Christopher Columbus/Bliss

Sir Arthur Bliss is known primarily for his score to Shape of Things to Come (1935), based on the H.G. Wells novel which is considered by some to be “the greatest of all film scores,” writes Giles Easterbrook for Chandos Records. Bliss also wrote an outstanding film score for Christopher Columbus (1949) starring Frederic March, recently released on the Naxos label #8572226. While this isn’t the original soundtrack (Rank only issued a 78 rpm of two tracks), it is a nicely arranged 10 track 24+ minute suite by Adriano (edited from 140 pages), who also conducted the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra for this recording. Muir Mathieson and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded the original soundtrack. Mathieson was responsible for promoting and recording so much film material from the British major composers like Alwyn, Bax, Vaughan Williams, Walton, and so many others, making this material available to the British public.

“The Overture” is an opening majestic fanfare giving us the main theme, using castanets for a Spanish flavor followed by the middle section that is a delicate theme played by the oboe, woodwinds, and a somber horn. It returns to the proud majestic theme to conclude. “The Commission,” is in three sections all very classical period sounding and non-cinema. “Dona Beatriz,” the love interest is quite romantic and Bliss turns up the romance with solo violin passages. “The Voyage Begins” does as the title indicates musically depict the open freedom of the ocean. “Return To Spain” is also a return to the main title in “Overture” with the majestic horns and the violins participating nicely. “The Messenger,” “Mutiny,” and “Columbus Put in Chains” can stand alone as cues to a film but don’t contribute to the flow of the suite. However, as an overall listening experience, this suite is a pleasant one and a nice additional work to have from Bliss.

Men of Two Worlds is the story of a man who studies music in Europe and then returns to Africa having to deal with witchcraft and sleeping sickness. The opening track “Baraza” is a 7-minute concert work for piano, orchestra, and chorus. The elements of tradition from Europe and Africa is blended nicely together although you won’t find much in the way of technically challenging piano material. The remaining (4) tracks also try to blend traditional European music with Africa although there is little in the way of drums or material you would associate with African music.

Seven Waves Away (1957) (Abandon Ship) was the last of the (7) films that Bliss did for the silver screen and most of the material has disappeared. Starring Tyrone Power, the film directed by Richard Sale and distributed in the U.S. by Columbia, was a psychological drama dealing with living and dying centered around a lifeboat that had 50 people and could only support 20. Three parts remain and it has been orchestrated into an 8+ minute suite. The First section is a frantic almost chase like, the second is a disaster cue, and the final that of funeral march. It is a shame that not more of the material survived as it is well orchestrated.

Another nice entry in the Film Music Classics series from Naxos. It will most probably introduce you to material you’re unfamiliar with at a bargain price.

Naxos CD# is 8.572226

Performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adriano

Produced by Martin Sauer

Track Listing:

Christopher Columbus (Suite, 1949, arr. Adriano)

1.…Overture (4:46)

2.…The Commission (3:25)

3.…Dona Beatriz (3:07)

4.…Struggles (1:30)

5.…The Messenger (1:05)

6.…The Voyage Begins (2:23)

7.…Mutiny (2:19)

8.…Land at Last! (1:14)

9.…Columbus Put in Chains (2:17)

10..Return to Spain (2:12)

Seven Waves Away (3 Orchestral Pieces, 1956)

11..Allegro con fuoco (1:57)

12..Allegro (2:05)

13..Maestoso quasi Marcia funebre (4:20)

Men of Two Worlds

14..Baraza (6:58)

15..Return to Tanganyika (2:46)

16..The Challenge-The Wrath of the Evil Gods (2:05)

17..Kisenga’s Family (2:34)

18..Village Fire and Finale (2:16)

Total Time is 50:11

I.Q./Seconds/Goldsmith

The two styles of scores offered on this newer release from La-La Land Records would be the equivalent of offering a Mozart and Mahler work on the same CD. I could also say that they were two somewhat shorter scores and nicely fit onto one CD allowing the purchaser a 2 for 1 promotion. Let us also say that it shows the diversity of a talent that Hollywood was fortunate to have for so many years. Just remember as you listen your going from comedy to suspense and in this case Rock Hudson isn’t in the fluffy one but Tim Robbins, Walter Matthau, and Meg Ryan are.

I.Q. is built around the childhood theme “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” a musical characterization of Einstein in the movie, played by Matthau the wacky matchmaker in the film. Twinkle is performed complete or part of in several of the cues and in different musical styles. Also included in the mix of cues are doo-wap, some romantic piano/harp/synthesizer material, violin fiddling, as well as acoustic piano and regular percussion. “The Riders” is a nice example of the doo-wap material complete with sax and chorus followed by the romantic theme. Both of these themes along with “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” are used as motifs for the major characters in the film. “Wahoo/ End Credits” includes a reprise of the love theme that could bring a tear to your eye, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star performed solo and then a little more complex, with doo-wap, brass, counterpoint, and doo-wap with sax in a 6+ minute cue. Nice wrap up! While very few will rate this as a must have it is still a nice addition to your collection.

