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But you can hear it even better in the YouTube clip I linked to. Listen to that, then play your GDI LOST COMTINENT "Finale and End Titles" (I'm sure you've all got that - I made a mistake by not getting the Cloud Nine compilation twenty-five years ago, but I've been scolded for it), then tell me I'm right. Thanks.
You're Graham Wright - you're welcome.
I do own the GDI CD, but rarely listen to it. The Lost Continent does recycle that theme from The Ceremony. To me, The Ceremony is overtly ethnic whilst its theme receives rather symphonic 'variation' treatments within The Lost Continent which camouflage it well.
This should come as no surprise, though, as Schurmann is but one amongst many composers who recycle their own material.
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With the possible exception of The Gambler, there doesn't seem to be anything that hasn't been previously available.
A brand new 21-minute suite from Dr Syn for example?
I don't expect this new suite provides substantial passages not already incorporated within the former 'Smugglers' Rhapsody'.
In any case, we're getting a 2nd suite from Dr. Syn instead of its complete studio recording master tapes whilst other Schurmann scores continue to remain unrepresented.
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Coming in July from Chandos is a new recording of The Film Music of Gerard Schurmann with selections personally chosen and supervised by the composer....95 years young! Samples up now on their website....
I shall be interested to hear from anyone who buys this CD and their views on the sound quality. Far too many of the Chandos Film Music series CD's have had an awful sounding listening experience where the Lows are far too low and Highs are far too high resulting in a continuous hand movement to the handset Volume Control .
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In any case, we're getting a 2nd suite from Dr. Syn instead of its complete studio recording master tapes whilst other Schurmann scores continue to remain unrepresented.
You might want to write to Intrada to release Dr Syn in full as it is Disney?
Oh, yes - I've been wishing for years that Intrada might issue a complete Dr. Syn because it's Disney, but I've given up hope since consumer interest leans towards '90s & '80s.
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Strange, how Chandos thinks film music CDs by the likes of Schurmann and Lambert and Spolianski and Easdale and Lord Berners can sell and are worth the investment of scholarship and re-recording, while our esteemed specialist labels keep telling us that well-known film composers (of much better-known films) such as Skinner and Buttolph and plenty of other golden greats of the genre, aren't worth their trouble.
Thank goodness for Chandos!
According to my observations, many 'classical' album productions are partially funded by trusts, estates, endowments for the arts, etc.
Soundtrack specialty labels need to deal with the 'owners' of the recordings (usually film studios and/or recording studios), and oftentimes the owners of our beloved music do not think highly of such music or care about its preservation if no significant revenue is to be had from album sales.
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ADDED EVEN LATER -
A question - Did the Cloud Nine release carefully avoid any overlap in thematic material in its selections from CEREMONY and LOST CONTINENT?
In retrospect, I think so, Graham.
The Cloud Nine CD just has 2 selections from The Lost Continent, action material and a romance. The end title & finale were conveniently avoided for that album program.
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I shall be interested to hear from anyone who buys this CD and their views on the sound quality. Far too many of the Chandos Film Music series CD's have had an awful sounding listening experience where the Lows are far too low and Highs are far too high resulting in a continuous hand movement to the handset Volume Control
Did anyone else get a lossless download? I was going to come into this thread earlier today to post/complain about this very thing.
I wasn't sure if the dynamic range was truly the way it was suppose to be , which seems pretty wide, or if it was just cocked up. Unless I turn the volume up ridiculously high, the quiet passages are still just way to soft.
I wasn't familiar with Schurmann prior to seeing this thread yesterday, but after a listen to one or two samples, I immediately paid for the download. Spectacular music, but a teeth grinding frustration to try to listen to- especially if you put it in a playlist with just about anything else and don't remember to hit the volume before a more normally balanced track or album comes up.
I figured it would sound better with earphones, and my HT set up might be able to handle the dynamics better, but that's not where I listen to music.
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One advantage for me of listening to music through streaming services is that the wide dynamic range gets normalized (well, compressed) - often without the congestion in recent mastering. So the Chandos albums sound good to me that way (but no audiophile here, so keep that in mind).
And Ray, yes, Schurmann's chamber music is not quite so ear-friendly as his film music. He is writing in the mid-20th century idiom, so less focus on melody, dissonance is common (but not like the Morricone you cite). I love this kind of thing, and if you enjoy, say, chamber music by Shostakovich or Bartok (or Piston or Rawsthorne etc.) it should do the trick.
Some samples here: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Gerard-Schurmann-String-Quartet-No-1/
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I got this. Like all the Chandos releases, especially those under the baton of this conductor, the sound is washy and indistinct with no real immediacy -that's a choice - I just happen to loathe it - I don't even like it for classical releases, but for film music I find it deadly. Mr. Gamba started off his time with Chandos quite poorly, I thought - he's gotten a bit better over the years, I suppose. I can tolerate some of this series and even enjoy some of it, but none of it sounds like actual film music to me.
That said, the Schurmann disc was surprising to me on a few levels. Because I know some of his classical music, which is on the atonal side, the tunefulness of the selections here really was pleasing to me. The Dr. Syn selections, the longest on the disc, are really wonderful, but most of it is that. The only real disappointment is Horrors of the Black Museum - there is no bite or terseness here - you can hear it on the acetates and you can certainly hear it on the selection on the Horror! CD, and that recording is much more in your face. One doesn't really need a distant, genteel Horrors of the Black Museum, does one?
But I can recommend it for the other material, despite the washy sound and not always optimal interpretation.
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Like all the Chandos releases, especially those under the baton of this conductor, the sound is washy and indistinct with no real immediacy - that's a choice - I just happen to loathe it - I don't even like it for classical releases, but for film music I find it deadly.
I'm sorry to disagree, but I have all the opposite opinion on this.
One important aspect of Maestro Gamba's recordings is precisely his modern take on the material. His recordings doesn't sound like "old" music, therefore they can be more contemporary suitable.
A whole lot of us just can't stand a dry, noisy, mono sound and that's even a major reason for not buying some other releases with music from several decades ago by other labels.
If it wasn't for this excellent re-recording series, I'm sure Gerard Schurmann's oeuvre would not be of interest to the above mentioned broader audience.
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