He was also musical director for a large number of musicals and other plays, including ones by Noel Coward. After the war, he concentrated on recording, and eventually gave up live performance altogether. He worked with arranger and composer Ronnie Binge, who developed the "cascading strings" sound (also known as the "Mantovani sound").[citation needed] His records were regulars in stores selling hi-fi stereo equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction. In 1952 Binge ceased to arrange for Mantovani, but his distinctive sound remained.
He recorded for Decca until the mid-1950s, and then London Records. He recorded over 50 albums on that label, many of which were top-40 hits. These included Song from Moulin Rouge and Cara Mia, which reached No. 1 in Britain in 1953 and 1954, respectively. The latter was also Mantovani's first U.S. Top Ten hit.
In the United States, between 1955 and 1972, he released over 40 albums with 27 reaching the Top 40 and 11 the Top Ten. His biggest success was with the album Film Encores, which made it to No. 1 in 1957. Similarly, Mantovani Plays Music From 'Exodus' and Other Great Themes made it to No. 2 in 1961 and sold over one million albums.
In 1959, Mantovani starred in his own syndicated television series, Mantovani, which was produced in England and which aired in the United States. 39 episodes were filmed.[1]
Mantovani made his last recordings in 1975.[citation needed]
[edit] Music style and influences
The cascading strings technique developed by Binge became Mantovani's hallmark in such hits arranged by Binge as "Charmaine". Binge developed this technique to replicate the echo experienced in venues such as cathedrals by arrangement alone, in an echo-free surrounding.
Author Joseph Lanza describes Mantovani's string arrangements as the most "rich and mellifluous" of the emerging light music style during the early 1950s. He stated that Mantovani was a leader in the use of new studio technologies to "create sound tapestries with innumerable strings", and that "the sustained hum of Mantovani's reverberated violins produced a sonic vaporizer foreshadowing the synthesizer harmonics of space music."[2]
In 1958 Mantovani and his family bought a holiday home in Bournemouth in Durley Chine Road, then in 1961 acquired a new property in Burton Road (now part of Poole). He moved, finally, to a new home in Martello Road in Poole.
Since his death at a care home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1980, his music has enjoyed a minor revival,[citation needed] with much of his catalogue reappearing on CD and an orchestra bearing his name performing concert tours. The saleability of the Mantovani name is underscored by new recordings being made as the Mantovani Orchestra. Unfortunately[neutrality is disputed], a large number of CDs are also available of unauthorized recordings, billed as Mantovani or Mantovani Orchestra.[citation needed] There have also been CDs released under the Mantovani name of recordings made by others while Mantovani was still alive.[citation needed] Thus, consumers of this music are advised to familiarize themselves with the conductor's discography. Material with the London Records logo on it is apt to be genuine Mantovani, while other recordings are less likely to be actual Mantovani recordings.[citation needed]
The continued popularity of Mantovani's music is evident by the number of original albums which are being released, on labels such as Dutton-Vocalion, and by the many compilations available throughout the world. In 2008, as a result of successful, ongoing CD sales, amongst other contributing factors, the Mantovani Orchestra (performing from the original scores) was recreated for a tremendously successful historical tribute concert, sponsored by Bentley Motors, held at the Lighthouse, in Poole, England, on 27 January, conducted by Sam Newgarth, MBE. Much critical acclaim has led to the planning of a second concert, to take place in January 2009, at the same venue. There are four Mantovani websites in honour of the maestro, a written biography by Colin MacKenzie entitled Mantovani - A Lifetime In Music (ISBN 1-905226-19-5). For further information, please visit http://www.hallowquest.com/mantiindex.htm; http://members3.jcom.home.ne.jp/torumonty; http://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk (re. ticket sales for 31 January 2009). A ten CD set 'The Wonderful World of Mantovani' was released in November 2008 in Japan (a link to the website in Japan may be found by visiting www.hallowquest.com/mantiindex.htm), featuring many rare tracks which have never been released on CD before, in a superbly remastered format, and, following the success of the Mantovani Orchestra's 2008 concert, 'More MANTOVANI Magic' took place at Lighthouse in Poole, England, on 31 January 2009, again conducted by maestro Sam Newgarth MBE. The concert was sponsored by Poole Audi, and also with the generous support of Richard Cox.
Stranger In Paradise
Mantovani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Exchanging glances
Wandering the night,
What were the chances
We'd be sharing love
Before the night was through
Something in your eyes
Something in your smile
Was so exciting
Something in my heart
Told me I must have you
Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
And ever since that night
We've been together
Lovers at first sight
In love forever
It turned out so right
Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
For strangers in the night.
The lyrics of Mantovani & His Orchestra's "Strangers in the Night" tell the story of two strangers who meet each other on a chance encounter. The language used in the lyrics emphasizes the chance nature of their meeting - they were wandering the night, and what were the chances they'd be sharing love before the night was through? The song portrays these two people as initially disconnected from each other, but something in the other's eyes and smile draws them in. The lyrics speak to the idea that love can be found in unexpected places, and with unexpected people.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "strangers in the night," emphasizing the idea that these two people were unknown to one another before they met. It then goes on to say that they were two lonely people before they met, and it was only after they said their first hello that they realized love was just a glance away. The song's final verse speaks to the idea that since that first night, the two strangers have stayed together and fallen in love. The lyrics suggest that their meeting was fated to happen, even if they didn't know it at the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Strangers in the night,
Two strangers meeting at night,
Exchanging glances
Sharing glances with each other
Wandering the night,
Roaming around in the night with no aim
What were the chances
What were the likelihoods of finding one another
We'd be sharing love
We would be sharing our love
Before the night was through
Before the night ended
Something in your eyes
There was something about your eyes
Was so inviting
It made me feel welcome
Something in your smile
There was something about your smile
Was so exciting
It made me feel thrilled
Something in my heart
There was something in my heart
Told me I must have you
Which told me that I had to be with you
Two lonely people
Two people who were lonely
Up to the moment
Until the moment
When we said our first hello
When we greeted each other
Little did we know
We had no idea
Love was just a glance away
That we would fall in love with just a glance
A warm embracing dance away
It would just take a warm embrace to be in love
And ever since that night
And since that night
We've been together
We have been together
Lovers at first sight
We fell in love with each other at first sight
In love forever
We have been in love with each other ever since
It turned out so right
Everything turned out so well for us
For strangers in the night.
For two strangers meeting at night.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, Eddie Snyder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind