CONSTANT LAMBERT (1905-1951): Suites from the Films Merchant Seamen and Anna Karenina, LORD BERNERS (1883-1950): Come on Algernon and Polka from Champagne Charlie, Suites from the Films Nicholas Nickleby and The Halfway House.

Description: This release contains everything each composer wrote for the screen; Lambert's 1940 war-time documentary (his own suite of 15 min.) and 1948 Vivien Leigh/Ralph Richardson version of Tolstoy (30 min.) and Lord Berners two full films (the Dickens from 1947, orchestrated by Ernest Irving [10 min.] and the 1944 Halfway House, Ealing's first venture into the occult which he scored himself [18 min.]) and the two pieces he contributed to 1944's Champagne Charlie (6 min.). So the disc is completely full, the music is in each composer's cosmopolitan style, although Merchant Seamen demanded some English folk-like material which Lambert ordinarily hated. Mary Carewe (soprano), Joyful Company of Singers, BBC Concert Orchestra; Rumon Gamba.