Seconds, from the very beginning, with its devil like trill followed by some pretty eerie organ chords is not something to play for a first date. You could say it has a Danse Macabre and Toccata and Fugue reference which shows the classical study of Jerry to make points but on this CD I might just play the end credits of I.Q. The main title also introduces the haunting theme, which is used throughout the short score. It is a memorable one that you won’t likely forget very soon, if ever. In fact this reviewer is surprised that the main title, which includes the main theme, hasn’t ever made it to a Halloween or scary CD of some type. The love theme as part of “Reflections” is not the romantic whistling theme that we’ve heard of some but more of one of solitude. The drawback with this score is the dialogue bleed into some of the tracks. As explained in the liner notes by producer Dan Goldwasser the three split channel mono source (the only thing available) contained dialogue, music, and sound effects and there were situations in editing that a choice had to be made between cutting music with the dialogue or letting some background remain. Given the brevity of the score to begin with (31 minutes), the choice was to give the listener as much of the music that remained. While the bonus tracks are clearly marked to contain dialogue bleed there are still a couple of tracks in the main body of the score that you can also hear something. Don’t let this influence your decision to own this fine CD, just be aware of the drawback.

This edition is limited to 3000 copies so act while there is still time to enjoy this fine release. Recommended

Produced by Dan Goldwasser

Edited and Mastered by Mike Matessino

Track listing

1. Campus Morning* (01:56)

* Contains “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

2. Fundamental Order* / First Sight / Chance / Craps (03:00)

* Contains “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

3. The Riders (01:23)

4. The Watch / I Fixed It (01:20)

5. Ideas / Dress Up (01:44)

6. The Lecture (01:29)

7. Count the Stars* (02:07)

* Contains “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

8. First Exam (01:20)

9. Signals (02:20)

10. Equations** / A Little Smile* (01:02)

** Not used in film / * contains “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

11. Caged Fun (01:15)

12. I Really Do (01:08)

13. Years Ago / Practice (01:10)

14. Don’t Panic (02:29)

15. April Fool (01:01)

16. The Compass (02:22)

17. Wahoo / End Credits* (06:23)

* Contains “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”

18. Dress Up (alternate) (01:36)

19. Wahoo (with extension) (03:06)

Tracks 1 to 19 from I.Q. (Total Time: 38m 00s)

20. Main Title (03:00)

21. 39 Lafayette Street (02:17)

22. Quiet Isolation (02:14)

23. Nightmare (02:50)

24. Transformation (01:16)

25. Rehabilitation / Strange Arrival (02:16)

26. Restless Hours (02:53)

27. Reflections (01:59)

28. Begin Again / Peaceful Aftermath (02:24)

29. End Title (01:15)

30. Quiet Isolation (contains dialogue bleed) (02:27)

31. Restless Hours (contains dialogue bleed) (03:12)

32. Peaceful Aftermath (contains source) (00:52)

33. Begin Again (contains dialogue bleed) (01:44)

Tracks 20 to 33 from SECONDS (Total Time: 31m 13s)

Total Duration: 01:08:50

Symphony No. 1/Roussel

When one thinks of France and classical music at the beginning of the 20th century Debussy and Ravel immediately come to mine at least as far as this reviewer is concerned. Yet Albert Roussel (1869-1937) compositions should be recognized and with the exception of his ballet Bacchus et Ariane (1931) he is forgotten by most.

Written between 1904-06 Roussel’s First Symphony was given its premiere in 1908 in Brussels. Poem of the Forest, the subtitle, refers to how the four seasons affect the forest during the year. The order of the four movements are winter, spring, summer, and fall. One can clearly hear the influence of Debussy and his teacher D’Indy in this work. “Foret d’hiver” (winter) paints a bleak picture featuring the soulful oboe carrying the melody followed by agitated string play and ending with the horn. “Renouveau” (spring) begins immediately without pause with flutes, and woodwinds as the forest is becoming alive with life. The pace quickens and the horns and the harp join in the coming of spring. “Soir d’ete” (summer) offers a nocturne of a quiet serenade on a summer evening. The very Debussy like sound fills the air with love and romance. “Faunes et dryades” (fall) is a lively movement and is the most complex and longest of the four with themes coming from woodwinds, horns, and Spanish type percussion very quickly. As the foreboding music rises it suddenly changes to tranquility from the flute and harp and without notice the agitated music returns again with horns taking the spotlight. Finally the movement ends on a quiet moment returning to how it began in the winter movement. Overall this is an excellent first effort at a symphony from Roussel.

Resurrection-Symphonic Prelude, Op. 4 written in 1903, was the first attempt of Roussel at doing an orchestral piece. Named after the final novel of Tolstoy the relatively short composition seems to be merely an exercise in orchestration and arranging. The overall darkness of the work might have an appeal to some but I found it to be rather dull and uninspiring and I could find no tie in to the novel what so ever. However, it should be remembered this was from a newcomer and I’ve heard worse.

Le marchand de sable qui passe (The Sandman) Op. 13 was composed in 1908 for the pantomime written by George Jean-Aubry and the premiere was conducted by the composer. It was originally written for flute, clarinet, horn, harp, and string quartet but the strings of the symphony are substituted in this incidental music that has a nice flavor to it. I found the use of the harp to be an enchanting part of this lovely music. Listening to the music was somewhat like listening to a soundtrack and not having seen the film. In this case if I’d seen the pantomime it could have given me a greater understanding of the material which was quite pleasing in either case.

