Wow... fast work or coincidence? Well, the very best of luck to you (you're Quartet Records I presume). I hope you can get access to the original masters, although an official release using any good source would be very welcome.
Thanks very much, Anabel. Your input was more comprehensive than I anticipated!
We should, on occasion, attempt to do a series of threads devoted to excellent music and cinema which have become forgotten and deemed "obscure" due to their absence on current media formats and/or which have fallen off most people's radar because of their non-English content.
I find it interesting that a number of fans of Richard Rodney Bennett's music were unaware of the existence of his L'IMPRECATEUR. I had gotten the Barclay LP around 1987 (I was about age 20), so this soundtrack has been with me more than half my life. When I "get into" composers and their music, I search multiple sources of information in order to see all that they have written and which items were ever available in any sort of home entertainment format.
The info on L'IMPRECATEUR is out there, but one needs to be orientated to seek out that which exists in countries other than one's own.
Consider how many persons cite STAR WARS as (one of) their favorite 1977 film score, whilst you and myself were the only individuals to list L'IMPRECATEUR for that year.
I dare say that any and every vinyl soundtrack album on the Barclay label has suffered neglect (has there been any Barclay soundtrack re-issued onto CD?). I also have Barclay's 1961 EP of L'ISLE NUE by Hikaru Hayashi and that label's 1977 soundtrack album for Pierre Jansen's LA DENTELLIERE.
I don't think anyone has mentioned that Bennett's music for L'IMPRECATEUR is made into two suites - Side 1 is a single track (the first YouTube clip) and so is Side 2. I wonder if Quartet will (that is, if they are doing this title) simply replicate the LP suite format or segregate each piece into chronological individual tracks?
Overall, the soundsculpture Bennett created for L'IMPRECATEUR is more, to my ears, like compositions by Toru Takemitsu rather than Bernard Herrmann. Herrmann was too much a nostalgic romantic, I'd say, to incorporate contemporary music techniques like dodecaphony, or the avant-garde or post-modernism. If one likes L'IMPRECATEUR, one should certainly check out Bennett's 1970 score for FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE.
Another stunning musical work by Bennett is his 1975 Concerto for Violin, released on CD in the mid-1990s by Koch:
Anabel - your parents must be an amazing couple!
If you don't mind my asking, how many vinyl soundtracks do they own? Do they have any other musical gems we don't know about?
Your former thread on moving Tatyana Lioznova's THREE POPLARS AT PLYUSCHIKHA STREET made me willing to watch the movie and thanks to this one (on a complete opposite music style) I have rediscovered an absolute fascinating score. (It's been years I haven't listened to the LP I also own)
By the way : did anyone notice that Quartet erased his own previous posts in which he said they were working on this title ?
Bad omen ?
The man talked too much and his body, riddled with bullets, is now lying on Puerta del Sol ?
Thanks very much, Anabel. Your input was more comprehensive than I anticipated!
We should, on occasion, attempt to do a series of threads devoted to excellent music and cinema which have become forgotten and deemed "obscure" due to their absence on current media formats and/or which have fallen off most people's radar because of their non-English content.
I find it interesting that a number of fans of Richard Rodney Bennett's music were unaware of the existence of his L'IMPRECATEUR. I had gotten the Barclay LP around 1987 (I was about age 20), so this soundtrack has been with me more than half my life. When I "get into" composers and their music, I search multiple sources of information in order to see all that they have written and which items were ever available in any sort of home entertainment format.
The info on L'IMPRECATEUR is out there, but one needs to be orientated to seek out that which exists in countries other than one's own.
Consider how many persons cite STAR WARS as (one of) their favorite 1977 film score, whilst you and myself were the only individuals to list L'IMPRECATEUR for that year.
I dare say that any and every vinyl soundtrack album on the Barclay label has suffered neglect (has there been any Barclay soundtrack re-issued onto CD?). I also have Barclay's 1961 EP of L'ISLE NUE by Hikaru Hayashi and that label's 1977 soundtrack album for Pierre Jansen's LA DENTELLIERE.
I don't think anyone has mentioned that Bennett's music for L'IMPRECATEUR is made into two suites - Side 1 is a single track (the first YouTube clip) and so is Side 2. I wonder if Quartet will (that is, if they are doing this title) simply replicate the LP suite format or segregate each piece into chronological individual tracks?
