Search - Kenneth Alwyn :: The Ladykillers: Music From The Classic Ealing Films (Film Score Anthology)

Painstaking reconstructions of important British Film Music

01/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Film music on CDs seem to be big business nowadays. This CD arrives in the United States after being touted in Grammophone Magazine. I hope more American readers like me saw the article and were interested, but the CD just got released here in the states. Much of this music had to be listened to on the soundtracks of the respective films and reconstructed just on that alone! Everything is well represented in the liner notes and I will list the composers represented: Benjamin Frankel, Georges Auric, Alan Rawsthorne, Ernest Irving, Gerard Schurmann, Mozart (but arranges by Lane), Trisam Cary and John Ireland. Most of these names are familiar because the CD boom has presented concert works of Frankel, Schurmann and Rawsthorne. John Ireland's name is startling to find as a film composer but considering the fine legacy here, it is not unheard of. This disc is well recorded and it makes me wonder if these films are released in the United States. From what I can gather, these are rather droll films where serious subjects are treated with a dark sense of humor. You can read about it in the notes. Recording quality and performances are top-notch. Kudos to all involved!"