Overall, it is nice to see Stephane Deneve and the Royal Scottish Orchestra recording the works of Albert Roussel, a composer that many should explore. Recommended.

Produced and engineered by Tim Handley

CD# is Naxos 8.570323

Track Listing:

Symphony No. 1, Op. 7, “Le poeme de la foret”

 

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Deneve, Stephane, Conductor

 

1. I. Foret d’hiver 00:05:27

 

2. II. Renouveau 00:07:04

 

3. III. Soir d’ete 00:08:34

 

4. IV. Faunes et dryades 00:14:26

 

Resurrection, Op. 4

 

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Deneve, Stephane, Conductor

 

5. Resurrection, Op. 4 00:10:48

 

Le marchand de sable qui passe, Op. 13

 

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Deneve, Stephane, Conductor

 

6. Prelude 00:04:18

 

7. Scene 2 00:03:40

 

8. Interlude – Scene 4 00:04:59

 

9. Final Scene 00:05:11

 

 

 

 

Total Playing Time: 01:04:27

 

 

 

 

Cool Yule/The Hot Club of San Francisco

Sometimes I wonder if getting to do an Xmas album with a lot of schmaltz means you’ve made it in the record industry with the seemingly endless stream of releases. When there is finally something different from a group this reviewer immediately takes notice. Such is the case with the Cool Yule release.

Operating under the guiding principle of what would Django do with bumper stickers available (www.hcsf.com), The Hot Club of San Francisco have released a refreshing change in a Xmas album for 2009. Patterned after the music performed by Grappelli and Reinhardt with the Quintette du Hot Club de France in the 30’s which featured string instruments (no percussion) in a unique jazz style. Even if you like percussion as I do your ear will quickly adapt to the bass beat.

Starting off with “Cool Yule,” a somewhat obscure Steve Allen song, the group sets the tone for the CD. Featuring a cool vocal, guitar, and violin solos in a foot stomping style the table is set. The gypsy/latin arrangement of “Don Rodolfo” follows in an arrangement of Rudolph the likes of which I’m sure you’ve not heard before. “Sugar Rum Cherry,” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and originally arranged and performed by Ellington is an example of what a jazz group can do with any melody. You can certainly hear the influence from Duke with the wa- wa trumpet. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is the only arrangement that schmaltz is the order of the day. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is the other vocal number on the CD and it is a pleasant exchange between Isabelle Fontaine and Jeff Magidson.

If your looking for something unusual and out of the ordinary for some of your Xmas music for this year I think you’ll find this release to be an attractive offering. Recommended.

CD# is Azica AJD-72242

Produced by Alan Bise

Mixing and Mastering by Alan Bise

Track Listing:

1. Cool Yule (2:17)

2. Don Rodolfo (5:00)

3. Carol of the Bells (4:53)

4. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (3:00)

5. Baby It’s Cold Outside (4:23)

6. Djingle Bells (6:51)

7. Sugar Rum Cherry (3:35)

8. I Wonder As I Wonder (4:49)

9. March of the Toys (4:55)

10. The Christmas Song (4:52)

11. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (2:54)

12. Auld Lang Syne (7:40)

Total Track Time is 51:09

Red Cliff Destiny Lies in the Wind/Iwashiro

 

John Woo, director of Red Cliff, is likely known in America for the films Face/Off, and Mission Impossible II but in addition he is quite an active director in Asia as well as having several films in the development stage to be released over the next couple of years. The film is actually part 2 of the 1992 classic Hard Boiled both starring Tony Leung and reuniting Woo and Leung for the first time since that film. The film was wildly popular in Asia and is advertised as the most expensive film ever made in the orient at least at the time of this writing. The story takes place in 208 A.D. involving the Han dynasty and their fight for power. The ensuing battle marks their end of rule in this loosely based historical drama.

Not having seen either film but considering the plot and my surmising that there was a lot of non-stop action, I was quite surprised at the restrained symphonic quality of the score and the minimal use of electronic programming from Taro Iwashiro, who I’ve had no prior experience with but certainly wish to explore further. The soundtrack was the winner of Best Original Film Score at the 2009 Hong Kong Film Awards. It also features a vocal of the main themes by Chinese J-Pop star alan.

“The Battle of Red Cliff,” is a pretty theme that would hardly be a description of a battle involving the Han dynasty but more like a theme from a melodrama with emphasis upon the fortunes of war through the percussion. It is a theme that is used throughout the score. “Light Of The Evanescence” is a soft tranquil theme in an andante tempo that depicts a quiet time in the forest by a brook or the aftermath of the battle. It too is repeated in the score and is really quite a moving piece. “Decision for Justice” is a proud heroic theme that indicates the resolve to solve the conflict at hand. While this is a military piece you don’t get the feeling of similar situation written for an American film. “Precious One” is a love theme version of “Light Of The Evanescence” with delicate flute and oboe in the forefront. “Red Cliff-River Of No Return” sung by alan is very oriented to the pop market and I’m sure the $ signs were in the eyes of the producer and director as this was being recorded. It is a pleasant theme and I’m sure many of you will enjoy it but it really doesn’t fit a film that takes place in 200 A.D. The score, performed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, has an overall Asian flavor with the use of a Bamboo Flute and Chinese Harp but still has its own unique identity and style. I never got the feeling of a 110-piece orchestra with extra brass to emphasize the military aspect of the film. This is definitely one to explore if your taste lends itself toward the classical side of film soundtrack listening. Recommended.

