This music is so, so very exemplary of the sounds of this era: the small ensembles and the particular harmonies.
(The other example I specifically recall sounding like this, from this period, is Meyer Kupferman's "A Christmas Memory," the TV dramatization of Truman Capote's story).
I wonder if it was Bernstein who set the examples or was only following them.
I love this first album and always hoped, a "Volume 2" would be released. Sadly, it never happened.
I love this musical "documentary" style of the 1950`s and 60`s too and sadly, not much of that stuff was released.
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAFIC scores a a great example (composed by Bernstein, Fried, Moross, Walter Scharf and many others) for that kind of music. Sadly, Intrada never continued with theire releases (only 2 volumes exist).
There is still so much great stuff to discover from documentarys from 1950`to 1970`s!
I really enjoy this album (except for the "Westinghouse in Alphabetical Order" track, which I find shrill). My preferred performance of "Toccata for Toy Trains," though, is Bernstein's FMC recording (quite possibly simply because it's how I got to know the piece).
Schiffy, for me the great advantage of Elmer's re-recording of TOY TRAINS is that it's free of the narration on the film's soundtrack. although I wouldn't be without both recordings, such is my love of the film and the score. (And the modest narration is not really a problem for me, it being brief and part of the piece's -- Ray used the fright word -- charm.)
Ray, I'm surprised you didn't already have the CD, since I always think of you as The Man Who Has Everything. And I'm very glad you've added the print to your superb film library, a most worthy inclusion.
