Search - Morton Gould :: Legendary Hollywood "Morton Gould Conducts" Film Score Classics and Rarities"

Rather Dull Compellation From 30 Years Ago

William F. Flanigan Jr. | North Potomac, MD USA | 12/05/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"1. According to the CD booklet, all tracks were recorded in 1978 sessions. Further, these tracks save one have previously been released--somewhere. So let's start with the one that is apparently being released here for the first time.

2. Surprisingly, it's the suite from Eric Wolfgang Korngold's masterful film score, THE SEA HAWK (Track 14). Hey, there are only 20 other extant modern recordings of this suite (or bits and pieces of it), so what's one more or less. This recording, however, is slightly above average. Pokey, but full bodied and loaded with nuances curtsey of what used to be the London Symphony Orchestra and it's superb technical team of many years ago. Overall, not bad at all.

3. As for the rest of the samples on this compellation disc (all are film-score remnents; "rarities" seem to be among the missing), Copland's THE RED PONY (track 1) has seen, er heard better days. Williams' Star Wars (tracks 2 and 3) is rendered pathetic. Rozas's TRIBUTE TO A BAD MAN (track 5) and THAT HAMILTON WOMAN (track 12) turn out OK, but how could any recording of Rozas' film music not sound great?! Bliss' THINGS TO COME sounds fine. And Gould's own WINDJAMMER (track 13) is passable (however, another recent recordings does a better job--Erich Kunzel's MASTERS AND COMMANDERS, track 17 [Telarc CD-80682]).

4. The CD booklet based on "original notes by Malcolm Walker, expanded by Tom Null" is less than minimalistic. One might reasonably ask where's the "expansion" unless the original notes were on the back of a solitary postage stamp!

5. Bottom line: Pass on this one unless you are addicted to thumb nail-sized old movie posters.



William F. Flanigan, Jr., Ph.D."