CD# is SILCD1296

Produced by Taro Iwashiro

Track listing

1. The Battle Of Red Cliff (03:05)

 

2. On The Battlefield (08:43)

 

3. Light Of The Evanescence (02:32)

 

4. Shadow Of The Evanescence (02:26)

 

5. Shooooot! (01:43)

 

6. Decision For Justice (03:58)

 

7. Secret Stratagem (01:51)

 

8. Closing In Upon The Enemy (04:13)

 

9. Unseen Locus (03:01)

 

10. Precious One (05:22)

 

11. Sound Of Heartstrings (01:35)

 

12. In Loneliness (05:35)

 

13. Beyond The River (04:19)

 

14. Red Cliff (End Roll Version) / Theme Song Of Part I (07:12)

Performed by Alan

15. Outroduction Of Legend (05:16)

 

16. Red Cliff (End Roll Version) / Theme Song Of Part II (03:32)

Performed by Alan

Total Duration: 01:04:23

The 5-Man Army/Morricone

One of the more successful spaghetti westerns, due to backing from MGM and the hot box-office actor Peter “Mission Impossible” Graves, the The Five-Man Army (1969), directed by Don Taylor, provided an above average story of a $500,000 train robbery. The suspenseful 30-minute train robbery, one of the better filmed, makes this well worth watching. If you haven’t seen the film before, the ending is also a bit of surprise. Overall, a good watch.

Ennio Morricone, of the most prolific composers of all time, created a theme even more memorable than his previous spaghetti western films. Using an unusual quirky combination including flute, woodwinds, and violin fiddling the haunting melody will definitely get into your brain and if your anything like me it will be stuck there for quite sometime and yes it is repeated a lot but downloading just the main title track (the only one in stereo) would cause you to miss a lot of good additional material.

The death march theme “Muerte Donde Vas?” appears first as a lyric sung in Spanish to a condemned man, a quieter version played on the Cor Anglais as traveling music out of the city, and a slow funeral like pace again featuring the English Horn. The “Death of the West Theme” is a quiet somber one also that could remind you of similar themes in other western films Morricone did. Used in the background when the group was recalling old times and as a motif that refusing to cooperate meant death it is yet another effective theme. Both themes are one that could easily be mistaken for any of a 100 similar themes that Ennio composed over the years for his endless output of material for the Italian silver screen. In addition to these three main themes that dominate much of the score there are some nice additional underscore tracks, which are noteworthy. “I Bambini e I Fiori” is a romantic interlude for guitar, “Tension Theme,” a somewhat dissonant escape cue with uneasiness in the music. No score from Morricone would be complete without a harmonica solo and albeit a short cue “Harmonica Source “ offers a somewhat comical one. “Out of Time” features repetitive bars with the sound of a clock adding to the urgency of the scene.

With the exception of the “Main Title” this recording is in monaural with a very slight amount or reverb added. According to the liner notes previous recordings have had issues with speed among other problems. As a reviewer who has listened to this recording multiple times I found no issues with this FSM release. The liner notes from Bender and Kaplan were well written with all of the appropriate information included about the film and the tracks.

This is yet another score that will definitely grow on you with repeated plays and is one to consider for your collection to even the casual Morricone listener. If you already have one of the previous releases this one may very well be to your liking considering the audio improvements and the addition of extra material. This is not a limited release. Recommended.

CD# FSM Vol. 12 No. 16

Produced by Lukas Kendall

Digital Mastering by Douglas Schwarz

Track listing

1. Un Esercito di Cinque Uomini (Main Title, stereo) (02:53)

 

2. Un Esercito di Cinque Uomini (The Chicken Farm/The Mining Colony) (02:04)

 

3. Un Esercito di Cinque Uomini (The Circus/To Morales) (02:42)

 

4. Muerte Donde Vas? (The Execution) (02:32)

 

5. I Bambini e i Fiori (Flowers and Food) (01:17)

 

6. A Cinque Amici, Cinque Eroi (Introductions) (02:18)

 

7. Muerte Donde Vas? (The Journey) (02:49)

 

8. A Cinque Amici, Cinque Eroi (Interrogation)/Muerte Donde Vas? (Captured) (01:46)

 

9. Tension Theme (Escape) (03:31)

 

10. Un Esercito di Cinque Uomini (Maria’s Goodbye/Pursuit) (02:13)

 

11. Muerte Donde Vas? (Rebel Aid) (01:23)

 

12. Heroic Theme (The Train) (00:33)

 

13. Comic Theme (Ambushing the Truck) (00:12)

 

14. Harmonica Source (To the Station House) (00:42)

 

15. A Cinque Amici, Cinque Eroi (Already Dead) (02:17)

 

16. Un Esercito di Cinque Uomini (Departure/Army in Disguise/Underneath the Train) (01:57)

 

17. Comic Theme (Close Call)/Tension Theme (The First Move)/Tension Theme (The Next Move) (02:51)

 

18. Una Corsa Disperata (Samurai Runs) (04:14)

 

19. Contro il Tempo (Surprise Guests)/Contro il Tempo (Mesito Prepares) (00:58)

 

20. Contro il Tempo (Out of Time) (04:25)

 

