Albert Ketèlbey was an excellent pianist, touring Britain and honing his craft as an expert tunesmith as musical director of London’s Vaudeville Theatre. The delightful miniature In a Monastery Garden placed Ketèlbey at the forefront of British Light Music composers, with its birdsong and atmospheric chants delivering a ‘glow of exultation’ that proved hugely popular in its day. From the unashamedly sentimental Bells Across the Meadows to the impressive Suite Romantique and the famous In a Persian Market, Ketèlbey’s music takes us back to a nostalgic era of palm court salons and imaginative reverie.