Stop distracting her! She's supposed to save up for the Treasury while it's still remotely affordable!
I thought the Treasury was out of print and never to be in print again? I only mention this because I might be interested in picking it up in the future...
I was completely stunned hearing the first CD of the Complete Ben Hur today. I had no idea the job FSM did here, this sounds even better than on the Diamond edition blu ray imo! I was soon hopelessly caught up in this score agaib.
Sensational, sensational...I can't get over this. And keep in mind, I've been playing (and loving the Tadlow) regularly.
I am so excited to further explore this set, what a fantastic release.
I was completely stunned hearing the first CD of the Complete Ben Hur today. I had no idea the job FSM did here, this sounds even better than on the Diamond edition blu ray imo! I was soon hopelessly caught up in this score agaib.
Sensational, sensational...I can't get over this. And keep in mind, I've been playing (and loving the Tadlow) regularly.
I am so excited to further explore this set, what a fantastic release.
It's certainly a fantastic release of the score (the only time I've double-dipped on a score having already gotten the original long-book Rhino release) and one of my favorite film score releases which I intend to revisit once I'm done revisiting Intrada's Ten Commandments release.
I was completely stunned hearing the first CD of the Complete Ben Hur today. I had no idea the job FSM did here, this sounds even better than on the Diamond edition blu ray imo! I was soon hopelessly caught up in this score agaib.
Sensational, sensational...I can't get over this. And keep in mind, I've been playing (and loving the Tadlow) regularly.
I am so excited to further explore this set, what a fantastic release.
It's certainly a fantastic release of the score (the only time I've double-dipped on a score having already gotten the original long-book Rhino release) and one of my favorite film score releases which I intend to revisit once I'm done revisiting Intrada's Ten Commandments release.
I'm honestly knocked out by the restoration. I mean, those folks knew not to even bother with the loudness war, thus the dynamic range is in full, glorious display here. I couldn't be happier with this set, it was worth twice this, easily imo.
Wow! I don't believe I've ever heard this suite before. It's the best overall representation of the music that I know. From a concert performance? Perhaps something that Christopher Palmer prepared but never made it into the Polydor series? Anyway, thanks for pointing us to this unidentified YouTube posting by "Niqbal."
It's in the Polydor series John. LP 3, 'Rozsa Conducts Rozsa' side 1, track 4a. 4b is five of the piano pieces with Eric Parkin. It's the RPO. You must've forgotten it!?
"And I myself knew it not!" My bad. Actually there's a certain pleasure in the unexpected rediscovery of a piece once well known and momentarily lost to memory. You hear it with fresh ears. While I have CD dupes of the first two Polydors, it seems that I never got around to dubbing no. 3. The downside is that there's another loathsome sheet of vinyl to deal with. How I detest that medium!
"Providence" got its hooks into me upon third listen. What an expressive piece; the themes resonate through each development in the orchestration. By the third track I was completely sold.
This is a late era Rozsa score, and as such has a certain character I had to acclimate my ears to (I'm mostly about the epic scores). The rewards are there, and manifold.
Still looking forward to Time after Time (and watching funds for the Treasury slip away...it's just too much fun buying I guess).
Hope everyone has their happiest holiday season ever!
I love all of his music. I have since I was five years old. I will always love his music which I will carry in my heart until my last day on this earth. When I hear his music it's as if God is in control of the maestro's baton. Sublime, superb...there are not enough superlatives and adjectives to reflect my love of his works. Vale, Maestro.
I love all of his music. I have since I was five years old. I will always love his music which I will carry in my heart until my last day on this earth. When I hear his music it's as if God is in control of the maestro's baton. Sublime, superb...there are not enough superlatives and adjectives to reflect my love of his works. Vale, Maestro.
I feel that way whenever I hear the Ben Hur overture, King of Kings prelude, and so many other examples. I broke my score cherry with Goldsmith and Herrmann, but today only Herrmann vies for top spot in my film score-loving heart.
I love all of his music. I have since I was five years old. I will always love his music which I will carry in my heart until my last day on this earth. When I hear his music it's as if God is in control of the maestro's baton. Sublime, superb...there are not enough superlatives and adjectives to reflect my love of his works. Vale, Maestro.
I feel that way whenever I hear the Ben Hur overture, King of Kings prelude, and so many other examples. I broke my score cherry with Goldsmith and Herrmann, but today only Herrmann vies for top spot in my film score-loving heart.
What Rozsa left us will live on.
Well, we are of like opinions in many ways...I'm glad you have warmed to the great film composers in the way you have. I recently saw the "Hur" remake and the music just left me cold. It seems that composing in Hollywood these days means you have to create tonescapes rather than memorable themes. There are many films lately wherein the music just does not impress me at all. I want the music to move me...to stay with me as I leave the theatre. Herrmann could do that...Dr. Rozsa for sure as well as Goldsmith, the venerable Williams...etc... Now the only "new" composer I've heard that I like is Alexandre Desplat.
