Invitation to the Dance

Eric Coates, the famous English composer of Light Music, once observed: “my marches aren’t intended for marching and my waltzes aren’t meant for waltzing”. This oft repeated quote is not an entirely accurate description of everything he composed, but it does indicate that marches and waltzes (especially the latter) have provided inspiration for many composers who simply decided that they should be listened to rather than danced. This applies to a good number of the titles on this CD, although there are also many where the intention is definitely in favour of active participation, rather than purely passive listening. It will also be noted that a few numbers are not strictly dances, but somewhere in their titles the word ‘dance’ or ‘dancing’ appears, clearly suggesting what the composer had in mind. Tripping the ‘light fantastic’ are some of the world’s finest light orchestras, such as Dolf van der Linden, Morton Gould, David Rose, Percy Faith, Werner Müller and - playing the title music - Mantovani.