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Peter Knight: The genius you've probably never heard about before this.  

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Peter Knight (23 June 1917 – 30 July 1985)

What do the movies The Dark Crystal, Quest for Fire and Curse of The Crimson Altar, Petula Clark, Sammy Davis Jr., The Goon Show, and Moody Blues' 1972 hit single Knights in White Satin have in common? This dude.  From his first broadcast performance at the age of seven - a piano solo for the BBC in 1924 - through to collaborating with The Carpenters on Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft  Peter Knight's life and career, which included a tour with the RAF during WW2, working for Inland Revenue, and a post-war stint with these guys, is a testimony to the working musician. Widely sought after as an orchestrator and conductor for both stage and screen, and first-call for a host of pop artists looking to lush-up their sound in the 70s, Knight was also an accomplished vocal arranger, a number of them for The King's Singers, and one of which we're delighted to include in this concert. 

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Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

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If you've never heard this iconic spiritual, you're a) possibly the only one in the room, and b) in for a treat.  Knight's arrangement is unabashedly twentieth century American soundtrack - smooth, jazz-inspired harmonies and modulations conjure up the image of a barbershop quartet riding into the sunset as "Filmed in Technicolor" appears at the end of a late-40's Western. 

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