: (Compilation) In the
height of their initial explosion of popularity in 1997 and 1998, the
Silva Screen label and the players of The City of Prague Philharmonic
quickly gained a positive reputation for their impressively resounding
performances of Hollywood's most robust action, adventure, and science
fiction scores. Paired with the superior sound quality offered on all of
their albums, these massive renditions were among the best film music
compilations anywhere on the market at the time. In their second year of
full-time activity for Silva, they began to expand from that base of
action material and marketed a few albums with softer, more
classically-inclined selections. This made sense for Silva, for their
compilations --despite being film music based for the most part-- were
gaining notice in the classical market, especially in regards to their
first "Cinema Choral Classics" album. So, in 1998, Silva emphasized the
more romantic side of soundtracks with a distinctly lighter tone in
"Cinema Choral Classics II" and a romance-only compilation called
"Cinema's Classic Romances." This album, which failed to muster the same
enthusiasm from buyers as the label's other genre-based series of
releases, combined significant modern themes from films along the
William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, and Jane Austen line of thought with
a handful of themes from older generations of similar adaptations. These
kinds of compilations had, at the time, a longer history of attempted
performances by ensembles, especially considering the market for
elevator music variants on popular film music themes. These compilations
were typically lifeless, drab, uninspiring renditions from second rate,
40-person orchestras.
As is always the case with The City of Prague
Philharmonic, this album contrasts that stereotype with fully charged
and vigorous performances featuring their trademark advantage of size.
Additionally, this product avoids the pitfalls of compilations that
simply perform instrumental versions of popular songs in films. These
cues are entirely based on film score themes rather than songs. The
compilation opens with a competent performance of Gabriel Yared's
subdued desert theme for
The English Patient, likely included
here because of the score's Oscar win. The two subsequent Patrick Doyle
cues are significantly contrasting;
Much Ado About Nothing's
grand and comical title theme, perfectly symbolizing the mischievous
deceit of the film, rattles the windows with its brass. The 1996 score
for
Hamlet is, on the other hand, more sincere in its transition
to the tragedy realm. The final choral cue was unfortunately not
selected for inclusion, though Silva would satisfy us with its
performance on "Cinema Choral Classics II." Rachel Portman's
Oscar-winning score for
Emma is adequate here, though the
ensemble loses some of that chipper playfulness that Portman exerts in
her original recordings. Traveling back to Alfred Newman,
Wuthering
Heights revisits a time of extremely lush and varied strings. Nino
Rota's
Romeo and Juliet is much more robust, with a climactic
Broadway-style theme; a lengthy suite is included, spanning four
segments from the original score. The next track is the only grossly
misplaced one on the product; Trevor Jones'
Last of the Mohicans
has an incredible theme, a fan favorite from the 1990's, but is more
epic than romantic. Anyone who associates the film with the extraction
of bodily organs rather than flirtation will have equal troubles with
its appearance, and the percussion in the performance is given an
overbearing mix.
Ilona Sekacz's score for
Mrs. Dalloway had been
receiving good press at the time due to its popular album release. The
main and end title cues will be reminiscent of Rachel Portman's music of
the era. Ennio Morricone's dull score for the Mel Gibson
Hamlet
is nowhere near as rich as Doyle's interpretation. The
Twelfth
Night track that follows is the original recording from the score
(available because Silva owned the rights to it and the Prague ensemble
performed it). The ominous rhythmic motif at its outset betrays the
album's fluffiness, but it's a decent score worthy of inclusion.
Sense and Sensibility is performed with the same delicate touch
as the
Hamlet cue prior. Phillipe Sarde's highly percussive
Tess opens with a motif that James Horner fans will undoubtedly
recognize as inspiration for his Klingon music in 1984's
Star Trek
III: The Search for Spock. It's not necessarily the best thing to
hear on a compilation like this, but the more diverse instrumentation
does break of up the traditional style of album's flow and provides a
distinct curiosity in the middle of the product. Carl Davis' sweeping
theme for
Pride and Prejudice is far more genuinely classical,
with impressive piano solos. The best cue from Thomas Newman's strong
score for
Little Women is unfortunately not represented here.
Finally, a lengthy and mildly enjoyable suite from
Far from the
Madding Crowd is included. Overall, though, the product's first half
easily outshines the latter half. With 30+ strong minutes out of the
75-minute product, there's enough material to warrant interest. The
quality of sound on the album is on par with other Silva compilations of
the time. If you're a fan of the Shakespearean genre of music in
particular, you'll be impressed by Prague's usual high standard of
performance.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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