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I enjoyed the samples very much, but then I was always a big Elmer fan and I never heard any music from him that I disliked.
Hi Niall, I take it you never saw "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" ........ Peter 
Yes Peter, I have seen that very enjoyable film a few times and I have had the "Hans Rossbach" conducted bootleg LP since the mid 70s. I like it and that Elmer Bernstein score very much.
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Well, after two negative notes (I never liked the Bernstein rerecording, and I don't really like the film), I must say that this new Intrada incarnation of the score is magnificent; the abundance of themes, the playing of the WB orchestra, the magnificence of many of the previously unreleased cues, all add up to a fantastic encapsulation of a great late-'50s Bernstein score.
I have truly been converted into a fan of this score by this CD release.
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Posted: |
Oct 6, 2013 - 12:33 AM
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By: |
philiperic
(Member)
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Im sorry but I dont see the point of people disparging a score they havent heard - only sampled .
The comment criticizing epic scores in general strikes me as the height of disdain - referring to the likes of QUO VADIS, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, HELEN OF TROY, FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, LAND OF THE PHAROAHS, THE EGYPTIAN, THE ROBE, THE SILVER CHALICE, BEN-HUR, THE PRODIGAL - "a bit too typical of the golden age epic sound" --- really?
Is there a typical "Golden Age epic sound"?!! I dont think that any of the above scores sound like the other. I know that on the internet everyone can voice their opinion . IMHO all these scores are classics - and THE MIRACLE is an amazing addition to that group.
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Posted: |
Oct 6, 2013 - 11:43 AM
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By: |
PFK
(Member)
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Im sorry but I dont see the point of people disparging a score they havent heard - only sampled .
The comment criticizing epic scores in general strikes me as the height of disdain - referring to the likes of QUO VADIS, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, HELEN OF TROY, FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, LAND OF THE PHAROAHS, THE EGYPTIAN, THE ROBE, THE SILVER CHALICE, BEN-HUR, THE PRODIGAL - "a bit too typical of the golden age epic sound" --- really?
Is there a typical "Golden Age epic sound"?!! I dont think that any of the above scores sound like the other. I know that on the internet everyone can voice their opinion . IMHO all these scores are classics - and THE MIRACLE is an amazing addition to that group.
I agree with your comments, and like all the scores you mentioned including The Miracle.
If there is a golden age sound ....... then I like that too!
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philiperic: Re: "Im sorry but I dont see the point of people disparging a score they havent heard - only sampled ."
You're right, but that doesn't erase the fact that I, for one, listened to several big chunks of this music and none of it captured my attention. And I've probably been a lover of its composer since before you were born. When and if available for download, I may buy a few tracks to see if my dismissal was premature -- and I'm only saying that I personally wasn't captivated by it, and there has been music over the years (soundtracks, theatre, opera, symphonic) that was very popular but simply didn't ring bells for me, which has nothing to do with its quality. Art, especially music, is a visceral and very subjective pleasure, and we all react to it differently.
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Ah! Now I'm not confused! 
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Posted: |
Oct 12, 2013 - 9:31 PM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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I love this score! Apart from 10 COMMANDMENTS and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, has Bernstein used a chorus in any other works?
I love the gaffe in the vintage graphic art (..."carven image"...); with this, and "Orchestratration" in the film's credits, is this the most glaring example of type proofing errors in a major Hollywood production?
I think we can correctly grant you the example of the spelling gaffe of "Orchestratration". (Hilarious!....Maybe they wanted us to know they were rationing orchestration...... )
On the other hand, the usage of "Carven" seems quite correct if, at the same time, quite archaic. I'm a pretty old guy, but even I've rarely ever heard that word used.
"Carven" is certainly a dictionary inclusion, however:
.....adj made for or formed by carving (`carven' is archaic or literary). “stood as if carven from stone”.....
It could be that the Warners poster annotator was incredibly old, or that he was lifting publicity lines from a stage play program or poster of the original 1911 Karl Vollmeier written, Max Reinhardt directed play.