21. Un Esercito di Cinque Uomini (Success) (01:02)

 

22. Muerte Donde Vas? (The Dutchman’s Cause) (02:44)

 

23. Tension Theme and Muerte Donde Vas? (New Recruits) (04:59)

Bonus Tracks

24. Un Esercito di Cinque Uomini (Main Title, mono) (02:54)

 

25. Muerte Donde Vas? (Album track) (04:11)

 

Total Duration: 00:59:27

 

Warsaw Concerto and other Piano Concertos from The Movies/Various Composers

The (9) selections on this Naxos release are without a doubt far more popular than any of the movies that they appeared in. I’ll grant you the Hitchcock/Selznick Spellbound still has a following and Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express was popular winning several awards but there are few if any reading this review that are familiar with Love Story (1945), Dangerous Moonlight, The Case of the Frightened Lady, The Glass Mountain, Hangover Square, While I Live, or Midnight on the Cliffs. Yet all of the films feature a piano concerto as an important part of the film except for Spellbound, which had the Oscar winning theme, but the piano concerto version came later. Does over 100 recordings and 3 million in sales for “The Warsaw Concerto” impress you just a little? These melodies appear in many “Beloved Melody” compilation albums from nameless orchestras, to the 101 Strings, to the Boston Pops. Many a summer evening I’m sure you’ve heard your pop’s orchestra perform some of these standard themes, ones that Max Steiner could easily have written the melody for except for the work from Herrmann. The style was like something that Rachmaninoff could have composed with a big bold sound, oozing with love chords from the grand piano.

While schmaltz is the word to describe many of the selections it can’t be used for the fascinating piano concerto Herrmann wrote for Hangover Square. The staccato like beginning on the piano sets the dark mood and it quickly segues into familiar dark Herrmann minor brass chords any listener of Bernard will quickly recognize. After a brief respite, where there is a short passage of soothing material, the music reverts to the staccato dissonant piano passages again. When the main character George Bone, played by Laird Cregar, sets fire to his place knowing the end has come, the final coda is played only by the piano. The music had a huge influence on Steven Sondheim as a 15 year old and one can hear the Herrmann influence in Sondheim’s musical thriller Sweeney Todd.

Richard Rodney Bennett hit the bull’s-eye dead center with his Oscar nominated Murder On The Orient Express. Beginning with a definite 30’s style sound it segues into a wonderful waltz tempo in an all too short suite. If this happens to be your introduction to Bennett enjoy, as you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise.

While the preferred recording of the “Spellbound Concerto” is a 22-minute version with two pianos (Varese Sarabande #3020668102) this one does highlight the major themes of the Oscar winning score from Rozsa and is quite a pleasant listen. While it never appeared in the film as a piano concerto, a year after the film was released Miklos arranged this 12 minute work and it has been performed by many orchestras and pianists over the years.

“Midnight On The Cliffs,” performed and written by Leonard Pennario for the film Julie is his one and only attempt at the silver screen and is a typical showpiece romantic work. “Portrait of Isla,” from The Case of the Frightened Lady 1940, was the first official piano concerto written for a film and is somewhat melodramatic depicting the overall mood of the film.

This is a CD that affords you the opportunity to get snippets from films that are only available on this compilation. The Naxos value is just an additional bonus.

Naxos CD# 8.554323

Philip Fowke, Piano

RTE Concert Orchestra

Proinnsias O Duinn

Track Listing:

1. Richard Addinsell: Warsaw Concerto (09:07)

(Dangerous Moonlight, 1941)

2. Jack Beaver: Portrait Of Isla (04:42)

(The Case Of The Frightened Lady, 1940)

3. Miklós Rósza: Spellbound Concerto (11:58)

(Spellbound, 1945)

4. Nino Rota: The Legend Of The Glass Mountain (04:01)

(The Glass Mountain, 1948)

5. Richard Rodney Bennett: Theme And Waltz (05:46)

(Murder On The Orient Express, 1974)

6. Hubert Bath: Cornish Rhapsody (06:04)

(Love Story, 1945)

7. Bernard Herrmann: Concerto Macabre (12:00)

(Hangover Square, 1945)

8. Charles Williams: The Dream Of Olwen (05:01)

(While I Live, 1947)

9. Leonard Pennario: Midnight On The Cliffs (05:39)

(Midnight On The Cliffs, 1956)

Total Duration: 01:04:18

 

 

Jeremiah Johnson/Rubinstein

Robert Redford stars in the Sydney Pollack directed film Jeremiah Johnson (1972), based loosely on the novel Mountain Man and other material about the last of the mountain men in the 1800’s. The true facts of Johnson’s life had to be greatly altered as it was reported he killed 247 Crow Indians and then ate their livers, according to legend. Somehow I don’t think that Redford would want to portray that. As far as a time frame is concerned for Redford films it was between Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Way We Were (1973). Other than Will “The Walton’s” Geer there were no other significant name major actors.

You’ll not find the name of John Rubinstein, son of the famous concert pianist Arthur Rubinstein, very often in the credits. A quick look in the Soundtrack Collector database revealed only one other film China Beach (1988), where a CD release is available. Tim McIntire, son of John “Wagon Train” McIntire, was primarily an actor and only had this film to his credit as far as a composer was concerned. Yet the two relative newcomers did a credible job for Warner Brothers and director Sydney Pollack.

