Born in 1931, Anthony Hedges becomes the youngest composer to be represented in Marco Polo's admirable British Light Music series. His name will probably be...

Born in 1931, Anthony Hedges becomes the youngest composer to be represented in Marco Polo's admirable British Light Music series. His name will probably be little familiar to light music followers generally, and those expecting any of the radio and television themes that have popped up repeatedly throughout this series will here be disappointed. Hedges's concentration on light music seems to have developed from his 30-odd years as Reader in Composition at Hull University, which provided the impetus to compose music that, in the words of Grove, "presents no great difficulty to performer or listener". The Humberside area is specifically celebrated in the Scenes from the Humber and Kingston Sketches, while Hedges's family holidays apparently inspired the Four Breton Sketches and the lively overture Heigham Sound. This last, commemorating an East Anglia beauty spot, is perhaps the most impressive item here, engagingly contrasting its bustling and tranquil aspects. By contrast the delightfully uninhibited waltz "St Lunaire" (from the Breton Sketches) that opens the collection is the piece one might most readily go away humming.

The various sets of geographical impressions do ultimately tend to be rather similar in style and lacking in sharply defined characteristics. However, the disc as a whole should prove a welcome addition to the collections of more adventurous light music enthusiasts looking for something slightly different. With the composer at the helm, all is elegantly written, played and recorded.

-- Gramophone [4/1998]