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Posted: |
Mar 11, 2019 - 12:19 PM
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By: |
edwzoomom
(Member)
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I took these two releases out today and played them. I now recall why I consider them to be my favorite film music compilation albums. The sound and selections are top notch. There is something about a violin version of pieces that are already lush and lovely that makes them lovelier. Itzhak Perlman, John Williams and two pre-eminent symphony orchestras (the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra) all but guarantee a stellar presentation. They are still available out there for a pretty reasonable price - more than worth it.
Cinema Serenade track listing:
1. The Color Purple: Main Title
2. Scent of A Woman: Tango (Por una Cabeza)
3. Yentl: Papa, Can You Hear Me?
4. Il Postino: Theme
5. The Age of Innocence: Theme
6. Far and Away: Theme
7. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: I Will Wait For You
8. Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse: Theme
9. Sabrina: Theme
10. Out of Africa: Main Title
11. Black Orpheus: Manha de Carnaval
12. Schindler's List: Theme
13. Cinema Paradiso: Love Theme
Cinema Serenade 2 track listing
1. Theme from Laura, 1944
2. Theme from Now, Voyager, 1942
3. Smile from Modern Times, 1936
4. Love Theme from Lost Weekend, 1945
5. St. Patrick's Day from The Quiet Man, 1952
6. Marian and Robin Love Theme from The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938
7. As Time Goes By from Casablanca, 1942
8. Touch Her Soft Lips and Part from Henry V, 1944
9. Stella by Starlight from The Uninvited, 1944
10. Theme from My Foolish Heart, 1949
11. Tara's Theme from Gone With the Wind, 1939
12. Cathy's Theme from Wuthering Heights, 1939
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I may be in the minority, but I never warmed up to these albums, due to the violin performance. I discovered them as a teenager at my local library, and well...they just felt off to me. Itzhak Perlman, for me, had a tendency to overplay/over-exaggerate the emotion in some pieces. Yes, the love theme from Korngold's Robin Hood score is beautiful, but he played it like Schindler's List, just dripping with too much emotion IMO.
While I like Perlman's playing in Schindler's List, I don't think that style is appropriate for many of these selections (even if they are well selected).
Yavar
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I agree with Yavar : the performances for the most part were lacklustre; I had so looked forward to the playing on Previn's love theme from THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE (to give one example) but it didn't "lift off the page", so to speak. EB's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE was similarly un-inspired.
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Rosza's Lost Weekend is one of my favorites by him. The Love Theme on Cinema Serenade 2 is a beautiful rendition.
When I seek out the beauty of the gift of a violin virtuoso like Perlman, I want emotion to the max. Bring it on Itzhak!
I have seen him perform twice and he was unforgettable.
These seem to be very nice albums. Looking into it. Thanks for the recommendation.
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I enjoy these very much - volume two more than one, but that's only because if I never have to hear anything from Scent of a Woman and Il Postino again it will be too soon.
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Posted: |
Mar 13, 2019 - 1:03 PM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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I played Vol.1 yesterday ... I think it was for only the second time. It is enjoyable with fine interpretations of many well-known film themes ... but it's not great. But then our select community - we are a strange bunch buying and listening to OSTs - is not the target market for this, or Vol.II.
I like a lot of easy listening music (I have preferences for certain arrangers/conductors) and these arrangements/performances are just a little too easy-listening in the main. Any one theme: if you know the OST version it's going to sound a little off, maybe even wrong, but as a way to while away 50' or so the album is a nice listen.
I have other easy-listening recordings of many of these themes and, e.g. Henry Mancini's interpretation of Michel Legrand's I Will Wait for You (from his 1967 album Encore! More of the Concert Sound of Henry Mancini ... albeit only the last part of a medley*) is infinitely better than this arrangement (by Angela Morley). Similarly, Henry Mancini's performance of that superb melody Manhã de Carnaval (Luis Bonfá) (from his 1969 album A Warm Shade of Ivory) but, in this case, Mancini's arrangement is for piano (with a violin intro and soft choral interlude), rather than guitar and dominant violin, so they're not directly comparable.
Knowing - and loving - the Theme from Out of Africa so well I do find this Perlman/Williams/BP recording (again arranged by Angela Morley) somewhat weak.
* I first fell in love with this theme via Geoff Love's arrangement/recording and then found the Henry Mancini/RPO recording on the Filmharmonic70 (live) album almost impossible to better ... it's the same arrangement as the recording mentioned above.
For another thread: classical performers ~ easy listening arrangements of film music - does it work?
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Andre Previn's theme from Four Horsemen recorded on Cinema Serenade in his own orchestration is one of the greatest and most beautiful pieces written in and out of motion pictures. Of all the great music he wrote, this one stands at the top!
I agree completely! But give me the original M-G-M rendition at the hands of the composer every time! Lou Raderman was the soloist, I believe, and he (and the rest of the orchestra) nailed it!
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