Ronald Binge was one of the most highly respected and successful English composers of his generation. He played a significant role in creating the Mantovani sound, but his big breakthrough came with the Elizabethan Serenade, which became an international hit. The evocative moods and memorable melodies of his best works saw their regular use as themes for TV and radio, and the soothing tones of Sailing By are still in use today as the close-down music for BBC Radio 4.

This is a re-release of a programme that originally appeared on our Marco Polo label as part of the British Light Music series. Ronald Binge’s immediately appealing music has appeared in a variety of light music CD programmes, and popular pieces such as The Watermill, Elizabethan Serenade and Sailing By have appeared elsewhere, such as on the EMI/Warner Classics for Pleasure British Light Classics compilation.