Concerto

Introduction

“Concerto” (or better known as “Night Mail”) is a 1988 television commercial for which Vangelis composed original music. The advertisement for British Rail was directed by Hugh Hudson with whom Vangelis had worked earlier on the film ”Chariots Of Fire” in 1981, which won him an Academy Award for Best Original Score the next year.

The Night Mail commercial was made in September 1988 and is a homage to the acclaimed 1936 documentary by the same name, which documents the journey of the nightly Travelling Post Office from London to Scotland. The 2,5 minute ad (which later also appeared in a shorter 1,5 minute version) shows the train on route through several impressive aerial shots, featuring iconic structures along the way including stations, bridges, viaducts and factories. Vangelis’ uplifting music is accompanied by dialogue by actor Tom Courtenay, reading a poem by W.H Auden, the first stanza written for the original 1936 documentary and the rest specific for this video. The commercial was first broadcast on Christmas Day 1988 at 21:00 hrs.

In 2012 Vangelis composed additional music for a play based on the story of “Chariots Of Fire”, which was released on a soundtrack album at the time. One of the themes used in the play, included on the soundtrack as ‘Lord Lindsay’, is the same composition as heard in this commercial, played in a new arrangement.

Details and credits

Title: “Concerto” or “Night Mail”
Year: 1988
Country: UK
Length: 150 / 90 seconds.
Release date: 25th of December 1988 21:00 hrs.
Directed by Hugh Hudson.
Music by Vangelis.
Camera by Juan Antonio Ruíz Anchía.
Agency: Lowe Howard-Spink
Client: British Rail
Produced by British Transport Films and Ridley Scott Associates.

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