Overall, the soundsculpture Bennett created for L'IMPRECATEUR is more, to my ears, like compositions by Toru Takemitsu rather than Bernard Herrmann. Herrmann was too much a nostalgic romantic, I'd say, to incorporate contemporary music techniques like dodecaphony, or the avant-garde or post-modernism. If one likes L'IMPRECATEUR, one should certainly check out Bennett's 1970 score for FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE.
Another stunning musical work by Bennett is his 1975 Concerto for Violin, released on CD in the mid-1990s by Koch:
Anabel - your parents must be an amazing couple!
If you don't mind my asking, how many vinyl soundtracks do they own?
You should also hear Bennett's score for another Joseph Losey film SECRET CEREMONY. I have the film on VHS and have read a copy of the written score he had donated to the NYPL Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. This would make a good match with FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE.
If one wants to get a real handle on the music of Richard Rodney Bennett, I would highly recommend his opera THE MINES OF SULPHUR (Chandos, CHSA 5036 (2)) which is strongly influenced by Benjamin Britten.
Originally composed in three acts and 40 scenes, the Glimmerglass production was edited and recorded in a two-act version all with the composer's approval.
On the Decca recording from the British Music Collection is Bennett's Piano Concerto No. 1, Concerto for Stan Getz, Murder on the Orient Express Waltz, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Dream Sequence (arranged by RR Bennett).
You should also hear Bennett's score for another Joseph Losey film SECRET CEREMONY. I have the film on VHS and have read a copy of the written score he had donated to the NYPL Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. This would make a good match with FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE.
James
I already have!
Not only do I have that MCA/Universal VHS tape of SECRET CEREMONY, I've also got it on a region 2 DVD.
It certainly would make a good companion piece with FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE - hhmmm - why not make it trio and include the 1959 BLIND DATE/CHANCE MEETING (the first Losey/Bennett combo)!
Regarding his film scores from 1959 through 1982, there's very little Bennett I'm not aware of. Here's some of the "gaps" in his works that I have never seen nor heard: THE ANGRY HILLS, ONE WAY PENDULUM, VOICES, PERMISSION TO KILL, maybe a few more. Never caught any of his earlier efforts from 1957, either ... hope someday they'll be soundtracks for some of the these!
If one wants to get a real handle on the music of Richard Rodney Bennett, I would highly recommend his opera THE MINES OF SULPHUR (Chandos, CHSA 5036 (2)) which is strongly influenced by Benjamin Britten.
Originally composed in three acts and 40 scenes, the Glimmerglass production was edited and recorded in a two-act version all with the composer's approval.
On the Decca recording from the British Music Collection is Bennett's Piano Concerto No. 1, Concerto for Stan Getz, Murder on the Orient Express Waltz, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Dream Sequence (arranged by RR Bennett).
James
How about the 1968 RCA LP of R.R. Bennett's Symphony No.1 on one side...
I've still got this LP (which includes a Berkeley and a Bax, right?) in my house - don't think this album was ever re-issued onto CD, was it?
In his interview with David Raksin, Bennett said he chose the sound palette for this score from instruments he felt would sound glossy and hard-surfaced.
Which interview ? Is it a print interview or a filmed interview ? I'm curious about this.
Raksin interviewed Bennett on a radio show ("The Subject is Film Music"), I believe not too long after YANKS. I believe it was produced by KUSC Los Angeles. I understand that the master tapes for the interviews are now in the Library of Congress.
I don't think Bennett had much more to say about this score than what I posted above, though, Anabel.
If one wants to get a real handle on the music of Richard Rodney Bennett, I would highly recommend his opera THE MINES OF SULPHUR (Chandos, CHSA 5036 (2)) which is strongly influenced by Benjamin Britten.
Originally composed in three acts and 40 scenes, the Glimmerglass production was edited and recorded in a two-act version all with the composer's approval.
On the Decca recording from the British Music Collection is Bennett's Piano Concerto No. 1, Concerto for Stan Getz, Murder on the Orient Express Waltz, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Dream Sequence (arranged by RR Bennett).
James
How about the 1968 RCA LP of R.R. Bennett's Symphony No.1 on one side...
I've still got this LP (which includes a Berkeley and a Bax, right?) in my house - don't think this album was ever re-issued onto CD, was it?