Sometimes it's nice to encounter words like this. It might be interesting to drop it into a conversation occasionally.....so I think I'll try using it once-in-awhile:....
"As the object of James Stewart's erotic fantasies, Miss Novak performed the role as if carven from a piece of cold marble."
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Apart from 10 COMMANDMENTS and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, has Bernstein used a chorus in any other works?
Well I can think of THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL and CAST A GIANT SHADOW for starters.
- JMM.
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The American poster for THE MIRACLE was a dreadfully designed two-tone mess, while the British poster was vividly colourful and spectacular, the kind of poster that would make you want to go and see the film. The inaccurately muscular Roger Moore swishing a flaming torch on the American poster is supposed to represent his escape from the French prison camp in the film, a sequence that was never included in the final release version.
I received my 2-CD set last Wednesday and I am thrilled with it. A truly romantic and spectacular Elmer Bernstein score and an excellent recording. I once heard that the score was originally recorded in stereo, but that the mixed down mono recording is all that survives. But this does not detract from its superb quality.
As far as I can tell, there are only four cues missing from an otherwise complete recording of the score. The first and second are the blessing of the animals and gypsy dance music at the start of the film; the third is the mournful song that Teresa sings around the gypsy camp fire after she is told that Michael is dead and the fourth is Pibroch O’ Donald Dhu, a Scottish bagpipes and drums tune that we hear fade in as the military band march across the wide screen playing The British Grenadiers (which is on disc 2).
This superb release is a welcome addition to my soundtrack collection and I highly recommend it.
One of the strange things is why didn’t Warner’s release the score (or highlights from it) on a soundtrack LP in 1959 – 1960, as they did with JOHN PAUL JONES and THE NUN’S STORY. I know that Warner Bros records only began releasing in 1959, but surely they should have released the Bernstein score. It was a major oversight by someone at Warner’s.
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Yes, that was a big mistake, considering that the film became a huge hit. There were a few lack-luster 45 rpm singles released of the title theme in 1961 by the likes of Al Caiola and The John Barry Seven, neither of which were anywhere near the quality of Bernstein's recording and collectors had to wait until the late 1960s for parts of the Bernstein soundtrack score to be released by United Artists on an LP on their Sunset label, marketed as containing music from both "The Magnificent Seven" and the sequel, "Return of the Seven", but the music was all from the former film which was also used in the latter film. Later on, United Artists released Bernstein's original title theme version on a 45 rpm single.
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Posted: |
Oct 14, 2013 - 3:50 PM
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By: |
PFK
(Member)
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Yes, that was a big mistake, considering that the film became a huge hit. There were a few lack-luster 45 rpm singles released of the title theme in 1961 by the likes of Al Caiola and The John Barry Seven, neither of which were anywhere near the quality of Bernstein's recording and collectors had to wait until the late 1960s for parts of the Bernstein soundtrack score to be released by United Artists on an LP on their Sunset label, marketed as containing music from both "The Magnificent Seven" and the sequel, "Return of the Seven", but the music was all from the former film which was also used in the latter film. Later on, United Artists released Bernstein's original title theme version on a 45 rpm single.
I agree with your comments David. You know, it always struck me odd that UA records would issue a soundtrack LP to God's Little Acre and neglect The Magnificent Seven! Of course I was happy to get any Elmer LPs, including God's Little Acre.
As per your Warner Bros. records comments: Max Steiner was still a big figure at WB until 1965. He scored maybe 150 WB films, yet only 3 LPs? I would think that in 1959 a WB soundtrack LP to A Summer Place would have been a big seller.
Also, in the late 1950s Ray Heindorf got the go ahead to rerecord two scores on two LPs. He did Young's For Whom the Bell Tolls and Rozsa's Spellbound, both of which were already out in some form. Why didn't Ray record a score by his long-time friend Max? The mysteries of life.
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