and
Art Lund •
H.M.S. Pinafore (
Her Majesty's Theatre, 1962) directed by
Sir Tyrone Guthrie •
The Pirates of Penzance (Her Majesty's Theatre, 1962) directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie •
Half a Sixpence (Cambridge Theatre, London, 1963) starring
Tommy Steele,
Marti Webb and
James Grout •
Camelot (
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, 1964) starring
Laurence Harvey and
Elizabeth Larner •
Charlie Girl (
Adelphi Theatre, London, 1965) starring
Derek Nimmo,
Gerry Marsden and
Anna Neagle •
Jorrocks (
New London Theatre, 1966) starring
Joss Ackland and
Cheryl Kennedy Alwyn made original cast recordings of all of the above shows and also made studio cast recordings (complete and/or highlights) of the following musicals: •
Oliver! (1960) featuring
Ian Carmichael •
Bitter Sweet (1961) featuring
Susan Hampshire and
Adele Leigh •
Kismet (1961) featuring
Elizabeth Harwood •
Guys and Dolls (1962) featuring Adele Leigh •
West Side Story (1962) featuring Adele Leigh •
Carmen Jones (1962) featuring
Grace Bumbry and
Elisabeth Welch •
Porgy and Bess (1964) featuring
Lawrence Winters and
Isabelle Lucas •
Glamorous Night / Careless Rapture (1969, reissued 2005) featuring John Stoddart and Patricia Johnson •
Gilbert & Sullivan Overtures (1963, reissued 2005) with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra •
Gilbert & Sullivan: Valerie Masterson and Robert Tear sing Gilbert & Sullivan (1983) with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta •
The Most Happy Fella (2007) featuring
Brian Blessed •
Carousel (2007) featuring
Mandy Patinkin Alwyn served as musical director for a production of the pantomime
Dick Whittington at the
Bristol Old Vic Theatre in 1955 starring
Peter O'Toole. In recognition of his contribution to the world of British musical theatre, Alwyn and the Alwyn Concert Orchestra were invited to perform at the memorial service for
Noël Coward, which was held in Westminster Abbey on 28 March 1984 in the presence of
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Orchestral recordings Alwyn's orchestral recording career dates back to 1958, when he recorded
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture for
Decca Records with the
London Symphony Orchestra and the
Band of the Grenadier Guards, which has been reviewed and critically acclaimed many times over the years in
Gramophone magazine. and was chosen as one of its records of the year (1958 ''Gramophone Critics' Choice''). The recording famously featured slowed-down gunshots to mimic cannon fire. It has remained a mainstay of the classical catalogue and was re-issued by Decca in 2012. Other notable recordings include
Lord Berners'
Wedding Bouquet with the RTÉ Chamber Choir and Sinfonietta (1996 ''Gramophone Critics' Choice''). Selected discography: •
Richard Addinsell:
Warsaw Concerto /
Hubert Bath:
Cornish Rhapsody /
Miklós Rózsa:
Spellbound Concerto /
Charles Williams:
The Dream of Olwen /
George Gershwin:
Rhapsody in Blue with
Daniel Adni and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (EMI 1980, 1988, re-issued 2006) •
Paul Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 1 with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (CBS) • Ben-Haim: Symphony No. 2, Op. 36 / Concerto for Strings, Op. 40 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Nimbus Records for Jerusalem Records/Stradivari Classics, recorded 1962 and 1967, released 1984) •
Lord Berners:
Wedding Bouquet /
Luna Park /
March with the RTÉ Chamber Choir and Sinfonietta (Marco Polo 1996) •
Jeremiah Clarke:
Trumpet Voluntary with the Trumpeters of Kneller Hall, the Royal Military School and London Symphony Orchestra, recorded at the Opening Concert of the
Aldeburgh Festival in 1953, at which
Benjamin Britten and
Imogen Holst also conducted works appearing on the same recording (Decca 1962, re-issued by Decca Eloquence) •
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: ''
Hiawatha's Wedding Feast'' with
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (EMI 1984 and 2005) • Coleridge-Taylor:
The Song of Hiawatha /
Symphonic Variations on an African Air with
Bryn Terfel, Helen Field and the
Welsh National Opera (Decca 1991, 1998 and 2002) •
George Gershwin:
Rhapsody in Blue /
An American in Paris /
Piano Concerto in F with
Malcolm Binns and the
Sinfonia of London Orchestra (EMI 1966) •
Edvard Grieg:
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1 /
Rossini:
Overtures with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and New Symphony Orchestra of London (re-issued by DECCA Eloquence 2012) • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky:
1812 Overture / Capriccio italien / Marche Slave / Swan Lake with the London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca 1958, Decca Ace of Diamonds 1965, Decca 2008, Decca Eloquence 2012)
Film music recordings Alwyn's recording of
The Ladykillers: Music from Those Glorious Ealing Films with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia won the 1998
Gramophone Award for Best Film Music Recording, and a selection of
Richard Addinsell's film music entitled
British Light Music with the
BBC Concert Orchestra was chosen as a record of the year by
