Simon Park Orchestra

The Simon Park Orchestra is a group which is most notable for producing the instrumental Eye Level, the theme tune for the television series Van der Valk composed by Jan Stoeckart which spent four weeks at the number one position in the UK Singles Chart in September 1973.^[1] Simon Park was born in March 1946 in Market Harborough, England. His higher education took place at Worcester College, Oxford University where he gained a Bachelor of Arts in music.^[2]

Later works

Following the success of "Eye Level", Columbia released two albums of the orchestra's work, Something in the Air and Venus Fly Trap. However, neither achieved the success of "Eye Level".

He co-wrote "Distant Hills", which was used as the theme tune to the television series Crown Court, and wrote the music for the 1972 ITV mystery quiz Whodunnit?, "Cross Country Go", a "B" movie made by British Movietone News in 1974, and incidental music for the wartime TV series Danger UXB. He also composed music for the De Wolfe music library, some of which was used in films such as Eskimo Nell (1975), and composed the score for the film Nutcracker (1982).

References

1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 417. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
2. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 333. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.