Film Score Friday 9/22/00

by Lukas Kendall

We have some more details on the Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace 2CD set coming November 7 from Sony Classical. It is billed as "The Ultimate Edition" and will contain the complete John Williams score in chronological order -- 65 tracks, over 120 minutes -- plus a special "Movie Dialogue Version" of "Duel of the Fates." Don't complain -- you can get the music-only version on the existing release, right? The packaging will include a 60-page booklet with 65 photographs plus picture discs. Sounds pretty ultimate.

VENICE MAGAZINE PARTY AT MOVIE MUSIC NIGHT THIS FRIDAY!

The Hollywood Bowl and Venice Magazine invite you to "Venice Night At the Movies" at the Hollywood Bowl, this Friday, September 22, at 6:30 p.m.

Great Hollywood musicals come alive with John Maucieri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra on the Bowl's Big Screen, featuring masterpieces from "An American In Paris", "A Star Is Born" and classic scenes restored only for this concert. Come to Movie-Night, and receive admission to the pre-concert exclusive party in the Camrose Picnic area, with food cocktails and special gifts.

This event is produced in cooperation with Warner Brothers. To order tickets, visit, fax or call up the Hollywood Bowl ticket office and mention Venice Magazine. Ticket prices range from $15, $18, $25, $35 and $60 for box seats. This is an event film music lovers won't want to miss! For more information, call up Venice Magazine at 310-452-8452.

Chapter III is pushing back their Kelly's Heroes/Cincinnati Kid (Lalo Schifrin) CD from its October 25th to find a better album master for the former. Still coming are Westworld (Fred Karlin), Brewster McCloud, Ryan's Daughter/Grand Prix (Maurice Jarre) and a fun '60s pop/comedy doubleheader: Don't Make Waves (Vic Mizzy)/Penelope (John Williams).

Joe Kraemer, who just scored Way of the Gun, is performing live as a singer/songwriter this Sunday, September 24 at 8:30PM at The Gig in West Los Angeles. See http://www.liveatthegig.com.

New Williams CDs

Peter Daley writes in with information on some interesting new recordings. By the way, see www.johnwilliams.org for a fantastic J.W. website -- the best in comprehensive info on the composer/conductor/maestro.

From: "Peter Daley" <petedaley@hotmail.com>

Just picked a CD that I think your readers will find interesting.

Keisuke Wakao Plays Music of John Williams.

Denon COCQ-83115. (Japanese CD)

All pieces arranged for oboe and string quartet with piano and harp on selected pieces.

I have never seen it for sale at the usual internet shops, so it may be hard to get outside of Japan. But I bought it at a Virgin Records in Kyoto store so maybe it can be ordered through them.

It was recorded in early March 1999 -- that's straight after the Phantom Menace sessions. Most of the arrangements follow the concert versions: Sabrina, E.T. Flying Theme, The Face Of Pan, Luke & Liea, Princess Leia's Theme, The Devil's Dance, Accidental Tourist Love Theme, Love Theme from Superman, Remembrances, Schindler's List Theme, The Return (from Jane Eyre), The Days Between from Stepmom

For me the CD has added interest because John Williams himself performs the piano accompaniment on The Days Between.

It also has a photo of John and Keisuke Wakao on the cover.

I only bought it a few days ago so I am still geting to know it, But first impressions are that I like it, and some of the pieces I may grow to prefer over their orchestral counterparts. especially Princess Liea's Theme and even the Schindler' List selections. If you are a huge Williams fan as I'm sure many of you are I'd definately recommend this CD. This is the kind of CD I wish there were more of, and if Keisuke Wakao were to record another album of film music, I'd be the first to buy it.

Also bought The Devil`s Dance. Decca Records/Uni/Deutsche Grammophon - #463483. Gil Shahan violin. The title track is a new arrangement of The Devil's Dance (Witches Of Eastwick) for Piano and solo violin. The arrangement is by Williams himself. Its fantastic, one of the most wickedly mischievious piece I've ever heard.

