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Review of Cinema Choral Classics II (Compilation)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

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.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

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.  ****

TRACK LISTINGS:

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)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert notes are in great depth, with lyrics for many listings.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Cinema Choral Classics II are Copyright © 1998, Silva Screen Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 7/27/98 and last updated 8/5/07.