Gramophone magazine (1995 ''Gramophone Critics' Choice
). A collection of main themes and excerpts from famous film scores, including The Last of the Mohicans, The English Patient and Sense and Sensibility'' was also selected as a recording of the year by the magazine in 1998. Alwyn's wide interest in film music of all genres has led him to re-record many popular film scores, including
The Bride of Frankenstein for which he received particular acclaim: "Shaped by Kenneth Alwyn with an admirable feel for the music's full-blooded style, and graced with a tight, bright recording which gives the orchestra an authentic film studio sound, this could almost be the original film soundtrack in modern digital dressing." Selected discography: •
Addinsell: ''British Light Music:
Goodbye Mr Chips /
A Tale of Two Cities /
Fire Over England /
Tom Brown's Schooldays /
The Prince and the Showgirl / Festival'' with the BBC Concert Orchestra (Marco Polo 1995) • Addinsell:
Music of Richard Addinsell including Warsaw Concerto with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (
ASV 1997 and Decca 2010) • Addinsell:
Film Music with Peter Lawson and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (ASV 1997) •
Auric and others:
The Ladykillers: Music from Those Glorious Ealing Films with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (Silva 1997) •
Bax and
Arnold:
Music for Films: Oliver Twist / Malta GC / The Sound Barrier: Rhapsody for Orchestra, Op.38 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (CNR 1989, re-released ASV 1993) •
Newman:
Man of Galilee: The Essential Alfred Newman Film Music Collection (Silva America 2001) •
Rozsa:
Ben-Hur: The Essential Miklos Rozsa with the
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva Screen 1996, Silva America 2000) •
Morricone:
Once Upon a Time: The Essential Ennio Morricone Film Music Collection (Silva America 2004) • Schurmann and others:
Horror! with the Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva Screen, 1996) •
Steiner:
The Flame and the Arrow: Classic Film Music with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva Screen 1998) •
Steiner:
Gone with the Wind: The Classic Max Steiner (Silva America 1994 and 2001) • Steiner and others:
Cinema Century (Silva Screen 1999) •
Vaughan Williams:
Coastal Command /
Bliss:
Conquest of the Air / Schurmann:
Attack & Celebration /
Easdale:
The Red Shoes with the
Philharmonia Orchestra (Silva America 1993) •
Waxman:
The Bride of Frankenstein /
The Invisible Ray with the Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva America 1993) •
Young:
The Quiet Man with the Dublin Screen Orchestra (Silva Screen Records 1995) • Various:
Best of British Light Music with the BBC Concert Orchestra and others (Naxos 2007) • Various: ''Cinema's Classic Romances'' with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Silva Classics 1998)
Compositions Alwyn composed music and text for the BBC's
Battle of Britain tour of North America to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle in 1990. His compositions for the tour include
Fighter Command 1940, which is included on the album
A Tribute to the Few (Polyphonic 1990) with the Massed Bands of the Royal Air Force. Said to reflect his own flying experience, it has been described as "a musical panorama of those days in march time". It has become a standard Royal Air Force ceremonial march and is played at the opening Royal Air Force Tours which commemorate anniversaries of the Battle of Britain. Alwyn maintained an interest in flying throughout his life, and was a flight instructor at
Brighton City Airport. released in 1965, including
The Gorilla, (re-released as part of
The Best of Ian Wallace, EMI 1994) and he has written stories and poems for children. Alwyn also composed the song
Liverpool for
Gerry Marsden (later of
Gerry and the Pacemakers), released in 1968. Alwyn composed the theme tune for the LWT series
Affairs of the Heart (1974-1975), a set of adaptations of the stories of
Henry James, and he was also commissioned to write the music for the television adaptation of Sir
John Mortimer's play
A Choice of Kings, which commemorated the 900th anniversary of the
Battle of Hastings.
Promotion of the works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Alwyn said that his interest in
Coleridge-Taylor's work began when his first dance band, 66 Squadron (Croydon) Air Training Corps, played
Demande et Réponse in 1942. He later discovered that he had been christened at the same church where Coleridge-Taylor had been married and that they had attended the same school and had lived on the same street. Alwyn included
Demande et Réponse in the first BBC concert to be broadcast from Fairfield Halls, Croydon, in 1962, In 1991, Alwyn recorded the entire
Song trilogy with
Bryn Terfel and the
Welsh National Opera. In recognition of his long-standing work to bring the work of Coleridge-Taylor to greater prominence, Alwyn was invited in January 2013 to unveil a blue plaque at the composer's home in Croydon as the culmination of a year of events to commemorate the centenary of Coleridge-Taylor's death. ==Personal life and death==