Miklos Rozsa
The Epic Film Music of Miklos Rozsa
City of Prague Philharmonic, Kenneth Alwyn
(Silva America, SSD 1056)
At a time when sharp distinctions were often drawn between film work and "serious" composing, Miklos Rozsa was a well-respected composer in both fields. From the time of his 1940 arrival in Hollywood, his services as a film composer were constantly in demand. Rozsa distinguished himself as a preeminent film noir composer in the 1940s, but the scale and scope of his works changed as different commissions began to come his way. By the 1950s Rozsa was the composer of choice for the great biblical and historical epics then in vogue, culminating in his Oscar-winning score for Ben Hur in 1959.

This 1996 collection of rerecorded material emphasizes Rozsa's "epic" scores. If you want an example of this big, epic sound, try the "Overture" from El Cid (1961), with its brilliant fanfare and driving, Spanish-influenced rhythms, or sit back and enjoy the majestically brassy "Parade of the Charioteers," from Ben Hur. The preponderance of massively-scaled compositions in this collection can leave the impression that Rozsa was something of a one-trick pony. For a different take, listen to the gentle "Love Scene," from El Cid, or the lushly romantic and energetic "Waltz," from Madame Bovary (1949). The Prague Philharmonic, conducted by Kenneth Alwyn, performs the selected works with verve, energy, and solid musicianship. Silva America's recording has an excellent sense of presence and will give you plenty of opportunities to test your system at high volume.

Miklos Rozsa trivia: Rozsa composed the theme music to the classic TV series Dragnet.

Howard Shore
Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring
Original soundtrack
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Howard Shore
(Reprise, 9 48110-2)
Composers dream of getting a canvas as big as The Lord of The Rings to work with. Howard Shore has delivered a massive work in the romantic orchestral tradition that is every bit as evocative and moving as the glorious landscapes and massive battles of this history-making film trilogy. Throughout the entire trilogy Shore has crafted, intertwined, and reworked musical themes that carry forward the emotion and action of the story. Listeners love it, as the soundtracks for the LOTR movies have been regular visitors at the top of the classical music sales charts. There's little doubt that the music of these movies will be well studied (and often imitated) in years to come.

With three excellent soundtracks to choose from it was difficult to decide which to include in this compilation. I chose 2001's Fellowship of the Ring since it is the starting point from which the music of all the films flows. In Fellowship, the style and scale of the music is firmly established and most of the main themes are presented. Of course, there's no reason you shouldn't listen to all three soundtracks! The London Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studio, tackles the music with real vigor, and the recordings invariably sound excellent, whether presenting light and delicate passages or delivering massive orchestral thunder strokes. To see how well your system can reproduce dense and extremely heavy passages, go to "The Bridge of Khazad Dum" and see if your subwoofer can keep up with the pounding percussion.

Howard Shore trivia: Howard Shore was the first musical director of the house band for Saturday Night Live, way back in 1975.

Carl Stalling
The Carl Stalling Project: Music from Warner Brothers Cartoons, 1936-1958
(Warner Bros. 2-26027)
Many of us grew up looking forward to Saturday morning cartoons, particularly the classic Warner Brothers animations. As much as anything else, the success of these short films lies in the frantic musical scores that back them up. The master behind these classic soundtracks was Carl Stalling. After getting his start writing music for the cartoons of fellow Kansas City native Walt Disney, Stalling moved to the Warner Brothers animation studio in 1930. Stalling developed a unique style, with bursts of manic music suddenly starting and stopping; musical moods shifting rapidly; and slyly interwoven musical themes matching the action and characters on the screen.

The Carl Stalling Project is a collection of original material rescued from the vaults of the Warner Brothers studio. You'll hear the limitations of the original recordings (mono playback, tape hiss, somewhat tinny highs), but if you're like me you'll be too busy enjoying the music to care. This 1991 release includes several complete cartoon scores, like the 1950 Bugs Bunny short Hillbilly Hare or 1956's Roadrunner cartoon There They Go Go Go. You can almost see the on-screen action in your mind's eye as you listen. These complete shorts are interspersed with thematic medleys, like "Anxiety Montage" and "Dinner Music for a Pack of Cannibals." Most interesting, perhaps, are short snippets taken from actual rehearsal sessions, like "Putty Tat Trouble, Part 6." Listening to conductor Milt Franklyn put the Warner Brothers Orchestra through their paces as they do multiple takes on a short, amazingly complex snippet of music puts a very human face on the process of creating movie music.

Carl Stalling trivia: Stalling did the voice of Mickey Mouse on several of Walt Disney's early cartoons.

John Williams
The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration
Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams
(Sony Classical SK 45997)
If you asked most people to name one movie composer, they would probably pick John Williams. Perhaps no other composer is so well identified with his work, be it the theme from Star Wars, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or any number of other blockbusters. Williams' long, productive, and rewarding career (five Academy Awards) can certainly stand on its own merits. Yet his success is tightly interwoven with the many fine films of director Steven Spielberg, no slouch himself in the awards department (three Academy Awards). This crisply-recorded collection of Williams' music from Spielberg films has a wide dynamic range and full presence, due to the excellent acoustics of Boston's Symphony Hall and an outstanding performance by the Boston Pops Orchestra, conducted by Williams himself.

There's a wide selection of music in this collection, ranging from an energetic rendition of "The Raider's March" from Raiders of the Lost Ark to the lush melodies of the "Theme" from Always, as well as the soaring "Adventures on Earth" from E.T. To get a crash course in the craft of this fine composer, go directly to "Out to Sea" and "The Shark Cage Fugue," from Jaws. Sit down and hold on tight as a light and airy nautical tune transforms itself into a dark and predatory fugal theme that swirls through the entire orchestra before resolving into a crashing climax.

If there is any problem with this recording, it's that it can't cover all of Williams' many fine scores, in particular his more recent works. Still, it's a great place to start!

John Williams trivia: During his early composing career Williams composed some of the music used on the TV show Gilligan's Island.