Although this is an American Columbia LP, it mostly consists of recordings of British film music circa mid-20th century.
The only well-known item on the record the one American item, Miklos Rozsa's music from Spellbound, here in a British performance. The best known composer represented is Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose beautiful score for the Loves of Joanna Godden was almost unknown until a recent re-recording.
Also on board are Allan Gray, with two very effective items, and Lord Berners, who wrote concert as well as film music. This is all that was ever recorded of Gray's film music.
Much of the record is devoted to three pieces by the now little-known (but very talented) Mischa Spoliansky. His A Voice in the Night from Wanted for Murder is one of the most effective of the many quasi-romantic piano concertos that turned up in film music following the success of Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto. That latter piece is not included here. However, I have added another Addinsell item as a bonus. It is the original recording of music from Passionate Friends by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Muir Mathieson, and it comes from a different Entre album that otherwise is not film music.
Thank you very much for sharing this - especially for the Spoliansky pieces. It is almost impossible to find recordings of any of his compositions today.
ReplyDeleteThe liner notes, not appearing too clearly, bear reproducing here:
ReplyDeleteWriting music for films is an art that increasingly grows in stature. A film score should be unobtrusive and yet assist materially in creating a mood; it must underline the action and often provide drama with an intensity that only music an achieve.
A surprising amount of music composed for films stands on its own as exceptionally craftsmanlike and absorbing work - Aaron Copland’s score for Our Town for example, or Bernard Herrmann’s for All That Money Can Buy, Miklos Rozsa’s for Spellbound and William Walton’s for Henry V.
Of the extremely interesting examples of film music contained in this collection, many were composed for British motion pictures.
Of these English compositions surely the most noteworthy is Vaughn Williams’ music for The Loves Of Joanna Godden. The movie which this movie companions is a patoral and romantic drama, based on Sheila Kaye-Smith’s well-known novel telling the story of a self-willed woman who, against tradition and the advice of her neighbors, insists on running the farm she has inherited from her father. Vaughn Williams’ lovely and subtle score for this picture is profoundly imbued with a feeling, a Hardy-like feeling, for the English countryside. The excerpts from the score bear titles that help to illuminate the music. They are Romney Marsh, Joanna Godden, Sheepshearing, Work On The Farm, The Fair, Martin Drowned At Dungerness, Ellen And Harry Trevor, Adoption Of A Motherless Lamb, Burning Of The Sheep, Reunion.
Allan Gray’s Prelude To A Matter Of Life And Death sets the mood delightfully for the imaginative and entertaining film that was released in the United States under the title of Stairway To Heaven. This is the story of the aviator who suffers a severe concussion when his plane is shot down during the war. Operated upon, this aviator is visited by a series of hallucinations in which he sees figures from the Other World and in which he defends himself in a celestial trial for his life.
Polish-born Allan Gray, who was formerly a musical director for Max Reinhardt, is also represented in this album by the Theme from his score for This Man Is Mine - a comedy-drama involving a young Canadian soldier, an emotionally disrupted English family, and a gang of black marketeers.
Miklos Rosza, who wrote the distinctive score for Spellbound, the remarkable film starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, has also written music for such films as The Lost Weekend, The Thief Of Bagdad, Double Indemnity and The Jungle Book.
Born in Hungary, Rosza received his early musical training in England and Germany. He lived for some time in Paris and from there he went to London where he produced his Hungarian Ballet. He composed his first film score, Knight Without Armor in 1936 and has been closely associated with film work ever since.
A Voice In The Night is the theme of Mischa Spoliansky’s music for Wanted For Murder, a tense thriller about a man who is haunted by the spirit of his his great-grandfather, who was public hangman to Queen Victoria. Because he is so haunted the chief character commits murder against his will.
Mischa Spoliansky was born in Russia and studies music on the Continent, working for a time with Reinhardt. His works include opera, musical comedy and symphonic music. Among the films for which he has composed music are The Ghost Goes West, Sanders Of The River, Jeannie and This Was A Woman.
He is also represented in this collection by music from two other films - Idol Of Paris and That Dangerous Age.
The delightful music contained in this collection from the film of Nicholas Nickleby was composed by that master of wit, the late Lord Berners. The scenes and characters depicted are: Nicholas and Madeline; Kate At The Mantalmas; Ralph Nickleby; Miss La Creevy; Kate and Frank; Mr. Squeers; The Cheeryble Brothers; Death Of Smuke; Mr. Crummles; The Hampton Inn; The Wedding.
Any chance of a re-upload in Mediafire or Mega?
ReplyDeletethank you, what a fascinating selection; another welcome window onto the past. cheers, a.v.
ReplyDeletethank you, what a fascinating selection; another welcome window onto the past. cheers, a.v.
ReplyDeleteOnce more - thank you!!!
ReplyDelete