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2001 Album Conducted by:
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Nic Raine
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2001 Album Performed by:
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The City of Prague Philharmonic
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2001 Album Produced by:
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James Fitzpatrick
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Availability:
The 2001 Silva album is a regular international release. The 1990 Sherwood bootleg is difficult to find, and is only available on the secondary auction market.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you have the old bootleg of Robin and Marian and
would like to replace it with a considerably better re-recording.
Avoid it... if you only have money to purchase one or two of Silva's
2001 re-recordings of Barry's work; both The Lion in Winter and
The Last Valley are better.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Robin and Marian: (John Barry) In the early 1970's, the
idea of producing a film about the death of Robin Hood was kicked around
between several studios until it was picked up by producer Ray Stark,
director Richard Lester, and a production team experienced in the
lightning-quick production of swashbuckling films. For the novel script
depicting the late years of the characters in the Robin Hood tale, a
magnificent cast of Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Richard Harris, and Robert
Shaw was collected. Despite the dynamic combination of actors, Robin and
Marian was a significantly depressing experience, with the deaths of all
of the major characters and a heartbreaking story of lost love and endless
battles with old foes. The score for the picture was meant to be a lush,
string-oriented affair from the very beginning, and veteran French composer
Michel Legrand was hired to add that spark of romance. Legrand composed and
recorded music for the entire film; his score featured only a string section
and offered solo performances by each of the different string instruments
for his thematic material. This approach, however, led to a very jumbled and
overly complex score, and although the director (Lester) had been very
pleased with Legrand's music, the producer (Stark) fired Legrand and
immediately searched for a replacement. The next choice was Maurice Jarre, a
composer more seasoned in the category of epic films, but he turned down the
project because of short notice and a respect of Legrand's work. The third
choice was John Barry, who had scored a range of film styles from pop action
to sweeping epics and romantic heartbreakers. Barry had less than three
weeks to provide a replacement score for Robin and Marian, and he
responded with a fully orchestral and thematic approach that would meet with
the approval of the producer, but not the director. Barry's music in parts
of the film was reworked by a fourth composer on the project, pop television
specialist Richard Shores. With the mass of Barry's work remaining intact
for Robin and Marian, though, he received primary credit for the
score.
With all of that jumbled mess out of the way, Barry's score
itself is a strong effort considering the short time frame in which he had
to work. Indeed, Barry's vision of Robin and Marian was more diverse
in its instrumentation than Legrand's had been. Instead of the simple string
approach, Barry carried the personality with the woodwinds, which better
represent the era of King Richard and the location of Sherwood Forest. His
statements of the love theme for the film vary in their intensity, and it is
this often subdued nature of the score that causes the music as a whole to
drag its feet. Even though it is more than sufficient for the film, the only
truly charged performance of that theme is during the mass death scene at
the end of the film, with previous performances meandering softly without
much romantic power. Likewise, the music for action and escape scenes is
often understated as well. Depending strongly on a solo timpani for two or
three pivotal scenes of action in the film, Barry's score lacks the depth
that you often heard in his more broadly conceived scores of the 1970's and
1980's. In these regards, Legrand ironically produced a score for the film
that Barry probably would have written in the late 1980's. Barry's hasty
effort does have its moments, but it lacks the resounding bass and energy
that his scores often thrived on to propel solo performances of his themes.
Richard Shores' work on the film adds that action, but it stands out like a
sore thumb compared to Barry's more melancholy approach. Barry himself
believes that his score works well in the film, though he too will admit
that circumstances surrounding the whole project were far less than perfect.
Robin and Marian went on to lose money at the box office, and thus
only a promotional LP record was offered in 1976 to film score collectors. A
bootleg CD was produced from that 40-minute LP master, though it featured a
dull, distant sound that compounded the problematic aspects of Barry's
music. The 2001 re-recording of the entire score by Nic Raine and the City
of Prague Philharmonic is superbly executed, and proves once again that
Raine is the master of reproducing Barry's older works in electrifying
surround sound quality. Overall, if you are interested in Barry's average
work for Robin and Marian, seek it on the Silva label; the
re-recording is the only viable way to go. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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Track Listings (1990 Sherwood Bootleg):
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Total Time: 39:28
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• 1. Main Title (2:47)
• 2. Main Title II (0:51)
• 3. The Ride to Sherwood (Film Version) (2:13)
• 4. The Ride to Nottingham (1:21)
• 5. Robin and Marian Meet (0:23)
• 6. Fight & Recognition (2:01)
• 7. "He Was My King" (2:21)
• 8. The Ride to Sherwood (1:27)
• 9. Trapped (2:11)
• 10. Trapped II (2:02)
• 11. Over the Wall (2:02)
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• 12. First Love Theme (0:50)
• 13. Second Love Theme (1:20)
• 14. Escape (1:25)
• 15. This Way (0:50)
• 16. In Position (2:24)
• 17. Third Love Theme (2:16)
• 18. Preparation for Battle (2:28)
• 19. Nuns (1:55)
• 20. The Fight Must Go On (2:20)
• 21. John Bursts In (1:35)
• 22. The End (3:00)
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Track Listings (2001 Silva Screen Re-Recording):
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Total Time: 45:06
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• 1. Main Title (2:47)
• 2. The Ride to Sherwood - The Ride to Nottingham (Film Version)* (3:56)
• 3. Robin and Marian Meet - Fight & Recognition - "He Was My King" (3:00)
• 4. Dawn in Sherwood (2:26)
• 5. Over the Wall - Escape (3:50)
• 6. First Love Theme (1:30)
• 7. Trapped* (2:01)
• 8. Nuns (1:42)
• 9. In the Church - This Way (2:01)
• 10. Second Love Theme (2:48)
• 11. The Ride to Sherwood - The Ride to Nottingham (Original Version)* (3:48)
• 12. In Position - Preparation for Battle (4:23)
• 13. Third Love Theme (2:36)
• 14. The Fight Must Go On (3:39)
• 15. John Bursts In - The End (4:41)
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* arranged and orchestrated by Richard Shores
The Sherwood bootleg tnsert includes no extra information about the score or film. The 2001 Silva re-recording contains detailed notes about the film, score, and re-recording process.
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