I had picked up this LP at Academy on 18th street in Manhattan years ago and I've never seen it on cd, but that doesn't mean it hasn't.
INTRADA had released Bennett's SHERLOCK HOLMES IN NEW YORK paired with Delerue's THE PICKUP ARTIST a couple of years ago. I also had picked up the cd release of GORMENGHAST and the 2-tape VHS of the film.
We should, on occasion, attempt to do a series of threads devoted to excellent music and cinema which have become forgotten and deemed "obscure" due to their absence on current media formats and/or which have fallen off most people's radar because of their non-English content.
I have this in mind for a while ! Problem is people might be reluctante at listening to some videoclips with no english subtitles or listening to a score with voices and SFX. I could summarize the on-going plot/action as i did for 3 POPLARS AT PLYUSCHIKHA STREET -- i enjoyed myself doing the DVD ripping !
The info on L'IMPRECATEUR is out there, but one needs to be orientated to seek out that which exists in countries other than one's own.
Yes, those "best scores" threads should be re-titled "best scores for an english spoken movie". But i absolutely don't complain : i DO love american and british cinema and this is a forum within the USA. I simply hope that people are curious when someone posts some "marginal" titles. And i have to admit it's often difficult to remember the exact year of a film score i love. Miguel Rojo was right when he said we are influenced by the titles picked up by previous posters. For the "1990" thread i couldn't resist to bring some attention to Vladimir Cosma's LA GLOIRE DE MON PERE and LE CHATEAU DE MA MERE -- to me both wonderful scores that deserve attention...but only two viewers so far for each clip. And it's interesting to notice more than 50 people listened to L'IMPRECATEUR PART 1 but "only" 21 listened to PART 2. But even if one single person has discovered this amazing score thanks to both of our choices it worthed it !
Consider how many persons cite STAR WARS as (one of) their favorite 1977 film score, whilst you and myself were the only individuals to list L'IMPRECATEUR for that year.
It's understandable. And i can assure you many many many french people have never heard of it either !
I dare say that any and every vinyl soundtrack album on the Barclay label has suffered neglect (has there been any Barclay soundtrack re-issued onto CD?). I also have Barclay's 1961 EP of L'ISLE NUE by Hikaru Hayashi and that label's 1977 soundtrack album for Pierre Jansen's LA DENTELLIERE.
I don't know much about Barclay soundtrack production. I'm only thrilled you mention both LA DENTELLIERE and L'ILE NUE. The latter is the kind of movie and score i would love to promote. I own this EP myself. LA DENTELLIERE is one of the most touching movie i have ever seen. I think i remember it has already been discussed on this forum in the past.
I don't think anyone has mentioned that Bennett's music for L'IMPRECATEUR is made into two suites - Side 1 is a single track (the first YouTube clip) and so is Side 2. My mistake : it was so obvious for me when ripping it. I think though it's also perceptible when you listen to it. But you're right, that's an important piece of information.
I wonder if Quartet will (that is, if they are doing this title) simply replicate the LP suite format or segregate each piece into chronological individual tracks?
Assuming they won't be able to find extra music the best thing to do would be to propose both presentations on same CD. But in my opinion the 2 suites are the best listening experience.
If one likes L'IMPRECATEUR, one should certainly check out Bennett's 1970 score for FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE.
Did this score get released ?
Anabel - your parents must be an amazing couple!
Thank you for those nice thoughts ! This long week-end i will tell Marie-France and Maurice they have an overseas admirer !
If you don't mind my asking, how many vinyl soundtracks do they own? After a brief phonecall i'm just allowed to say : more than one thousand. So it could be one thousand-and-one or two thousand !
Do they have any other musical gems we don't know about? This one perhaps?
I will ask during this long week-end. But concerning François de Roubaix i'm pretty sure they have it. I don't know neither of both movies: are they electronic scores ? Are they your favorites from the composer ?
Raksin interviewed Bennett on a radio show ("The Subject is Film Music"), I believe not too long after YANKS. I believe it was produced by KUSC Los Angeles. I understand that the master tapes for the interviews are now in the Library of Congress.
I don't think Bennett had much more to say about this score than what I posted above, though, Anabel.
Thank you. If he didn't have a good experience on that movie that makes sense.