It seems that composing in Hollywood these days means you have to create tonescapes rather than memorable themes. There are many films lately wherein the music just does not impress me at all. I want the music to move me...to stay with me as I leave the theatre.
I think this is one of the most insightful posts regarding modern day film music I've read in awhile.
Today truly is more about atmospherics than anything else; one doesn't have to know how to write for an orchestra neccesarily (or how to actually notate or arrange music)...in fact most of today's composers hire out other people to do that (Zimmer is especially guilty on that point, at least that's what my peers have told me. He comes up with themes and that's mostly it). Not that "giving out" one's themes for development, orchestration, and arrangement didn't happen in the past, but today it's used more as a crutch than ever.
Tiomkin, Herrmann, Rozsa, Alfred Newman, Steiner, Elmer Bernstein...those composers had to study in depth the works of Wagner, Richard Strauss, Mahler, Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart. These days most composers are studying the film composers of the 80s on, or at least their music seems to bear that out.
Imo, film music will never be as great as it was in the 50 and 60s mostly because of the above. Myopia reigns supreme: if it ain't on MTV (or at least Vh 1) it ain't worth listening to...as abysmally sad as that is, that's the current Weltanschauung (at least here in the States, as I don't like speaking for "everyone").
Today is often about wanna be composers blowing their money on the best sample libraries and copying from their favorite Zimmer, Richter, or Junkie XL scores. Such a thing is perhaps the main reason why there has been such a decline in the genre since the 80s. Even the synthesizer has become the kind of one finger music machine which all great composers of the past would have looked upon with horror and condescension. The synth is a remarkable tool and is deservedly becoming far more prevalent; however, even the built in presets of the most popular soft synths today can make the lowliest, no-nothing dolt feel like he or she is making music effortlessly. That's a bad thing.
The chaff is choking the wheat out like never before today. I personally choose to take the true masters (Rozsa, Herrmann, A. Newman, Beethoven, Wagner) and follow their lead...at least partly out of cantankerousness...and partly because I want to write great music
It seems that composing in Hollywood these days means you have to create tonescapes rather than memorable themes. There are many films lately wherein the music just does not impress me at all. I want the music to move me...to stay with me as I leave the theatre.
I think this is one of the most insightful posts regarding modern day film music I've read in awhile.
Today truly is more about atmospherics than anything else; one doesn't have to know how to write for an orchestra neccesarily (or how to actually notate or arrange music)...in fact most of today's composers hire out other people to do that (Zimmer is especially guilty on that point, at least that's what my peers have told me. He comes up with themes and that's mostly it). Not that "giving out" one's themes for development, orchestration, and arrangement didn't happen in the past, but today it's used more as a crutch than ever.
Tiomkin, Herrmann, Rozsa, Alfred Newman, Steiner, Elmer Bernstein...those composers had to study in depth the works of Wagner, Richard Strauss, Mahler, Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart. These days most composers are studying the film composers of the 80s on, or at least their music seems to bear that out.
Imo, film music will never be as great as it was in the 50 and 60s mostly because of the above. Myopia reigns supreme: if it ain't on MTV (or at least Vh 1) it ain't worth listening to...as abysmally sad as that is, that's the current Weltanschauung (at least here in the States, as I don't like speaking for "everyone").
Today is often about wanna be composers blowing their money on the best sample libraries and copying from their favorite Zimmer, Richter, or Junkie XL scores. Such a thing is perhaps the main reason why there has been such a decline in the genre since the 80s. Even the synthesizer has become the kind of one finger music machine which all great composers of the past would have looked upon with horror and condescension. The synth is a remarkable tool and is deservedly becoming far more prevalent; however, even the built in presets of the most popular soft synths today can make the lowliest, no-nothing dolt feel like he or she is making music effortlessly. That's a bad thing.
The chaff is choking the wheat out like never before today. I personally choose to take the true masters (Rozsa, Herrmann, A. Newman, Beethoven, Wagner) and follow their lead...at least partly out of cantankerousness...and partly because I want to write great music
Your post is EXACTLY how I feel about the state of affairs re scoring in Hollywood these days. The old composers were really composers...born of the rigorous and exacting school of music education. They could write music without using a piano...just "thinking" the score out if they had to. These days there are people "composing" for film who can't even write music on a stave. They fiddle about with a synthesiser and create tones and...voila... a score is born!
Watching the remake of "True Grit" I was left with the impression that Bernstein would be spinning in his grave listening to the music for that film. Same as with the remake for "The Magnificent Seven". His music was partially responsible for the success of the original movies and helped to make John Wayne and even bigger star when he composed for most of his films.
