This orchestra was born out of a partnership between RCA and Reader’s Digest in the 1960s. George Marek, an A&R man with RCA, sent producer Charles Gerhardt to England to put together a series of recordings for the entertainment giant. The albums, which would bear the “Reader’s Digest” moniker, were to be in a lighter vein than the recording company’s regular repertoire. For these, some of the finest musicians in London were plucked for easy-listening versions of classical pieces, movie soundtracks, and pop songs. The orchestra at this time went by a variety of names, including the London Promenade and Victor Orchestra. By 1970, they were known as the National Philharmonic Orchestra of London.
One of their earliest recordings was The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Korngold, in 1972. “The Sea Hawk”, backed with “Of Human Bondage”, was released as a single on 26th January 1973.
The orchestra has appeared on several movie soundtracks, such as Alien, Barry Lyndon, The Boys from Brazil, Brazil, Capricorn One, The Changeling, The Dead Zone, The Final Conflict, The Ghost and the Darkness, Grizzly, High Velocity, Legend, License to Kill, Not Without My Daughter, The Omen, Outland, The Philadelphia Experiment, Phobia, Sabrina, The Secret of N.I.M.H., Supergirl, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Total Recall, Tribute, and The Wicked Lady.
The National Philharmonic Orchestra of London Plays Agapeland for the Whole Family in 1982. Don Marsh collaborated with them on 1989’s Beside the Still Waters Volume Three. Éclair de Lune, recorded in tandem with Philippe Leduc, received Instrumental Album of the Year at the Felix Awards in 1993. In 1997, they joined forces with The Holiday Singers, Doc Severinsen, and The Tonight Show Band on the stocking stuffer, Christmas at Home III.
Much of the Reader’s Digest output, including The Golden Age of Light Music and The World’s Most Beautiful Melodies series, is now available on CD.
The orchestra disbanded some time in the late 1990s.
National Philharmonic Orchestra of London recordings
Medley: Good Christian Men Rejoice/Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming/O, Come All Ye Faithful (Frederick Oakeley/Traditional/John Francis Wade)
Arranger & Conductor – Larry Dalton
National Philharmonic Orchestra of London
(CD: In Excelsis Dio Praise Magnificat Christmas)
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Philharmonic_Orchestra
- http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/National-Philharmonic-GB.htm
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- http://www.45cat.com/artist/the-national-philharmonic-orchestra-of-london
- http://moviescy.com/movies/grizzly-1976-26646
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/national-philharmonic-orchestra-mn0000762100/biography
- http://www.elitesoundtracks.com/new_releases/high_velocity_complete_score_jerry_goldsmith_P674.html
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- http://homepage.usask.ca/~jjs142/tomandjerry.htm
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- http://www.philippeleduc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=1&lang=en
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114319/soundtrack