tri2061990
04-09-2011, 10:36 AM
Classic Film Scores were a series of recordings in the 1970's featuring golden age composers. Charles Gerhardt loved films and music written for them. This recording features the four time Oscar winner Dimitri Tiomkin, classical trained, and fully capable of creating whatever was necessary for a wide variety and type of films. It is ironic that his first film assignment, Lost Horizon, was easily his grandest, earning Dimitri his first Oscar nomination. In the film score series, Lost Horizon was easily the most expensive to produce, requiring extra percussion players as well as a large chorus. Featuring 16 tracks from the score, the 23 minute suite was also the longest in the series. The suite is filled with wonderful themes and melodies, choral passages, dissonant brass chords, a true tone poem of color and harmony.
The Carl Foreman film The Guns Of Navarone features a strong military theme that is proud, bold, and upbeat in character and style. The other part of the "Prelude" track is more lyrical in nature, played by the entire string section. Listen to this theme a few times and you will find that it will stay in your head - you will be humming the theme over and over. This is a characteristic of many Tiomkin themes, that addicted melody sticking in your brain until you hear another theme which will start the process all over again!
The 1952 Howard Hawks film The Big Sky features a wonderful melody, "Quand Je Reve", used as the main title and also as a love theme for Teal Eyes, the romantic interest in the film. The other prominent theme, along with the love theme, are performed in the track "Wide Missouri Epilogue". Had it not been for High Noon in 1952, also composed by Tiomkin, who knows how popular this might have become. Written in the style of Grofe, listen for a small section of the famous "Grand Canyon Suite".
The 1956 film Friendly Persuasion features the "Love Scene in the Barn" track which begins with a little song theme called "Coax Me A Little". Coax is exactly the word for what the track has to offer. It is like a nervous boy asking for his first date and not having the right words! Dimitri gives us a couple of notes of his famous theme, then a little more and finally he comes forth with his popular theme Friendly Persuasion. This is a good example of how an excellent arrangement well performed by the National Philharmonic can enhance a melody. A popular song made famous by Pat Boone, Friendly Persuasion has never been large in film score circles, but this arrangement seems to bring out the best of the theme.
Also included are the themes from the Cinerama Search For Paradise, a proud majestic theme for chorus and orchestra. Fourposter is an overture depicting a gay and happy time full of bristling rhythmic patterns. This film later became the famous musical "I Do I Do" in later years.
This is a good introduction to the film music of Dimitri Tiomkin. The conducting, orchestra, arranging, and engineering are all outstanding! You can hear and feel the love for film scores that Charles Gerhardt had! Recommended!
Review by Thomas L. Kiefner
Track List:
1 Symphonic Suite(Lost Horizon)(23:05)
2. Prelude (2:21) (The Guns Of Navarone)
3. Prelude; Forest At Night (Nocturne); The Wide Missouri (Epilogue) (8:08) (The Big Sky)
4. Overture (2:33) (The Fourposter)
5. Love Scene in the Barn (5:34) (Friendly Persuasion)
6. Choral Finale (3:31) (Search For Paradise)
Total time: 45:20
FLAC (http://www.adrive.com/public/93yhJW/LstHrz-Cls-Ghdt.rar)