Albert Arlen
| Albert Arlen | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Albert Aarons |
| Born |
10 January 1905 Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 24 March 1993 (aged 88) Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | musicals |
| Occupation(s) | pianist, composer, actor and playwright |
| Years active | 1930s – 1960s |
Albert Arlen AM (10 January 1905 – 24 March 1993) was a Turkish Australian pianist, composer, actor and playwright. He is best known for his musical The Sentimental Bloke (to the poetry of C. J. Dennis), the "Alamein Concerto", and his setting of Banjo Paterson's Clancy of the Overflow.
Albert Aarons was born in Sydney in 1905 to Turkish immigrants. He was educated at Cleveland Street Public School and Crown Street High School. He studied at the New South Wales State Conservatorium (graduated in 1924) and the École Normale de Musique de Paris. He then worked in London where he played various roles in West End repertory productions, as well as writing his own musical compositions and plays such as The Son of the Grand Eunuch (January 1937). He was known professionally as Albert Arlen and legally changed his name in 1948.
In 1939, he joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot's assistant, serving in the Middle and Far East. These experiences inspired a concerto for piano and orchestra, which he called the "Alamein Concerto". This was first performed in Cairo in 1944, with pianist Phil Finch and conductor Hugo Rignold. It was recorded by Monia Liter with the Mantovani Orchestra.Pathé used the music in their documentary on the anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein. After the war Arlen was sent to Singapore, and wrote musical revues which were seen in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaya and Ceylon.
Albert Arlen married actress, singer and playwright Nancy Brown in 1949. Nancy was born in Brisbane in 1909 and moved to England at the age of 14, after her parents' divorce. She appeared in such musicals as Old Chelsea with Richard Tauber.
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