If at all possible, and in this case it was, FSM gives you all of the recorded material available including unreleased tracks, alternate tracks, demo material for Sydney Pollack, and the original LP recording. While there is certainly a lot of very similar material it is all-available for the collector to study and sort through. The performing orchestra is a mid-size one (43 maximum) but on many of the cues it is smaller featuring piano, violin, Indian flutes, banjo, and harp. There is certainly that “Americana” sound mixed with folk and hoedown, making you realize while you’re listening how much influence Copland had on composers. Rubinstein and McIntire didn’t come up with any new groundbreaking material but created exactly the sound that Pollack was looking for, a sound that is quite easy on the ears, a bit schmaltzy from time to time, and never over the top with fortissimo chords. McIntire, who sings the songs, is very laid back in his country western style. A pleasant voice, easy to listen to but the same as I’ve heard many times before. I found the musical passages of the CD to be quite soothing, also easy to listen to, especially the Indian flute passages. The liner notes from Redman and Kaplan along with the interview of Rubinstein that Bond did provide interesting useful information. A fan of western music, Robert Redford, or the film itself will find this a nice addition to their collection. The release is limited to 3000 copies.

Film Score Monthly # is Vol. 12 #15

Produced by Lukas Kendall

Mastering By Doug Schwartz

Track listing

1. Overture/Spirits Landings/“Jeremiah Johnson” (Main Title) (07:42)

 

2. Hatchet Jack’s Letter/Bear Claw/You Got Some Work to Do (01:50)

 

3. Jeremiah Johnson/Top Knot (02:26)

 

4. Wedding Chant/“The Way That You Wander” (01:44)

 

5. Swan (02:37)

 

6. The Cabin/It’ll Have to Do (02:30)

 

7. Ride to the Buffalo (02:16)

 

8. Who Won?/Intermission (01:45)

 

9. Entr’Acte/The Burial Ground/Ride Home/The Wake (03:57)

 

10. Funeral Fire (01:01)

 

11. Indian Death Chant/”He’s Never Been Known to Be Wrong” (“An Indian Says”)/Jeremiah Johnson (01:58)

 

12. Violence Montage (00:43)

 

13. To Qualens/What’s on the Spit? (02:02)

 

14. Green and Muddy/“The Way That You Wander”/“Jeremiah Johnson” (End Title) (03:16)

Total Time: 36:18

Additional Score

15. Spirits Landing (instrumental) (01:55)

 

16. Paints His Shirt Red/Hatchet Jack/M11/M12/Yes/Close Shave (01:35)

 

17. He’s Never Been Known to Be Wrong (instrumental) (01:56)

Total Time: 5:30

Album Tracks

Including Dialogue from the Motion Picture

18. Hatchet Jack/Bear Claw/Full-Time Night Woman (02:00)

 

19. The Wedding/“The Way That You Wander” (02:04)

 

20. Maybe April/“The Way That You Wander”/End Title (03:50)

Total Time: 7:59

Orchestral Demo

21. Spirits Landing/“Jeremiah Johnson” (Main Title) (05:32)

Work Tape

22. The Cabin (04:22)

 

23. Flute and Violin 1 (01:12)

 

24. “Jeremiah Johnson” (01:20)

 

25. “The Heart of a Lady” (02:44)

 

26. Guitar Improvisation (00:14)

 

27. Violin and Piano (01:13)

 

28. “Jeremiah Johnson” (End Title) (01:31)

Total Time: 12:52

Song Recordings

29. “The Way That You Wander” (01:13)

 

30. “The Heart of a Lady” (humming (01:04)

 

31. “Jeremiah Johnson” (End Title) (01:14)

Total Time: 3:36

 

Total Duration: 01:10:46

Definitive Horror Music Collection/Various

With a release date of October 13, 2009, just in time for Halloween this year, Silva has put together a 4 CD set covering a time period from 1922-2009. Including the very latest “Drag Me To Hell” (2009) from Christopher Young to the classic “Nosferatu” (1922) a silent film with music adapted by Hammer horror specialist James Bernard, 87 years are covered with over 276 minutes of material being offered. Can you call it The Definitive Horror Music Collection when it includes selections such as the love theme from “The Mummy,” “Zodiac” or the elegiac “Let The Right One In” to name just three? The 13+ minute “King Kong” (2005) suite is nicely performed by Fitzpatrick and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and a pleasant listening experience but except for a couple of very short sections is this really horror music? I don’t think so. On the other hand scary material such as “Horror of Dracula,” “The Omen,” and “The Devil Rides Out” are included. There is a nice selection from “The Bride of Frankenstein,” titles featuring John Carpenter films, “Saw,” and Young’s “Hellraiser” which do qualify as horror music. What do you do? If your looking at this as a must have horror collection I’d say pass. But if you look at the set as a very nice 4-½ hour compilation of soundtracks it is certainly worth a serious look. If you own previously released Silva material you should look carefully at what is offered and what you might have as some of the material has been previously released. If you’re relatively new to collecting this could be a very nice way to get highlights from films you’ve seen such as “King Kong” without having to invest in a CD of all the material. Of course you also have the option of downloading only the tracks you’re interested in.

