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 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:30 PM   
 By:   BasilFSM   (Member)

INTRADA Announces:



THE BLACK STALLION
Composed and Conducted by CARMINE COPPOLA
INTRADA Special Collection Volume 107

Special 3-CD Edition!


The 1979 film version of The Black Stallion tells the story of a young boy named Alec Ramsey, who becomes shipwrecked on a desert island with only a wild Arabian stallion for a companion. Although the animal is untamed and dangerously fierce, boy and beast manage to save each other’s lives and forge a deep bond before they are finally rescued. They return to America, where Alec cares for “the Black,” gaining celebrity and— with the help of a kindly ex-trainer named Henry— eventually proving their worth in a climactic race against the nation’s most competitive racehorses. An early undertaking for Francis Ford Coppola's relatively new production company, Zoetrope, the end result is a timeless, elegant presentation of what had become one of the best-loved boys adventure stories when first published in 1941.

Primary scoring duties for The Black Stallion came to Coppola's father, Carmine. While Coppola focused on the orchestral scoring, Shirley Walker was asked to help develop new underscore for some of the film’s more intimate sequences, particularly those taking place on the island. Nyle Steiner, inventor of the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), was brought on board, together with guitarist Dick Rosmini, famed Nubian composer and soloist Hamza El Din (to highlight the story’s North African connection) and a handful of others. Coppola recorded the finished score at Burbank Studios outside of LA, at which point it was added to the film for a preview screening. Certain scenes were musically too strong, and Shirley Walker adapted and reworked a number of cues, while keeping Coppola’s themes.

The Black Stallion is a musical mélange of tonal colors, sometimes exotic, sometimes folksy, and often possessed of a classical elegance. Certain passages (many of them unused in the finished film) evoke the Golden Age of Hollywood, while others incorporate elements of jazz and bluegrass. Coppola’s material is widely varied, --- a reflection of the film’s stylistic range. Indeed, the film’s latter half, with its down home locales and more conventional “young underdog defies the odds” narrative, might almost be a different movie from the poetic island sequences, where the boy never speaks and emotion is conveyed through action and music alone.

At the time of the film's release, United Artists released an LP which became very popular. The same contents of this LP were later released on CD, paired with the sequel score to The Black Stallion Returns. For this release, Intrada has returned to the complete multitrack elements stored at MGM and has assembled the complete score into a stunning two-disc presentation, including all of the unused original material. Since this unused music is so diverse from the actual tracks used in the film (and often featuring large orchestra), they have been placed in film sequence along with their film version counterparts. As an added bonus, a third disc includes the original LP program, remastered in 24-bit for the ultimate sound quality.

This release is limited to 1500 copies.

INTRADA Special Collection - Volume 107
Retail Price: 29.99
AVAILABLE AUGUST 18th, 2009
For track listing and sound samples, please visit
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6272/.f

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:32 PM   
 By:   Sarge   (Member)

Wow...

Just... WOW.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:38 PM   
 By:   nekromantik   (Member)

As always: ordered (faster than a racing horse)!

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:45 PM   
 By:   drivingmissdaisy   (Member)

I'm going to order it. I have the old CD, I think I'll put it on and familarize myself with some of the music I'll be getting. Sadly, I've had the CD for years, but have not played it yet.

I imagine this beauty will sell out fast so ORDER NOW!

 
 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:47 PM   
 By:   Michael_McMahan   (Member)

Simply amazing. I love this score so much. I can't wait to hear the unused cues too. Bravo Intrada!

 
 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:48 PM   
 By:   Thor   (Member)

I have zero connection to this score (or MR. MAJESTYK), I'm afraid, but I just wanted to point out one positive thing about this release. If they are going to release a complete score of it anyway, it is at least something that they're including the LP program on the third disc (for guys like me, had I had a connection to it). Certainly an expensive ordeal if one is ONLY interested in that and can give or take the first two CD's, but it seems to be the only compromise release (like they did with THE FURY and THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, for example).