Watching the remake of "True Grit" I was left with the impression that Bernstein would be spinning in his grave listening to the music for that film. Same as with the remake for "The Magnificent Seven". His music was partially responsible for the success of the original movies and helped to make John Wayne and even bigger star when he composed for most of his films.
Terrific post overall, +1000!
Off topic, but do you have any CD reccomendations for those scores? I've just started my Bernstein collection with "Ten Commandments". Any help would be hugely appreciated.
Watching the remake of "True Grit" I was left with the impression that Bernstein would be spinning in his grave listening to the music for that film. Same as with the remake for "The Magnificent Seven". His music was partially responsible for the success of the original movies and helped to make John Wayne and even bigger star when he composed for most of his films.
Terrific post overall, +1000!
Off topic, but do you have any CD reccomendations for those scores? I've just started my Bernstein collection with "Ten Commandments". Any help would be hugely appreciated.
I think if you are lucky enough to get any of the original scores on LP conducted by the man himself you'll be very happy but, failing that, any of the re-releases by Tadlow or LaLa will be excellent. Those folks know how to preserve the essence of an original score and its style.
My Collection of film music is vast. Over two hundred LPs and as many CDs and scores and scores of digital files now. I treasure my LPs and keep them as pristine as possible. It's meant keeping my old Riga turntable in top condition only using styluses made by AT or other top companies. If you don't have a turntable on your music system and you go to buy one for God's sake DON'T by a cheapy with a direct drive plastic platter and a ceramic Chinese cartridge. But a decent one (expect to spend about a hundred and fifty dollars or more) or, better still, get a 70s belt drive turntable from a thrift store...buy a new cartridge and stylus for it and watch Youtube to see how to set the anti-skate and tonearm weights. Happy Holidays to you!
Watching the remake of "True Grit" I was left with the impression that Bernstein would be spinning in his grave listening to the music for that film. Same as with the remake for "The Magnificent Seven". His music was partially responsible for the success of the original movies and helped to make John Wayne and even bigger star when he composed for most of his films.
Terrific post overall, +1000!
Off topic, but do you have any CD reccomendations for those scores? I've just started my Bernstein collection with "Ten Commandments". Any help would be hugely appreciated.
I think if you are lucky enough to get any of the original scores on LP conducted by the man himself you'll be very happy but, failing that, any of the re-releases by Tadlow or LaLa will be excellent. Those folks know how to preserve the essence of an original score and its style.
My Collection of film music is vast. Over two hundred LPs and as many CDs and scores and scores of digital files now. I treasure my LPs and keep them as pristine as possible. It's meant keeping my old Riga turntable in top condition only using styluses made by AT or other top companies. If you don't have a turntable on your music system and you go to buy one for God's sake DON'T by a cheapy with a direct drive plastic platter and a ceramic Chinese cartridge. But a decent one (expect to spend about a hundred and fifty dollars or more) or, better still, get a 70s belt drive turntable from a thrift store...buy a new cartridge and stylus for it and watch Youtube to see how to set the anti-skate and tonearm weights. Happy Holidays to you!
I have a pretty darn decent turntable, and play everything from Handel to Goldsmith to Black Sabbath on it. Vinyl will never die! \m/
Watching the remake of "True Grit" I was left with the impression that Bernstein would be spinning in his grave listening to the music for that film. Same as with the remake for "The Magnificent Seven". His music was partially responsible for the success of the original movies and helped to make John Wayne and even bigger star when he composed for most of his films.
Terrific post overall, +1000!
Off topic, but do you have any CD reccomendations for those scores? I've just started my Bernstein collection with "Ten Commandments". Any help would be hugely appreciated.
I think if you are lucky enough to get any of the original scores on LP conducted by the man himself you'll be very happy but, failing that, any of the re-releases by Tadlow or LaLa will be excellent. Those folks know how to preserve the essence of an original score and its style.
My Collection of film music is vast. Over two hundred LPs and as many CDs and scores and scores of digital files now. I treasure my LPs and keep them as pristine as possible. It's meant keeping my old Riga turntable in top condition only using styluses made by AT or other top companies. If you don't have a turntable on your music system and you go to buy one for God's sake DON'T by a cheapy with a direct drive plastic platter and a ceramic Chinese cartridge. But a decent one (expect to spend about a hundred and fifty dollars or more) or, better still, get a 70s belt drive turntable from a thrift store...buy a new cartridge and stylus for it and watch Youtube to see how to set the anti-skate and tonearm weights. Happy Holidays to you!
I have a pretty darn decent turntable, and play everything from Handel to Goldsmith to Black Sabbath on it. Vinyl will never die! \m/
Excellent! Thrift stores are the best places to turn up old LP recordings of soundtracks, btw.
