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Review of Hollywood '96 (Compilation)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you have enjoyed previous compilations of re-recordings featuring this combination of ensemble and conductor, and the selections of scores represented interests you.

Avoid it... if you were disappointed by the "Hollywood '95" album, for "Hollywood '96" is not as strong.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Hollywood '96: (Compilation) The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has recorded hundreds of film music works for release by the Varèse Sarabande label. At the helm for most of their early recordings of the mid-1990's was conductor/composer Joel McNeely, considered at the time to be a student and possible successor for film music legend John Williams. The collaboration of the RSNO and Joel McNeely had proven moderately successful during a recording of scores from 1994 (provided on an album called, of course, "Hollywood '94"), and the enormous success of "Hollywood '95" would lead to one more similar collection of recordings the following year before the collaboration would take a few years off. The RSNO would continue to re-record entire scores to be released by Varèse Sarabande, and like any performing group, they have their days when they excel and days when wrong notes miserably blurt out in nearly every cue. Such is the habit of any performing group, however, especially when performing the works of a composer for the first time. The strength of the great 1995 compilation was owed mostly to the vast quantity of good music produced by Hollywood composers during that year, including a monumental year for James Horner. The 1996 season wasn't half as strong by comparison, so instead of providing a small number of scores with multiple cues from several of those works, Varèse decided to record single themes from a much wider variety of scores for 1996. This is one strike against the "Hollywood '96" album, followed by a second strike caused by the inherent nature of publishing an album that summarizes the year's best music long before the year is over. Essentially, "Hollywood '96" is left with choosing material that comes from the summer blockbusters and forcing some of the spring surprises into the mix. The end result is an album which features selections from scores that really don't sell albums, even for devoted film music collectors.

The album opens with a disservice to Danny Elfman's score to Mission: Impossible by only including Lalo Schifrin's memorable theme, though you can't really fault Varèse for being unable to find a good compilation piece from Elfman's work. The following suite of themes from Twister is a worthy inclusion on the album, but its performance lacks the spirited movement of the original. Both Carter Burwell's Fargo and Elliot Goldenthal's A Time to Kill are awkward deviations, with the Burwell score's quirky rhythms and fiddle solos meshing poorly with Goldenthal strikingly complex movements. Producer Robert Townson couldn't resist throwing John Williams' 1995 theme for Sabrina onto the album, despite its once again out-of-place position. After Thomas Newman's Phenomenon passes shortly without any point of interest, Joel McNeely's own fluffy and ultra-happy Flipper is a tad annoying in its bright outlook. Tamed to even more restrained levels is Rachel Portman's eventual Oscar-winning score for Emma. From this point on, the album finally gets truly interesting, with the rousing brass finale piece from William Ross' Tin Cup standing well alongside other triumphant sports finales. The hymnal theme from James Horner's Courage Under Fire is solemn and restrained as necessary, in stark contrast to Bernard Herrmann's lush and seemingly misplaced "Scene D'Amour" from Vertigo. The classic Alfred Hitchcock film was restored and released in pristine form in 1996, and as part of the hype surrounding that restoration, Joel McNeely would actually collaborate with the RSNO to re-record the entire score for a separate album. The one cue here would have been better appreciated if placed at the end, though it's a beautiful cue no matter where it is heard. The two monumental successes of the album are saved until last, with the impressive and lengthy "Sanctuary" cue from Alan Menken's The Hunchback of Notre Dame featuring a 150-member chorus. Whipping up a storm is the RSNO's performance of the final action pieces (and notably not the usual concert suite) from David Arnold's necessary Independence Day, the highlight of the summer blockbuster season. The performance here is sadly lacking in choir, but the orchestral ensemble's brass section does a great and valiant job of capturing the robust size of the original. Overall, "Hollywood '96" is not as strong as "Hollywood '95" due to its awkward progression in selections, but it's superior to "Hollywood '94."  ****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 54:15

• 1. Mission: Impossible (Lalo Schifrin) (1:31) • 2. Twister (Mark Mancina) (4:40) • 3. Fargo (Carter Burwell) (3:00) • 4. A Time to Kill (Elliot Goldenthal) (4:19) • 5. Sabrina (John Williams) (5:42) • 6. Phenomenon (Thomas Newman) (2:54) • 7. Flipper (Joel McNeely) (2:50) • 8. Emma (Rachel Portman) (2:56) • 9. Tin Cup (William Ross) (4:44) • 10. Courage Under Fire (James Horner) (3:43) • 11. Vertigo (Bernard Herrmann) (5:07) • 12. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Alen Menken) (6:21) • 13. Independence Day (David Arnold) (5:45)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes detailed information about the scores and films.

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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 Hollywood '96 are Copyright © 1996, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 11/1/96 and last updated 7/29/06.