Nigel Ogden: The Organist Entertains - Festive Music

Nigel Ogden presents some historic seasonal recordings from around the world, begining and ending with a touch of the classics. The St Petersburg Sledge Drive was recorded in November 1928 by Paulk Mania who was once one of Germany's top theatre organists. Over in America one of the most well known players in days gone by is Eddie Dunstedter and he's featured playing the Coventry Carol and Von Himmel Hoch. We also hear a vintage recording or two from the underheard Charles Smart, firstly at the console in The Kingsway Hall with Manotvani and then in duet with the great percissionist James Blades who restricts himself just to a set of chimes on this occasion. Charles was, of course, one of the most familiar and most popular names from the earliest days of the British theatre organ era and was a prolific broadcaster on all sorts of BBC radio programmes throughout his long professional career. The famous Skater's Waltz by Emile Waldteufel becomes, in the ever skillful hands of Reginald Dixon at the Tower Ballroom in the 1960's, the strict tempo dance version known as The St. Bernard's Waltz.