London 1700
Producer: None listed
Track listing: My Foolish Heart / Unchained Melody / Over the Rainbow / Summertime in Venice / Intermezzo / Three Coins in the Fountain / Love Is a Many Splendored Thing / Laura / High Noon / Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo / September Song / Theme from “Limelight”
July 13, 1959
1 week (stereo)
Italian-born, British-bred Annunzio Paolo Mantovani was a violinist first and foremost who loved classical music. Yet it was his knack for arranging pop music for a large orchestra that turned him into an unlikely star.
Mantovani, as he was known to his fans, had his first chart hit in 1935 with “Red Sails in the Sunset.” Two decades later, the conductor/arranger was a consistent best-seller on the album chart. In 1955 alone, he had three albums break into the top 20. The Music of Rudolf Friml reached number 13, while Waltz Time peaked at number 14. Song Hits from Theatreland reached number eight.
Two years later, Mantovani experienced his greatest success with a similarly themed Film Encores. The album, which featured the “cascading strings” of Mantovani’s 40-piece orchestra interpreting the movie music, was an interesting choice for Mantovani. As Kenneth Mantovani reveals, his father wasn’t “a film buff.”
“The idea for the album originated with Decca,” says Kenneth. “They suggested he make an album of film music, so he chose the titles on it and they approved it.”
The material on the album ranged from “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz and “September Song” from Knickerbocker Holiday to the title themes of High Noon and Intermezzo. Other selections included “Summertime in Venice” from Summertime, “Unchained Melody” from Unchained, and the title themes from My Foolish Heart and Three Coins in the Fountain.
“Since he had classical training and was a violinist by trade, he liked the classics rather than lighter music,” Kenneth Mantovani says. “But he was happy doing it, as long as he had his way at the podium.”
What made Mantovani stand out was his use of strings. With 40 pieces, the orchestra was considered large, and when performing, the string section produced an unusual “cascading” sound. He was also somewhat of a showman at the podium. “He would always do things differently to make things sound different, like holding notes longer than other conductors,” says Kenneth.
Film Encores hit the pole position of the Best Selling Stereophonic LP’s in its eighth week on the chart, even though it failed to spawn a hit single. Despite the success, Mantovani remained unaffected. “He really never appreciated just how popular he was,” says Kenneth. “He had his job to do, so he went off to work and made records, but then he would come home just like any other father and act like a father, not a pop star.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of July 13, 1959
1. Film Encores, Mantovani
2. South Pacific, Soundtrack
3. Gigi, Soundtrack
4. The Music from Peter Gunn, Henry Mancini
5. My Fair Lady, Original Cast