Hollywood golden sounds a winner

Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

FOR conductor John Wilson, painstakingly recreating the scores of classic MGM films, lost forever when they went to the tip to make way for a Hollywood car park, was a passion and a fascination spanning many years.

It was no mean feat to make his reproduction perfect, illustrated by the tale that it took him a full day to recreate just four seconds of music from the cyclone scene in “The Wizard of Oz”.

The magnitude of the task is beyond the grasp of mere music-lovers, and when you witness nigh on 70 musicians playing in full flow, it is awe-inspiring to think one man could tease out the individual notes for all those instruments merely by listening to recordings of the music.

For those of us lucky enough to witness Friday’s concert at the Bridgewater Hall, it was not only a wonderful experience to see and hear Wilson’s handpicked orchestra, but a marvel to think how that music had been brought to us.

Big musical sounds are clearly a lifelong passion for this affable and likeable Geordie conductor, and the fact he managed to bring together some of the world’s finest musicians and no less than five top-class singers on one stage is testament to the high regard the world of music has for him.

The standard was tip-top from start to finish, not only for an amazing orchestra but for vocalists Curtis Stigers, Sir Thomas Allen, Kim Criswell, Sarah Fox and Seth MacFarlane.

Each brought their own style of singing.

If you don’t manage to catch the UK tour, catch them on TV at Christmas in a BBC special, “Swingin Christmas”. You won’t be disappointed.