While previously released many years ago, the real treat of this collection, in the opinion of this reviewer, is the James Bernard horror material. “Horror of Dracula” has some of the best suspense/horror music as well as one of the finer chase music ever written. When Van Helsing is being chased by Dracula this is definitely a case where the music makes the scene all that much better. In addition, there is also material from “The Devil Rides Out,” “Dracula, Prince of Darkness,” and some pretty good material in “Horrors of the Black Museum,” composed by Gerard Schurmann. If you’re into the synthesizer there are several selections of material performed by Gareth Williams, Mark Ayres, and Nick Watson. In conclusion, this is one that should be looked at carefully if you’re interested in compilation CD’s. You might want to purchase with some duplication or just download selected tracks. The overall value from Silva is a good one at less than $10.00 per CD. There are no liner notes.

Produced by James Fitzpatrick, David Wishart, and Rick Clark

Mastering by Gareth Williams and Rick Clark

Silva CD# is SILCD1288

Track Listing:

Disc 1

1. Drag Me to Hell – End Titles 7:16

2. Twilight – Edward At Her Bed / Bella’s Lullaby 3:33

3. Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) – Eli’s Theme 2:42

4. Cloverfield – Roar! 5:36

5. Sunshine – Adagio in D Minor 4:27

6. Zodiac – Graysmith’s Theme 2:56

7. Dexter 1:44

8. Pan’s Labyrinth – The Labyrinth 4:03

9. King Kong – Suite 13:47

10. War Of The Worlds – Suite 7:29

11. Saw – Hello Zep 3:01

12. 28 Days Later – In The House-In A Heartbeat 4:21

13. The Ring – This Is Going To Hurt 2:51

14. The Mummy Returns – Main Theme 5:25

15. Hannibal – Vide Cor Meum 3:03

Disc 2

1. The Mummy – The Sand Volcano / Love Theme 2:55

2. Sleepy Hollow – End Titles 3:13

3. The Haunting – The Carousel / End Titles 2:55

4. The Sixth Sense – Malcolm Is Dead 5:22

5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer 1:06

6. Village Of The Damned – March Of The Children 6:35

7. Bram Stoker’s Dracula – The Storm 4:24

8. Army Of Darkness – Prologue and Building The Deathcoaster 4:32

9. The Witches Of Eastwick – Dance Of The Witches 4:37

10. Predator (Edit) 3:59

11. Hellraiser Suite 5:55

12. Hellbound: Hellraiser II Suite 8:44

13. They Live 3:25

14. Aliens – Prelude / Ripley’s Rescue 5:55

15. Ghostbusters – Main Theme 3:14

Disc 3

1. Nightmare On Elm Street – Main Theme 4:16

2. Christine – Bad To The Bone 4:56

3. Poltergeist – Main Theme 4:21

4. The Thing 4:31

5. Halloween II – Main Theme 4:33

6. The Fog 4:00

7. Dressed To Kill – The Gallery 6:04

8. The Shining – Music For Strings, Percussion and Celesta (excerpt) 7:02

9. Dracula – Main Titles & Storm 4:56

10. Phantasm Main Theme 4:00

11. Alien – The Nostromo / End Title 3:46

12. Halloween – Main Theme (Mix 1) 2:39

13. The Fury 2:55

14. Suspiria 6:05

15. Exorcist II: The Heretic – Regan’s Theme 2:40

Disc 4

1. The Omen – Suite For Choir And Orchestra 3:56

2. Young Frankenstein – Transylvanian Lullaby 4:09

3. The Exorcist – Tubular Bells 6:02

4. Duel – The Café / Truck Attack 5:09

5. Taste The Blood Of Dracula – The Young Lovers / Ride To The Ruined Church 6:27

6. Rosemary’s Baby – Lullaby 2:42

7. Twisted Nerve Suite 5:35

8. The Devil Rides Out – The Power Of Evil 2:04

9. Dracula, Prince Of Darkness – Suite 5:07

10. The Haunting – The History Of Hill House 4:36

11. Dracula – Main Title & Finale 7:30

12. Horrors of the Black Museum 3:34

13. The Thing From Another World – Main Theme 2:06

14. Bride Of Frankenstein – Creation Of The Female Monster 8:43

15. Nosferatu Overture 3:03

Total Time – 276:32

Exodus/Gold

  

Released on December 15th, 1960 the epic (200+ minutes) Otto Preminger film based on the Leon Uris novel starred Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Sir Ralph Richardson, and Sal Mineo who received an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Exodus was awarded the coveted Oscar for best score in 1961, winning the award over the films Elmer Gantry (Andre Previn), Spartacus (Alex North), The Alamo (Dimitri Tiomkin), The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein) and Psycho (Bernard Herrmann). In addition he also won two Grammy awards for best soundtrack and best song of the year. The theme from Exodus has gone on to become one of the more popular film melodies of all time, being on 100’s of different compilation albums. The Ferrante and Teicher version climbed all the way to #2 on the Billboard charts. In addition, at the time of this writing Soundtrack Collector has listed (25) recordings of the score material. Why then did Tadlow choose to reconstruct and record this material yet again? This reviewer can remember purchasing a new RCA LP #LOC1058 when it was first released and being somewhat disappointed in the overall audio quality of the recording and the omission of a great amount of material (34 minutes instead of 80). Even the RCA LP was a re-recording of the original score performed by the Sinfonia of London conducted by the composer. Thus the answer is a complete recording with far superior sound. There is a lot more to Exodus than just the famous melody. In fact if someone wanted to take the themes like Korngold did with some of his Hollywood scores and adapt it to a symphony/tone poem the result would be most satisfying.

