Although I have most of the OSTs, I'm intrigued by Mauceri's concert arrangements.
An here's a recent interview with some praise for John Williams' A.I. (interesting to note that Williams is conspicuously absent from the CD programme...)
I'll have to check out the liner notes. The Cleopatra Symphony also intrigued me most, together withe the "Symphonic Portrait" for the Godfather. As for Kaper's Mutiny on the Bounty and Goldsmith's Enterprise, I'd simply love to hear the concert arrangements.
I'll have to check out the liner notes. The Cleopatra Symphony also intrigued me most, together withe the "Symphonic Portrait" for the Godfather. As for Kaper's Mutiny on the Bounty and Goldsmith's Enterprise, I'd simply love to hear the concert arrangements.
I haven't had a chance to listen all the way through yet, but having got as far as the Mutiny on the Bounty suite, it is excellent to my ear. Also enjoyed the Psycho suite which was played at a good tempo.
Sounds like the type of CD Kunzel used to do in the old days. For a "live" recording, it sounds very detailed and not the concert hall ambience I was expecting. Well worth getting!
I know it was a live concert and all, but it's kinda disappointing to see such a short tracklist that has the Psycho narrative again so soon after the same conductor recorded it on Toccata.
I'll probably get this for the "Cleopatra Symphony" although the tempo in some pieces is slower than I'd like - I had the same issue with Mauceri's rendition of VERTIGO's "Scene d'Amour" in the Toccata Classics Hitchcock CD last year...
A really wonderful album. As it's not a sampler per se, but a very thoughtful new presentation of classic film music, this is a more than welcome addition to my collection. I am especially grateful to Mauceri for his arrangements of scores into small symphonies. As much as I love Mutiny on the Bounty, there's hardly ever time these days to listen to the full score. It's the same with Cleopatra. Now, I'll be able to listen to this great music much more often. Also, the performance is wonderful and the concert hall ambience adds extra power to pieces like Star Trek.
I finally bought this - intrigued by the "Cleopatra Symphony" - and I have to say it was worth it. My only complaint is the sound which is rather thick throughout and feels a little compressed with not enough air - I don't know if it's a sound that suits the british ears (or if London's concert venues are indeed that problematic) as I have noticed a similar quality in classical recordings on London Symphony's own label too... (OK, that was my grumpy audiophile self!) Otherwise Mauceri does a fine job and his renditions of the Taras Bulba showpiece, the "Godfather Symphonic Portrait" and - as Loverozsa also wrote above - the "Mutiny" suite are especially successful.
I was at the concert and the Cleopatra sound balance in the live venue was fantastic, as was the Psycho sonics. I would hope the CD captures some of that, but it will inevitably sound different.
I must say that hearing North, in all his harmonic richness played by a big orchestra right in front of me, had me in tears that night.
What a remarkable program this is! It's a showcase but also just a sample of the enormously wide range of what orchestral film music could do from 1960 through the early 80's, and how well written the music could be. The most interesting thing to me is that in this collection, Mutiny on the Bounty sounds the most like "traditional" or "typical" film music, maybe suffering a little from the comparison with the wide and unusual range of music surrounding the suite.
Being grumpy () but not an audiophile, I'm very pleased with the sound, and especially like the detail in Cleopatra, Psycho, and Star Trek. I don't even mind Mauceri having another go at Psycho just a year after his Hitchcock collection.
Just played this a couple of times and I think the performances and Mauceri's arrangements are outstanding. I like the sound too. I've no hesitation in recommending this.
) but not an audiophile, I'm very pleased with the sound, and especially like the detail in Cleopatra, Psycho, and Star Trek. I don't even mind Mauceri having another go at Psycho just a year after his Hitchcock collection.