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But judging from the clips, with so much laid back music, perhaps it could just as accurately be titled as "Seance on a Dreary Afternoon".
Oh dear. Not enough crash, bang, and wallop for you, Basil?
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This reminds me that the main title music in the Tadlow re-recording of Mister Moses also some mistakes. The big, big mistake is that the violin phrase that plays throughout the entire track is wrong.
I really like the Tadlow recording of Mister Moses, but you are correct that the fast, repeating figure in the strings that sits behind the melody is incorrect. It sounds like a simplification of the actual figure to me.
However, in this particular case it doesn't diminish my enjoyment.
You see, for me, it achieves the correct energetic effect, even if it's not the exact same figure.
Cheers
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Well, this arrived today and clearly it hasn't been out of the CD player yet.
It is fantastic.
Hedi, Jane Eyre, and Bloodline are all here too, but they're gonna have to wait!
Cheers
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Congrats Quartet, this sounds like a terrific release!
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The Corn Is Green, is my favorite I must say on here.
I personally think SEANCE is the greatest and most inventive of the scores on this set, but I must say that THE CORN IS GREEN, despite being monothematic and repetitive, is an incredible earworm. I could play it on a loop all day.
Cheers
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Played this though once. One word( for now) - delightful. Sounds like JB is in the room, too.
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I really hope this title is a success for Quartet records so we might get more like it.
I know the CD sales landscape is tough at the moment, even in our niche.
If you like it too, please do let it be known.
Cheers
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My copy arrived yesterday, I have listened to far to LOVE AMONG THE RUINS and SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON.
I remember the time when we had regularly exciting new recordings of classic film scores, by Varèse Sarabande, by Marco Polo, by Intrada, by Silva Screen, by Tadlow, by Prometheus, by Chandos.... these days are long gone.
Nowadays, there are only few labels left that fund and invest into new recordings of film scores. Sporadically. I can see why: these are labors of love, take up an enormous amount of time, cost a lot of money, and rarely turn in a profit. Instead, fans often harp on the recordings because they don't sound like an already existing recording (which, I would say, is actually the point of recording something anew. No two orchestral recording ever sound alike. Has never happened.).
That's one reason to cherish this new recording. The other reason is simply that these are marvelous recordings.
I was listening to Séance on a Wet Afternoon and Love Among the Ruins yesterday (I chose these first because I already know the scores). The music came alive and breathed. These are wonderful new recordings in excellent sound quality that do the music full justice; I treasure this new release and hope this recording will be successful enough to warrant more such projects.
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I can't wait to get mine.
This is mainly unreleased John Barry, excepting the existing suites and themes.
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Posted: |
Dec 19, 2023 - 8:51 AM
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By: |
mtjs
(Member)
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Instead, fans often harp on the recordings because they don't sound like an already existing recording (which, I would say, is actually the point of recording something anew. No two orchestral recording ever sound alike. Has never happened.).
The point of recording something anew varies. Sometimes, it's to make it sound fresh and different, and sometimes it's because the original recording is not available, in which case, expecting the new recording to sound like the old one is not unreasonable. Furthermore, many orchestral recordings have sounded like the originals. They might not sound identical, of course, but certainly similar or very close to each other.
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Instead, fans often harp on the recordings because they don't sound like an already existing recording (which, I would say, is actually the point of recording something anew. No two orchestral recording ever sound alike. Has never happened.).
The point of recording something anew varies. Sometimes, it's to make it sound fresh and different, and sometimes it's because the original recording is not available, in which case, expecting the new recording to sound like the old one is not unreasonable. Furthermore, many orchestral recordings have sounded like the originals. They might not sound identical, of course, but certainly similar or very close to each other.
Well, as far as written orchestral music is concerned, that's like a sonett or poem. No two people reading it will sound alike. And not two orchestral performances have ever sounded alike, I know none.
The point of a new recording should always be to do the recording justice, not to emulate another already exsisting recording. Sure, if Patrick Stewart were to read a poem, he could try to read it with Morgan Freeman's voice, but it will likely be better if he read it as Patrick Stewart. Likewise, one orchestra could try to sound like another orchestra, and emulate an existing recording as close as could be, but that will never be as interesting as simply performing the music and do the score justice.
I would say anyone expecting a new recording to sound like an older recording is like someone who expects one singer to sound like another singer. No two violins even sound alike, no more than two voices sound alike. The Vienna Philharmonic doesn't sound like the London Symphony Orchestra, nor would that be desirable. Yes, you can emulate an orchestra just like you can emulate a singer (there are certainly plenty of sometimes more sometimes less convincing Elvis' sound-alike performers), but usually, it would be better to just perform the score.
I have all three Beethoven cycles Karajan conducted with the BPO. His vision of the symphonies did not change much over the years, and we're talking about the same conductor with the same orchestra, yet even there you can easily distinguish the different recordings.
It's neither desirable nor realistic that a new orchestral recording should sound like another. A good musical recording should always strive to be more than a mere replacement or copy of something that already exists.
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I think the best way to show support for this release, and possible future releases, is to… discuss it!
To talk about it where and when you can. To go beyond the shipping notification notifications. To describe what you like about it, how it makes you feel, how it fits in your journey as a film score admirer.
It’s easy to desire the next thing when we often forget that all depends on the current thing.
When José first mentioned he was spearheading this project, I was thrilled! Mainly because this was music from my favourite composer, but from films I’d not seen.
Seeing Seance on a Wet Afternoon for the first time recently was well worth it. Stunning performances from the lead actors, immersive B&W photography, and John Barry’s succinct melancholy score. Wonderful and highly memorable 1960s British filmmaking.
I think what Barry achieved with Seance was to distil the atmosphere of the story and the emotions of the characters in a way that is as clear and compelling as any of his best known works.
It’s the directness of instrumentation—the evocative reverberant flutes, the way the marimba gives weight yet shifts around, the unsettling harp glissandos, the bassline somehow providing form when there ought not to be.
This is not James Bond music, but it’s from the same talent that knew when to blare that brass section at full volume or, as in this case, mostly tacet it.
For this new recording, an expert team of Leigh Phillips, Fernando Velázquez, and Marc Blanes have given us a recording that has reverence for the material.
From Leigh’s incomparable reconstruction, Fernando’s finesse with the orchestra to deliver a superb performance, and Marc’s attentive engineering, it’s a success story of experts delivering the best in their respective domains.
To help us understand it all are Jon Burlingame’s essays, which give us context to our listening sessions.
I am biased, but I think Seance turned out superbly and it’s one of several scores represented on the 2-CD set!
Thank you José for spending the time, money, and resources to do this JB music justice. I wish it every success.
Chris
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Thanks, Chris, for posting.
I first heard music from Seance as a kid, when I got the Great Movie Sounds of John Barry LP. Bryan Forbes, in his liner notes, described the music as "delicately terrifying." It sure was. Not long after, the film popped up on the TV. Hearing the music in context added a new level of appreciation.
The above-mentioned Great Movie Sounds is an audacious introduction to American audiences to the man behind the music credit: with Seance, King Rat, The Knack, The Chase, and The Ipcress File, the album clearly showed a musical personality far removed from the Hollywood norm.
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And Chris, I know you're a modest, humble guy, but Leigh Phillips sang your praises too, for your role in getting the finally mixed and mastered sound just right.
José himself also reminded us all that Fernando Velázquez and the players of Orquesta de Córdoba worked with the greatest integrity and sincerity to make this a recording that we would love.
Thanks José. Thanks Leigh. Thanks Fernando. Thanks to the players of the orchestra. Thanks Chris.
The very definition of a team effort.
Cheers
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