Otto Preminger requested Gold be on location in Israel and Cypress and Ernest immediately went to work using first impressions and the extensive research he had done. “Prelude” gives us the majestic main theme of hope and inspiration followed by a militaristic theme giving us a preview of what will come as the story unfolds. Gold perfectly sets a proper mood in “Summer in Cyprus,” a lush, exotic, and tropical Mediterranean setting easily comes to mind. However, it suddenly changes into a Hebrew type theme which will be used as a motif throughout the film. “Escape/General offers some excellent action/tension underscore with some frantic moments. “The Tent” introduces the theme for Karen, one that sounds like someone sitting around a campfire playing an Americana tune on the harmonica. It is actually an accordion and it is given the string treatment before moving into further militaristic music. “Kitty” is a lovely romantic theme played by violin and piano and is also played in “Love Is Where You Find It” with a larger orchestra. The main theme is not overused but carefully placed in the remainder of the score. Also included on the CD is a choral version of Exodus “This Land Is Mine,” words by Pat Boone. The remaining 50+ minutes of the second CD include two waltzes from Gold from his films “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and “Ship Of Fools.” “Judith,” a Sol Kaplan score, previously recorded material (Silva SILCD 1183) from the Goldsmith score of “QB VII,” (Queen’s Bench #7) “Schindler’s List,” “Cast A Giant Shadow,” and two Exodus theme arrangements, one by Gold for a Decca recording in the 60’s featuring the cello and a Fitzpatrick (executive producer) symphonic overture of the main and other themes from the score.

This reviewer can only marvel at the vast improvement of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. They have gone from high school like to a first class ensemble over the last few years. I’m confident in saying that Tadlow and Silva have had something to do with their development. Not only will soundtrack collectors want this for their collection but also just the casual listener will find this to be a satisfying experience. Highly recommended.

Tadlow CD# is TADLOW 007 (2 CD set)

Produced by James Fitzpatrick

Mastered by Gareth Williams

Track Listing:

Disc/Cassette 1

 

1. Prelude (02:42)

 

2. Summer in Cyprus (01:55)

 

3. Escape / The General (02:06)

 

4. Ari (03:49)

 

5. On the Beach* (02:06)

 

6. The Tent – Karen / Lorries / The Convoy* (04:13)

 

7. The Star of David* (00:40)

 

8. Odenheim’s Death / Karen’s Story* (04:02)

 

9. Approaching Haifa / The Oath* (03:03)

 

10. Kitty* (02:02)

 

11. Akiva’s Hideout (01:41)

 

12. Love is Where You Find It / The Valley of Jezreel* (06:08)

 

13. Yad El / He is Dead* (02:26)

 

14. Goodbye / Intermission Music – Fight for Survival (02:44)

 

15. Karen’s Father (In Jerusalem) (03:51)

 

16. Akiva’s Arrest* (03:21)

 

17. Execution Chamber / Don’t Let My Brother Die* (01:36)

 

18. Acre Prison / The Chess Game (Conspiracy)* (05:41)

 

19. D-Day / The Bombs (Prison Break)* (07:43)

 

Disc/Cassette 2

 

1. The Arsenal* (01:26)

 

2. The Operation* (01:47)

 

3. Children on the Hill* (02:04)

 

4. Dawn / Finale – The Fight for Peace (06:45)

 

5. Exit Music – Hatikvah (03:30)

 

6. EXODUS – This Land is Mine (02:20)

Lyrics by Pat Boone

* Contains previously unrecorded music

BONUS TRACKS

 

7. IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD – Exit Music (02:06)

 

8. SHIP OF FOOLS – Candlelight and Silver Waltz (05:11)

 

9. JUDITH – Main Title Music (04:09)

Sol Kaplan

QB VII – Jerry Goldsmith

 

10. Main Title (02:02)

 

11. The Holocaust (02:52)

 

12. Visit to the Sheikh (02:14)

 

13. The Wailing Wall (03:15)

 

14. Kaddish for the Six Million (03:20)

SCHINDLER’S LIST – John Williams

 

15. Schindler’s List (04:18)

 

16. Remembrances (05:55)

CAST A GIANT SHADOW – Elmer Bernstein

 

17. Prelude (03:00)

 

18. Land of Hope (03:21)

EXODUS

 

19. Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra (06:56)

 

20. Concert Overture (04:28)

 

Total Duration: 02:12:48

Track listing for RCA LP for comparing

 

 

1. Theme from Exodus (02:23)

 

2. Summer in Cyprus (02:15)

 

3. Escape (01:19)

 

4. Ari (03:00)

 

5. Karen (02:00)

 

6. Valley of Jezreel (04:22)

 

7. Fight for Survival (01:28)

 

8. In Jerusalem (03:30)

 

9. The Brothers (01:08)

 

10. Conspiracy (03:00)

 

11. Prison Break (03:20)

 

12. Dawn (03:57)

 

13. Fight for Peace (01:22)

 

 

Total Duration: 00:33:04