1-19: The Lady of Shalott (1958) Ballet in one act after the poem by Tennyson

20: Rout for soprano voice and orchestra (1920) Allegro risoluto – Animato

21: Polonaise (1925) Orchestration of the second movement of Arthur Bliss’s Suite for Piano

22: Bliss: One-Step (1923 orch 1936)
Orchestration by Leighton Lucas and Victor Fleming of Arthur Bliss’s piano piece (1923)

23: Answering You [Your Questions Answered] (1944) Moderato (Signature tune of the BBC radio series)

24: Heritage of Britain [versions A & B] (1950) Alla marcia (Signature tune of the BBC radio series)

25-26: Two Contrasts for string orchestra (1950 arr 1972)
Adapted from the middle two movements of Arthur Bliss’s String Quartet No. 2 (1950)

27: March of Homage in Honour of a Great Man (1965)

World premiere recording [Answering You, Heritage of Britain]
First recording of the orchestral version [Polonaise, Bliss: One-Step, Two Contrasts]
First recording of the complete ballet [The Lady of Shalott]

Ilona Domnich (soprano)
BBC Concert Orchestra
conducted by
Martin Yates

Multi-Channel/Stereo
All tracks available in stereo and multi-channel
This Hybrid SACD can be played on any standard CD player

Martin Yates and the BBC Concert Orchestra present glorious yet unfamiliar music by Arthur Bliss. Bliss’s late ballet, “The Lady of Shalott” (1958), has been unjustly forgotten, deserving to be danced again, and with its Arthurian setting proves to be quite a find. In the varied and tuneful supporting programme, perhaps the biggest surprise is the catchy “One-Step” (1923 orch 1936), which reveals Bliss as being up-to-the-minute with the popular music of his day. Piano music heard anew yields the “Polonaise” (1925), another engaging miniature suitable for either the concert or the ballet stage.
Bliss described the “Rout” for soprano and orchestra (1920) as evoking “the sound of a carnival overheard at a distance,” and in this spirited, lyrical confection, soprano Ilona Domnich gets into the party spirit with her medley of made-up words. “Two Contrasts” (1950 arr 1972) comprises dynamic orchestral versions of movements from Bliss’s Second String Quartet, while a pair of BBC radio signature tunes takes us back to 1944 and 1950. Lastly, Bliss’s tribute to Winston Churchill on his death in 1965, “March of Homage in Honour of a Great Man,” constitutes the composer’s Churchill Funeral March, and it is good to hear it performed so rousingly in its orchestral dress.