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:54 PM   
 By:   Sarge   (Member)

I have zero connection to this score (or MR. MAJESTYK), I'm afraid, but I just wanted to point out one positive thing about this release. If they are going to release a complete score of it anyway, it is at least something that they're including the LP program on the third disc (for guys like me, had I had a connection to it). Certainly an expensive ordeal if one is ONLY interested in that and can give or take the first two CD's, but it seems to be the only compromise release (like they did with THE FURY and THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, for example).

Isn't this priced as a 2-CD set, making the LP program a freebie?

Also, the LP program was a rerecording - so for someone like myself, who felt the original tracks were superior, this is a fantastic release.

 
 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 4:55 PM   
 By:   Michael_McMahan   (Member)

You should check the film out Thor. It's one of the greatest "family films" ever made. It's extremely moody and not cutesy.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 5:02 PM   
 By:   Sarge   (Member)

You should check the film out Thor. It's one of the greatest "family films" ever made. It's extremely moody and not cutesy.

Agreed. It's beautifully shot, and the storytelling is largely visual. The camera, performances and music tell the story with a bare minimum of dialogue.

It's also fascinating to see how much Spielberg was influenced by the film. Not only did he hire the same writer for E.T., he imitated the directing style and overall approach. He even borrowed the scene with the cobra for RAIDERS!

 
 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 5:27 PM   
 By:   Bob DiMucci   (Member)

Wow. A stallion of a release. And to think that "Ben-Hur' only warranted a TWO-disc release.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 5:30 PM   
 By:   Wedge   (Member)

The LP program was not a rerecording. It was carefully edited and arranged by Dan Carlin, though, and it includes a few alternate takes from what's heard on the first two discs of Intrada's set.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 5:33 PM   
 By:   BasilFSM   (Member)

Also of interest to note: Over at the Intrada boards, on the August 18th speculation thread, on Page 10, Roger Feigelson mentions this:

"I will say that the score it was paired with is closely related to this score. In fact that score will also be getting an expanded release in the near future, although that will be of the single disc kind."


Meaning THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS (1983) by Georges Delerue will be seeing a release from Intrada sometime down the road.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 5:41 PM   
 By:   spielboy   (Member)

very nice release. And DELERUE is coming!

this time, INTRADA includes all the UNUSED and ALTERNATE cues into the chronological album order instead of making an "alternate album". They say it's because the music is so different.

but 126 min into 3 CDs?


 
 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 5:55 PM   
 By:   Michael_McMahan   (Member)

Ah, but the price is for a standard Intrada 2 cd set. So the bonus album disc is essentially free. I think it's presented optimally this way.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 6:00 PM   
 By:   Dana Wilcox   (Member)

At last, some respite for the ol' wallet. I will generously allow someone else to grab up "my" copies of this one and MR. MAJESTYK.

 
 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 6:09 PM   
 By:   TerraEpon   (Member)

Ah, but the price is for a standard Intrada 2 cd set. So the bonus album disc is essentially free. I think it's presented optimally this way.

Yeah but they still could have easily put the album after the disc 2 stuff on the same disc, reducing both production costs and space.

Still, with the fact that Returns is coming, I had no choice but to order it.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 6:09 PM   
 By:   dogplant   (Member)

You should check the film out Thor. It's one of the greatest "family films" ever made. It's extremely moody and not cutesy.

Amen to that.

It's a gorgeous and haunting movie, amazing to look at (Caleb Deschanel), eerie sound mix (Alan Splet), with wonderful and very real performances (especially Kelly Reno as the kid), and a surreal almost mythological vibe (director Carroll Ballard, with screenplay by Melissa Mathison et al, based on Walter Farley's novel). One of Coppola's best productions.

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 6:20 PM   
 By:   Steve Johnson   (Member)

At last, some respite for the ol' wallet. I will generously allow someone else to grab up "my" copies of this one and MR. MAJESTYK.

I concur, but only half way. I had to get MAJESTYK.

Still, saving 30 beans here. That's a whole watermelon to pass up. big grin

 
 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 6:33 PM   
 By:   Dave Norris   (Member)

Just saw this in their site...great release. Well done Intrada

 
 Posted:   Aug 17, 2009 - 9:15 PM   
 By:   DavidCoscina   (Member)

The track Henry brought tears to me eyes when I heard this as a kid. It still does for sentimental reasons. Bought this in 2 seconds.

 
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