You should also hear Bennett's score for another Joseph Losey film SECRET CEREMONY. I have the film on VHS and have read a copy of the written score he had donated to the NYPL Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. This would make a good match with FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE.
James
I already have!
Not only do I have that MCA/Universal VHS tape of SECRET CEREMONY, I've also got it on a region 2 DVD.
It certainly would make a good companion piece with FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE - hhmmm - why not make it trio and include the 1959 BLIND DATE/CHANCE MEETING (the first Losey/Bennett combo)!
Regarding his film scores from 1959 through 1982, there's very little Bennett I'm not aware of. Here's some of the "gaps" in his works that I have never seen nor heard: THE ANGRY HILLS, ONE WAY PENDULUM, VOICES, PERMISSION TO KILL, maybe a few more. Never caught any of his earlier efforts from 1957, either ... hope someday they'll be soundtracks for some of the these!
By the way, is the Region 2 D.V.D. of "Secret Ceremony" that you own in widescreen? T.C.M. aired this not long ago in that format, and I have it in on D.V.D.-R.. Another score on that list you omitted was "The Man Who Could Cheat Death", Bennett's first score for Hammer. "Figures In A Landscape" needs to be put on D.V.D. in widescreen, and the score by Bennett certainly deserves a C.D. release.
Do they have any other musical gems we don't know about? This one perhaps?
I will ask during this long week-end. But concerning François de Roubaix i'm pretty sure they have it. I don't know neither of both movies: are they electronic scores ? Are they your favorites from the composer ?
Here are some examples to help illustrate the style of the music:
François de Roubaix had a very singular and original musical voice - he didn't quite fit into any molds and his oeuvre pretty well attests to this. In Daughters of Darkness (the movie was filmed in english) he wrote a score that defied all the conventions of the vampire genre. The overall tone is one of loneliness and melancholy - very well suited to the (possibly) centuries old Countess (superbly played by the magnificient Delphine Seyrig).
The only hint to the character's eastern european origins is alluded to in a very subtle use of the cymbalom.
If one likes L'IMPRECATEUR, one should certainly check out Bennett's 1970 score for FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE.
Did this score get released ?
Alas ... no. The sound recordings for FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE were never released onto an album in any format.
When I typed "check out", I meant that this movie is available for viewing. It was issued onto a hard-to-locate region 2 DVD some years ago by Paramount, but I think the entire film has been posted onto YouTube.
Both of Bennett's scores for Joseph Losey films SECRET CEREMONY and FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE were nominated for BFTA awards, I understand...
If you don't mind my asking, how many vinyl soundtracks do they own? After a brief phonecall i'm just allowed to say : more than one thousand. So it could be one thousand-and-one or two thousand !
Wow!
They certainly have more than me! I still retain about 350+ vinyl soundtrack LPs despite a lot of them having been expanded and/or re-mastered onto CD.
But my LPs and CDs combined won't even add up to 1,000, so your parents are way ahead of me.
By the way, is the Region 2 D.V.D. of "Secret Ceremony" that you own in widescreen? T.C.M. aired this not long ago in that format, and I have it in on D.V.D.-R.. Another score on that list you omitted was "The Man Who Could Cheat Death", Bennett's first score for Hammer. "Figures In A Landscape" needs to be put on D.V.D. in widescreen, and the score by Bennett certainly deserves a C.D. release.
Yes it is!
Universal released a 1.85:1 print of SECRET CEREMONY onto region 2 PAL in 2006. One may still be able to obtain a copy of this disc via Amazon.uk:
Both of Bennett's scores for Joseph Losey films SECRET CEREMONY and FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE were nominated for BAFTA awards, I understand.
After years of never getting to see THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH, it had arrived onto DVD a few years ago and quite quickly got onto Blu-Ray. I think Bennett was only age 22 when he wrote a percussive & brassy score for THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH, which was followed in 1959 by THE ANGRY HILLS, THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE, and BLIND DATE. 1959 can be viewed as the 'big break' year for "Richard Bennett" (as he was billed back then without the Rodney).
Bennett's concert-worthy music for FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE deserves better than its current fate, but at least we can appreciate the film, which has been released onto a Dutch region 2 DVD:
Well, the very best of luck to you (you're Quartet Records I presume). I hope you can get access to the original masters, although an official release using any good source would be very welcome. 
