CD Reviews: Hawaii and Varese Celebration

Hawaii ****

ELMER BERNSTEIN

Varèse Sarabande VCL 0403 1017

Disc One: 20 tracks - 74:05 Disc Two: 12 tracks - 35:26

We seem to be living in the golden age of Elmer Bernstein. The 81-year-old composer's works have been everywhere over the past few months. From accolades on National Public Radio to month-long festivals on Turner Classic Movies to his recently nominated score for Far From Heaven, it has almost become impossible to escape Bernstein's legacy. But that's okay. For over 50 years, Bernstein's themes have been defining classic films like The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Escape and Airplane!

Bernstein's score for Hawaii is one of his best, and it's a shame that before now it was only available as an original soundtrack LP with only 36 minutes of music (including the Oscar-nominated song "Wishing Doll"). This new deluxe edition, a pressing of only 3000, features two discs of music with over 90 minutes of music. This album seems the perfect finishing touch on the recent Bernstein revival.

"Overture" opens with a combination of western percussion combined with indigenous Hawaiian drums. The musical stage is immediately set, and when the full orchestra enters led by tremendous syncopated brass chords, Bernstein confirms that this production is indeed a vast sprawling epic. A beautiful, joyous melody takes over accompanied by swirling strings in the grand 1960s fashion. The second theme of the score, a slower, more melancholy and poignant melody, picks up, aurally preparing the viewer for the trails that are to be experienced by the protagonists. After a brief return of the opening theme, the Overture gives way to the Prologue. This cue opens with the bongos again, but they participate in a dialogue with a third theme, this one visually and sonically connected with the people and land of Hawaii. This cue's mournful nature segues into the third section of the opening trilogy by means of new percussive effects. This Main Title returns to the first melody of the Overture, bringing the emotional journey full circle as we return to the epic grandeur of James A. Michener's sprawling source novel.

Of course, this opening salvo is only a part of the glories in store for listeners. Witness the dissonant trumpets, pounding timpani and strings that depict "The Battle." This is a sound often repeated by modern film composers. Or how about the delicate upper woodwinds and brass chorales of "The Old Gods and the New descending in the darkness of Prayer for Vengeance." Hawaii is a work by a master composer writing in his prime.  -- Andrew Granade
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Varese Sarabande: A 25th Anniversary Celebration **** 1/2

VARIOUS

Varèse Sarabande - 302 066 460 2

Disc One: 21 tracks - 75:49
Disc Two: 20 tracks - 74:55
Disc Three: 20 tracks - 75:58
Disc Four: 23 tracks - 76:25

I hope you're reading this because you simply read every review in Film Score Daily and not because you're indecisive about buying this CD collection. This is a four CD pseudo-greatest hits collection of over five hours of music from one of the premiere soundtrack record labels. And while there are minor quibbles, mostly in the personal taste category, there's no reason why any new or even seasoned collector (even though everything in the set is available elsewhere) wouldn't want this sampling of over 80 scores by 60 composers. For the price of $20, this may be the best deal in soundtrack land.

This is an immense collection, which includes highbrow Oscar films (Driving Miss Daisy and The Right Stuff), TV series (Xena) and even made for TV movies (The Mists of Avalon). It's a testament of Varèse Sarabande's commitment to the genre that just about every major film composer has had his/her name on a crimson (or now white) album spine -- and almost all of them are represented in this single collection. Some composers are represented by their more popular scores (Basil Poledouris' Starship Troopers and Robocop) and some by undiscovered gems (Mark Isham's Life as a House). The big names are here, with Jerry Goldsmith (with eight selections!) and John Williams, while lesser-known composers like Jan A.P. Kaczmarek and Zbigniew Preisner also get their due. Although its focus is naturally scores from movies released during the last 25 years, the set does have representatives from the golden era of movies, including Alex North and Bernard Herrmann (compliments of the Varèse re-recording library).

Of course, the best part of these types of collections is finding or rediscovering scores. For me, that was hearing again Danny Elfman's playful Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Cliff Eidelman's wistful One True Thing, Goldsmith's heroic Air Force One, and Elmer Bernstein's lovely My Left Foot.

Whenever we tackle a collection like this, we have to talk about the track selection. In this case, there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason as to how the scores are presented. The collection starts with Bruce Rowland's The Man From Snowy River and ends with Shrek. The first and third CDs do seem more action and adventure-oriented, while the second is more subdued, and the fourth disc has the highest percentage of recent scores (the latest being the exceptional Far From Heaven). I'm not going to complain about any of the scores included, even though a handful are terrible. But while almost every working composer is represented here, some are missing. One can't complain about the exclusion of Alan Menkin, Philip Glass and Bruce Broughton, since they have relationships with other labels. But, Varèse favorites John Ottman and Mychael Danna are notably omitted. And while Thomas, David and Randy Newman are all included, it would have been nice to see Alfred as well. Also, it seems egregious not to include Elliot Goldenthal, whose underrated Golden Gate would have been a welcome addition. But, the biggest name left out would have to be that of Ennio Morricone.

The only real disappointment with this set is that it doesn't contain any rare or out-of-print selections (save maybe one or two). With do many scores on LP that haven't been released on CD (Williams' Monsignor, Nino Rota's The Leopard), it would have been nice had Varèse unearthed a few gems. But, they did include a nice carny-flavored cue from Goldsmith's Raggedy Man, which had a limited CD release in their first Club series.

Everyone who gets this collection will either have similar or maybe radically different opinions. At the end of the day, this is a grand collection and a wonderful gift from Varèse Sarabande to film music fans.  -- Cary Wong
 
 

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