Lonesome Dove: Classic Western Film Scores II:
(Compilation) The Silva Screen Records label released two Western-themed
compilations in 1996 as part of their continued push to become a force
in the film music re-recording business. Silva had just begun to
contract the City of Prague Philharmonic a few years earlier for these
performances of well-known score themes, and during these years of trial
& error discovery, the quality of the performances varied significantly.
After 2000, the City of Prague Philharmonic rarely produced substandard
recordings with abundant blatant mistakes, but the compilations of their
renderings in the mid-1990's often require a bit more scrutiny. While
many of these recordings would be recycled on other Silva compilations,
there were occasional circumstances in which the group would take a
second attempt at a piece. Some of the original attempts can still be
heard on these compilations of the mid-1990's, and in light of the
lengthy history that Silva has had of improving their compilations over
the years, keep in mind that these older albums have an inherent
disadvantage. This "Classic Western Film Scores II" product followed a
compilation of similar scores from Silva earlier in 1996. That first
album had a more expected lineup of selections (given popular
expectations), which is why, by default, the second album is a bit more
interesting to film score collectors who have likely heard the usual
round of classics all too often. The second installment begins with its
title piece,
Lonesome Dove, the famous 1992 television series for
which Basil Poledouris' pastoral score would receive considerable
praise. A lengthy suite of the score's major themes is finished by a
performance of the humorous, rhythmic motif that would shine in
Quigley Down Under. The following two cues from
Heaven's
Gate are probably worthy inclusions, but David Mansfield's
minimalistic score is far too Southern European in sound to really fit
with the surrounding pieces. It's one of those scores, especially in the
adaptations of traditional dance pieces, that has to be appreciated in
its own context to be tolerable.
The following suite of music from
Old Gringo is
intriguing in its arrangement. Lee Holdridge's usual orchestrator has
rearranged the "Finale" from the film into a suite that includes the
"Tres Pelonas" source cue that Holdridge had used in the film. The
arrangement may seem a bit awkward, but given that the performers in
Prague seem to have missed the lush touch that the original featured,
the original recording would have benefited from such an arrangement.
For those of you who can't get enough of that stereotypical Western
sound, the next two tracks are for you. Elmer Bernstein's
The Sons of
Katie Elder picks up right where
The Magnificent Seven left
off, and Western veteran Jerome Moross'
The Proud Rebel stirs the
same adventurous pot. Maurice Jarre's usual spinoff Western style from
The Professionals is expanded upon in the percussion section for
El Condor. The highlight of the album for many listeners back in
1996 was the inclusion of over seven minutes from Richard Hagerman's
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, a score that had not been released on
CD at the time. The performers in Prague were top notch for this suite,
leading the U.S. Cavalry with an outstanding job given by the brass
section. Even the sound quality seems to stand out as superior in this
cue. After a somewhat mundane rhythmic piece from Manos Hadjidakis' 1968
Blue score, we hear a more spirited selection from Dimitri
Tiomkin's
Red River; in "River Crossing," a banjo joins the
ensemble in the triumphant rendition of the famous theme. In pure
Morricone style, Dominic Frontiere's
Hang 'Em High lurches along
with pastiche, with notable trumpet solos here (open and muted) that are
mixed very well. A lengthy suite from Jarre's
Red Sun was
arranged by the composer himself and is easier on the ears than the
previous two Jarre selections in this Silva series. Jerry Fielding's
obnoxious, militaristic marches from
The Outlaw Josey Wales end
the album in a rude note, but it doesn't stop the product from being an
interesting and worthy collection. Perhaps the most notable aspect of
the two Western compilations from Silva in 1996 was the relative lack of
Jerry Goldsmith and John Barry material, especially given the recording
group's success in performing their scores throughout the years.
Overall, this album could be worth your money for the fantastic suite
from
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon alone.
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The insert includes extensive information about the scores and films.
