German Film Music Albums Reviewed
By Steven A. Kennedy
Music in German Films, Volume 1: 1900-1945 ****
Ceraton 6002
24 tracks - 79:01
Music in German Films, Volume 2: 1946-2000 *** 1/2
Ceraton 6003
28 tracks - 77:45
Ceraton has released two amazing volumes of film music for fans of German
cinema. The albums, which compile music from 1919 up to 2000, were produced
in cooperation with Film Museum Berlin for those fans on this side of the
ocean. They are available (sold separately) through http://www.ceraton.com.
The first disc features a mixed variety of period recordings along with
more contemporary re-recordings. The fact that anything at all exists from
the 1920s is amazing. Of particular interest to film historians will be
two works from a book of music composed to accompany various silent films.
Giusseppe Becce compiled such a book for use by theater orchestras and
pianists similar to those put together in America. Here we are able to
hear his own interpretations recorded back in 1919, and they are amazingly
reproduced. While many of the films will be unfamiliar to most, the inclusion
of music from classic such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu,
Metropolis, The Blue Angel and Olympia will provide some familiar
touchstones. Franz Waxman fans have an opportunity to hear the young composer
as performer in Friedrich Hollaender's orchestra for Marlene Dietrich's
performance of "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuþ auf Liebe eingestellt."
Other famous artists such as Richard Tauber, Willy Fritsch, Marta Eggerth
and Alda Noni are also represented with familiar songs. Karl-Ernst Sasse's
1977 music for the silent film Der Golem is also a wonderful representation
of this master's talent. Most all the examples included here run a minimum
of two minutes in length, thus giving a good illustration of the composers'
scoring. There is a little something for every musical taste. Fans of Fritz
Lang's M will also appreciate the whistled excerpt of Grieg's In the
Hall of the Mountain King which brought a chill to my spine. Georg
Haentzschel's music for Munchhausen (1943), represented by a suite,
is another worthy inclusion. Anyone interested in early film music through
music from the "Golden Age" of film will find something to revel in on
this album.
The second disc in the series is a more eclectic selection of music
from relatively unfamiliar films. Of interest is the inclusion of an early
American Billy Wilder film, A Foreign Affair, which re-teamed Dietrich
with Frederick Hollander (the composer's Americanized name). German film
music's use of popular jazz for score music paralleled that found in other
films in the 1950s; one curiosity is Andre Previn's arrangement of Khachaturian's
"Sabre Dance" for the film Eins, Zwei, Drei. The music from the
1960s through the 1970s tends to show off some of the more contemporary
and avant-garde experiments that are really different from the kind of
music found in Hollywood film music. The impression one gets is that German
film composers were given more of an opportunity to truly experiment from
traditional harmonic music. Examples of Peer Raben's music for Fassbinder
films appear alongside some of the popular music influences of everything
from the cult band Die Puhdys to Popol Vuh. Film music for Wim Wenders'
films, popular on this side of the ocean, are included alongside more familiar
music for Jarre fans from The Tin Drum (from the original soundtrack).
German filmmaking received more recent attention here in the 1980s beginning
with films like Das Boot, and Klaus Doldinger's score is excerpted
here. Jurgen Knieper's music for the Wender's film Wings of Desire is
a welcome relief from a series of several pop rock selections illustrating
music from the 1970s and 1980s. Rounding off the disc is Tom Tykwer's "Supermarket"
track from the amazingly energetic Lola rennt and a suite of music
from 1999's Die Unberehrbare by Martin Todsharow.
As an historical presentation, this is excellent in terms of the musical
selections, which represent a wide range of styles and composers. The CDs
are presented in an extended booklet case somewhat similar to those used
by Ryko for their Ben-Hur presentation, except that Ceraton has
chosen a glossy look that continues into the booklet that accompanies the
package. One still from each picture is included, though only the film's
title is given, without identifying the stars pictured. The English translation
of the "article" isn't great but it's not totally incomprehensible. I was
disappointed at the relative lack of information regarding the films and
their importance in German film history, or film history in general. There
was not enough written to convince me of the import of the music included
here, surprising given the loving care that the rest of the production
had. Some selections from volume two are not even mentioned in the accompanying
booklet.
Both volumes are set up to appeal primarily to the art house and European
film aficionado, but these albums are an important testament to the history
of film music. The first volume is a glimpse into the style of music employed
for film that many of Hollywood's Golden Age immigrant composers were exposed
to in their developmental years. The second volume picks up after World
War II, displaying music eclectic enough to both appeal and annoy the broadest
audience. Yet, those familiar with German cinema will definitely wish to
secure a copy, as will anyone teaching or trying to expand their musical
knowledge of European film music. -- Steven A. Kennedy
Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
|
