Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you are a fanatic for some of the specific scores included. Avoid it... if you're tired of hearing the same scores appearing over and over again on themed compilations, and the two or three exceptions here aren't worth it. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
How the West Was Won: Classic Western Film Scores I: (Compilation) The Silva Screen Records label released two Western-themed compilations in 1996 as part of their continued push to become a force in the film music re-recording business. Silva had just begun to contract the City of Prague Philharmonic a few years earlier for these performances of well-known score themes, and during these years of trial & error discovery, the quality of the performances varied significantly. After 2000, the City of Prague Philharmonic rarely produced substandard recordings with abundant blatant mistakes, but the compilations of their renderings in the mid-1990's often require a bit more scrutiny. While many of these recordings would be recycled on other Silva compilations, there were occasional circumstances in which the group would take a second attempt at a piece. Some of the original attempts can still be heard on these compilations of the mid-1990's, and in light of the lengthy history that Silva has had of improving their compilations over the years, keep in mind that these older albums have an inherent disadvantage. This first Western album does feature the usual odd assortment of classic and modern scores. Conducted mostly by Nic Raine, the collection starts with Elmer Bernstein's necessary suite of themes from The Magnificent Seven, featuring the expected enthusiasm that the piece demands. The arrangement and orchestration of Dee Barton's High Plains Drifter is one of the best surprises on the album. Clint Eastwood's preferred music usually falls along the more sparse, stylistic sounds of Ennio Morricone, and Barton's original recording is much the same. But the arrangement here is both expanded and fleshed out for the symphony, and is fascinating and entertaining as such. The same can be said about the suite from Gettysburg, which will be the highlight of the product for many listeners. Because of Randy Edelman's overly simplistic chord progressions and standard incorporation of electronics in his work, Gettysburg has always been a "love it or hate it" kind of score. For people who couldn't fathom the Edelman sound representing "The Killer Angels," the concert suite performed here has been orchestrated for only a symphonic ensemble. So while the themes may still be ridiculously simplistic and underdeveloped, it may be more tolerable for its detractors. Silva has also included a narration of the "Gettysburg Address" in the middle portions of the lengthy suite; it is well performed and mixed. Maurice Jarre's first career Western score, The Professionals, is well rendered by the ensemble, with the three cues including contributions by a generous percussion section. The suite of five cues from Lee Holdridge's Buffalo Girls may come as a surprise to many listeners. The fine score for the massive 1995 CBS television film is well-treated here, though the vibrant sound quality and accentuation of the acoustic guitar in the original recording remains superior. Silva would continue to support Holdridge's work with a recording of Old Gringo on their second Western album. You have to be a fan of Jerry Fielding's impressionistic score for The Wild Bunch to appreciate this well-arranged, very lengthy re-recording. If you don't prefer Fielding's less traditional approach to Western adventure, then be aware that the arrangement here doesn't attempt to bring it any closer in sound to the other scores on the album. The cue from Jerry Goldsmith's Wild Rovers is truly a highlight from the composer's career, but some of the crisp elements of the original recording are blurred here; the recording would appear on Goldsmith-specific compilations from Silva in the future. The same can be said of the six cues recorded from Alfred Newman's How the West Was Won at the end of the album. The ensemble doesn't quite capture the essence of the original recording, though their attempt is valiant, and the same cues would be included on Silva's Newman-specific compilation a few years later (though a few would be combined into lengthier tracks). Overall, this is a decent compilation, though the wider-ranging diversity of the second Western compilation in the series gives it the edge. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 77:59
All artwork and sound clips from How the West Was Won: Classic Western Film Scores I are Copyright © 1996, Silva Screen Records. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 10/31/96, updated 7/24/06. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1996-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
