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This has probably been asked before but here goes: listened again to the Ryko CD of the album re-recording last night (at least I assume it was a re-recording done back in the early 60s) and wished so much that the music sounded "bigger" and more exciting. Haven't seen the (somewhat average) movie for years but I am guessing the original soundtrack recording was much more spectacular with a larger orchestra (more along the lines of the fantastic Charles Gerhardt recording of "The Ride to Dubno") than the thin and dry album recording we currently have. It's a fabulous score (even by the great Waxman's extraordinary standards) and surely deserves to be heard as it was intended.
So what are the chances of the original tracks ever being released?
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The orchestra of the Ryko disc sounds big enough for me.
Ah, but not for me..! 
Yes I have that Elmer Bernstein-conducted suite too - nice thing to have but I'm sure the soundtrack is a different kettle of fish entirely and would be much nicer still! If the tapes are indeed lost as suggested then that is a minor tragedy...
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The masters may no longer exist (??), but the old Laser with its stereo sound was a treat.
Hopefully the DVD will turn up soon...
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The orchestra of the Ryko disc sounds big enough for me.
??????? You're being sarcastic, right? It certainly was a lively group of musicians, but the size of the orchestra used for the LP recording makes Taras Bulba sound unintentionally funny at times.
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I think the TARAS BULBA rerecording suffers from the "dryness" of the recording also. I've been meaning to suck it into my ProTools setup and experiment (conservatively, of course) with the D-Verb plug-in. This is one recording that might benefit from a judicious use of reverb--and I suggest this only because we are unlikely to ever hear a release of the admittedly bigger sounding original tracks.
For all it's faults, the Ryko still benefits from a quite energetic performance under Waxman's baton.
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Thor,
Please don't refer to score's as being OLD if they were recorded after I became "aware". For me the 1960's onwards are "contemporary".
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I think the orchestra plays magnificently on this recording.
All 12 of them.
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I think that the Ryko release sounds as good as this recording is going to get. It's pretty punchy, actually, and the performance is fantastic.
That said, I saw the film long after I was familiar with the score and was blown away anew by how it sounded in the movie. It would be nice to have a release of the original soundtrack (with the possible inclusion of some of those Kossack songs), but that doesn't look likely.
This is one of my favorite Franz Waxman scores.
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Posted: |
Nov 2, 2024 - 8:41 AM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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Isn't it strange how preferences change over the years?
In my early film music days, TARAS BULBA was probably my favourite Waxman score. I try to think of why, and it may have something to do with the BEETLEJUICE-like "ompa ompa" main theme, which I was very into at the time. What's that style of music called? A restless, young soul, I was. It's reflected in the 2005 posts above.
These days, however, I find it to be rather tiring. I mean, the calm parts are still good, but the action goes on my nerves. I have both the Rykodisc and the RCA compilation with the 20-minute suite. Well, HAD is more precise, because both have been traded off, it seems. Still have them digitally, though.
By the time the Tadlow re-recording came out in 2011, I had already started to cool on the score, so I never picked that up. It was too long anyway, and would have needed serious whittling.
Anyways, I'm rambling. Waxman is still my favourite Golden Age composer, but there has been some reshuffling of favourite scores in the last two decades.
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Posted: |
Nov 2, 2024 - 12:05 PM
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By: |
Slackattack
(Member)
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Waxman is still my favourite Golden Age composer, but there has been some reshuffling of favourite scores in the last two decades.
Out of curuosity Thor, what are some of your favorite Waxman scores these days?
I've been slowly collecting more and more of his scores ever since discovering this one through the Tadlow recording a few years ago, and of the good 20-something Waxmans I've listened to since, Taras Bulba is still one of my absolutely favorites. While I admittedly don't sit down to enjoy the full album as much as I'd like to, The Ride To Dubno never fails to put a huge smile on my face and the Pastorale / Wishing Star theme just melts my heart every time I hear it.
I still have much more to discover but some other favorites are The Story of Ruth, Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man, Crime In The Streets, Career, Rebecca, The Bride of Frankenstein and A Place In The Sun. Intrada's Waxman collection is stuffed full of treasures as well!
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The Spirit of St. Louis is a great score, featuring perhaps the finest film example of flying music.
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Odd that no one has mentioned the 2009 remastered Kritzerland CD release of the original LP. It is vastly better sounding than the Rykodisc, eliminating the tinny pinched sound of the old UA LP release and restoring a bit more of the bottom that was missing in previous releases. I would be first in line for a release of the original soundstage recordings, should they ever be found somewhere and subjected to the magic of a Chris Malone or Mike Matessino remastering. The orchestra was smaller for the LP re-recording, admittedly, but they certainly lacked nothing when it comes to energy and performance quality. I have not heard the Tadlow so I have no comment, but the Kritzerland is still a favorite listen for me.
Of course, no one mentions it  We may even still have a few, so if anyone would like the improved version, and James Nelson did a GREAT job, email me and I'll check.
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Bruce, I'm having trouble on "contact" portion of your website. I was enquiring about the Taras Bulba CD you said you might still have. Thanks.
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