Mail Bag

From: "Banlaki, Louis" <LBanlaki@ciena.com>

In response to Mr. Bond's wonderful and concise review of the new JAWS score CD from Decca he may have already found out as I did that the alternate shark attack cue was perhaps not written for the little Kintner boy's death or even for the memorable demise of Quint (Robert Shaw, my favorite all time actor), but as trailer music perhaps. I discovered this while watching my DVD of the movie's 25th anniversary edition and one of the bonus features were the original trailers at the time of the film's initial release. I distinctly heard that cue in one of the trailers (or at least part of it). Perhaps you can find out more than I can.

And am I correct in assuming that the new recording by Varese is of the complete score as well? JAWS was the seminal score that really got me hooked and Williams was my god for about a year before Goldsmith really got my attention. I hope you can give me some feedback on the Varese recording.

From: "Mark So" <mark_so@hotmail.com>

Cary Wong's recent review of "Sunshine" prompted me to respond, for in it Cary asserts, "Maurice Jarre has returned to his roots," referring to the conservative symphonic stylings characteristic of this and other recent Jarre scores which indeed seem to hearken back to the scores which first put Jarre on the map, namely Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, and subsequently, the further David Lean collaborations.

However, to consider this lush, romantic style that of Jarre's "roots" is a bit of a misnomer. Back in the '50s, Jarre was a rising figure on the avant-garde/experimental music scene, and his music was considered quite brazen. I have one composer-friend who who actually attended a Jarre performance at a new music festival in Zurich during the '50s, and he was later struck by how different/confining/foreign Jarre's later "hollywood sound" is from what came before. Though he didn't comment about Jarre's ethno-electronic scores of the '80s, I'd imagine that they're closer to the tendencies of Jarre's "roots" than the more straight-ahead synphonic scores.

Of course, all of these musical personae are manifestations of "the real" Maurice Jarre, and I don't mean to start any debates about which is "truer." But if historical primacy is Cary Wong's concern in discussing Jarre's "roots," the matter is worth a second look.

From: "Always Discos Ltda" <always@uol.com.br>

I'm a big Maurice Jarre fan, and I'd like to do a correction, He was born on September 13, 1924, So, Happy 76th birthday ! And I really wait that he can to compose excelent scores like "Sunshine" & "I Dreamed of Africa" for many years

From: Steven Jongeward <sjongeward@yahoo.com>

This note is in response to John O'Malley's letter in the FSM Mail Bag on Friday (Sept.15). It's fantastic to know there are more of us out there that totally love John Barry's score for the 1976 remake of KING KONG. Not only did we get our first look at the rather luscious Jessica Lange (getting a very provocative inspection from Kong!) - we got a lot of terrific music from an long-time master of the craft.

Sadly, I haven't heard the score since losing all my vinyls to bandits in Los Angeles - but I remember a lot of exquisite score.

The several scores that helped begin my own collecting habit included the LP of KING KONG - as well as TOMMY by THE WHO, JAWS, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, STAR WARS, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, SORCERER and so many others. I too was attracted by the LP cover art on KING KONG and the film's posters and ads - done by, I think - JOHN BERKEY - the dude that also produced some of THE BEST artwork and posters for STAR WARS! Since I'm on a ENNIO MORRICONE bender recently - if you don't already know of or never heard it, check out his score for ORCA-THE KILLER WHALE - another fine example of excellent music put to perhaps another silly but fun film, like KING KONG!

From: Tim, JEDIMAESTRO@cs.com

In response to David Schecter comments, there certainly is much more great film music out there that just doesn't get the attention it deserves. One perfect example I would like to highlight is William Ross' beautiful score to My Dog Skip. The film has most probably been out for a while over with you in the States, but it has just been released here in the UK. The CD I believe is the only official pressing of a Williams Ross score, and it just leaves me longing for more of the same. If you love sweeping melodies and passion interpolated with sentimental writing I recommend this whole heartedly!

MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com