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Cinema Choral Classics II
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Performed by:
The City of Prague Philharmonic and The Crouch End Festival Chorus
Conducted by:
Paul Bateman
David Temple
Nic Raine
Kenneth Alwyn
Produced by:
James Fitzpatrick
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LABEL & RELEASE DATE
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Regular U.S. release.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... if you seek a softer, classically-inclined companion to
the best-selling "Cinema Choral Classics" album of equally impressive
sonic marvels.
Avoid it... if you would prefer the more thunderous, wall-rattling
selection of battle hymns and chants on that previous album.
BUY IT
Cinema Choral Classics II: (Compilation) After the
first "Cinema Choral Classics" album from 1997 exceeded 70,000 units in
sale and reached the top 15 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Charts,
you knew that a sequel was inevitable. Over the following year, the
album set records for compilation sales in the soundtrack genre, both in
traditional stores and online. Garnering enormous critical praise by
various classical and film publications outside of the constricted world
of film music, "Cinema Choral Classics" promised of subsequent efforts
by The City of Prague Philharmonic and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
The ensembles were, by 1998, at the height of their film music
reproduction efforts, with Silva Screen's releases of their performances
serving as the very best film music recreations available on the market.
Like the previous entry in this particular series, Silva had managed to
avoid the three major pitfalls of any re-recorded film music
compilation: lack of orchestra size, lack of choral accompaniment when
the original recording featured one, and poor recording quality. It's
not often that a label and performing group avoids all of these sins,
but Silva has done just that over the past ten years with their
magnificent compilations. When the ensemble is large, the chorus is even
larger, and the sound quality is in at least Dolby Surround quality, you
can forgive even the occasional performance mistake or questionable
adaptation, both of which are inevitable in any compilation. That leaves
the selection of included pieces to solely determine the worth of any
album for the particular listener. In the case of "Cinema Choral
Classics II," Silva's offerings feature a more distinct classical
influence than the previous album, including classical pieces that
happen to appear in (or are altered to be effective in) motion pictures.
Add to that a healthy variety of Patrick Doyle works, and the product is
one that certainly belongs in the classical section of your local
stores. The majority of tracks on the album still, however, are film
music based. It just so happens that Silva took all the monumentally
huge choral pieces and expended them on the first entry in the series.
In light of this transition to softer selections, the cover art could be
a tad misleading.
Chronologically, the single-CD album begins with a
stirring track by Handel, whose "Hallelujah Chorus" also appears at the
end of the album. "Concerto in E Minor," by Van Den Budenmayer and
Zbignew Preisner, is one of the pure delights on this album, with some
hauntingly solemn vocal solos by soprano Charlotte Kinder. How the
West Was Won is performed in a much more massive choral fashion that
the original, giving it a unique new perspective. John Williams'
"Exsultate Justi" is performed almost identically to the original,
although this recording has an advantage in sheer size. Two tracks from
Patrick Doyle's Much Ado About Nothing follow, takes varying
selections from the score, including the one that Doyle originally
performed himself, and expands their scope significantly. The two
subsequent Danny Elfman tracks are almost a combined 10 minutes in
length and stand out like a sore thumb on the compilation. The "Main
Titles" and "Ice Dance" from Edward Scissorhands are adequately
performed with the appropriate twist of bittersweet fantasy, while the
opening title music to Mars Attacks! is badly out of place on the
album. Its concurrent release at the outset of Silva's "Alien Invasion"
album is more fitting. After another traditional classical piece adapted
for Dimitri Tiomkin's The Alamo is an enjoyable song consistent
with his Western genre scores. Basil Poledouris' five-minute "Tradition
of the Games," composed for the 1996 Olympic Games, is the highlight of
the album, especially considering the lack of an official release for
the piece. After an interesting interpretation of Alfred Newman's The
Robe, the CD returns to Doyle for his more serious vocal works of
the mid-1990's. Both are arguably improvements over the originals. The
title hymn to The Hunt for Red October is a noteworthy inclusion,
though not particularly spectacular in performance. The arrival cue from
Alexander Nevsky is rich with varied percussion and an
appropriately quick, upbeat rhythm. Overall, it's difficult to find
fault with any performance by a 180-member choir and fully orchestral
ensemble, especially with competent arrangements and conducting. This
sequel compilation may not shake the floors like the original album, but
it offers a satisfyingly softer, classically-inclined companion.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Total Time: 73:23
• 1. The Madness of King George, Zadok
the Priest -- George Frideric Handel (5:11)
• 2. The Double Life of Veronica, Concerto
in E Minor -- Van Den Budenmayer/Zbignew Preisner (5:05)
• 3. How the West was Won, How the West
Was Won -- Alfred Newman/Ken Darby (3:18)
• 4. If, Sanctus, from Missa
Luba -- traditional arranged by Guido Haazen (2:49)
• 5. Empire of the Sun, Exsultate
Justi -- John Williams (5:01)
• 6. Much Ado about Nothing, Goddess of
the Night -- Patrick Doyle (3:25)
• 7. Much Ado about Nothing, Strike Up,
Piper -- Patrick Doyle (2:34)
• 8. Edward Scissorhands, Main Title/Ice
Dance -- Danny Elfman (5:30)
• 9. Mars Attacks!, Introduction/Main
Title -- Danny Elfman (4:01)
• 10. Paradise Road, Largo, from The
New World Symphony -- Antonin Dvorak (2:31)
• 11. The Alamo, The Green Leaves of
Summer -- Dimitri Tiomkin/Paul Francis Webster (3:33)
• 12. The 1996 Olympic Games, Tradition of
the Games -- Basil Poledouris (5:21)
• 13. The Robe, The Promise of the Holy
Spirit, from Man of Galilee -- Alfred Newman/Ken Darby (4:12)
• 14. Sense and Sensibility, Weep You No
More Sad Fountains -- Patrick Doyle (3:02)
• 15. Hamlet, In Pace -- Patrick
Doyle (3:32)
• 16. The Hunt for Red October, Hymn to
Red October -- Basil Poledouris (5:41)
• 17. Alexander Nevsky, Alexander's Entry
into Pskov -- Sergei Prokofiev (4:21)
• 18. The Greatest Story Ever Told, The
Hallelujah Chorus, from The Messiah -- Gearge Frideric Handel (4:04)
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The insert notes are in great depth, with lyrics for many listings.
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