The BBC Philharmonic and Rumon Gamba resume their roles in the Chandos film series with a collection marking the centenary of Francis Chagrin (1905-72) who described himself as ‘Romanian by birth, British by nationality and cosmopolitan by inclination’. If his name doesn’t spring readily to mind, let me reassure you that his inventive and resourceful music can hold its head up high in this distinguished series.

The illustration on the sleeve promotes Guy Hamilton’s The Colditz Story, with a cast headed by the late Sir John Mills, suggesting that of the 10 selections it’s the one most likely to be recalled. Surprisingly, Chagrin’s terse, rough-hewn Prelude and Finale run under four minutes, making it the shortest selection on the CD.

Chagrin prepared four titles for concert performance. Helter Skelter, breezy and lyrical, is not dissimilar in mood to Bernstein’s Candide Overture. The performance captures the spirit of a madcap tale of an heiress and the BBC.

Portrait of Eva, a piquant slow waltz with a wistful theme, describes the enigmatic lady in Guy Hamilton’s film of Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. Hamilton and Chagrin collaborated three times, their third title being The Intruder, a story of servicemen adapting to civilian life after the war. There are four ‘orchestral episodes’ in which cliché is never the norm and the music is often gritty and uncompromising.

Chagrin brings a jagged, jazzy syncopation to his TV theme for The Four Just Men (1959), which includes a deft sequence of musical quotes from the four countries belonging to the ‘Interpol’ of their day. On a lighter note, there’s a witty mélange of musical themes in The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra (plus a caricature of the composer by Hoffnung on the inside sleeve jacket), and another amusing musical title from Easy Money that winds up with a fetching fugue.

The highlight is the music for Last Holiday, of which ‘The Beggar’s Theme’ was initially published as a violin/piano score. Palm court music and a rumbustious samba bring to life the setting on the English south coast. Philip Lane once again has edited and arranged much of the music and written the accompanying booklet. This is an unexpected and most worthwhile issue.