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.
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
| 
