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Review of The Ultimate Star Trek (Compilation)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... only if you consider yourself a true fan of the "Star Trek"
franchise, for this compilation is among the weakest of the
plethora of similar products aimed at you.
Avoid it... if you expect the performances conducted by Cliff Eidelman and Frederic Talgorn to have the same authenticity as those by Jerry Goldsmith, which were already previously available on album.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Ultimate Star Trek: (Compilation) In the late
1990's, it seemed as though there was a new collection of "Star Trek"
themes produced for album once or twice every year, each one
clamoring over another in order to feature the theme of the newest
television or movie release. The pride of each release from 1999 to 2000
had been the inclusion of Star Trek: Insurrection, which
featured, ironically, a theme that was one of the least interesting in
recent "Star Trek" memory. Nevertheless, undaunted by redundancy,
the Varèse Sarabande label jumped on the bandwagon in the autumn
of 2000 to please those die-hard franchise fans who were grasping to the
last, dying breaths of "Voyager" and wondering when or if there will be
another television series and feature film. This compilation, titled
"The Ultimate Star Trek," isn't much different from others in the genre;
it takes performances of all the famous "Star Trek" themes by orchestras
around the world (in other words: from the places where musician's fees
aren't astronomical) and arranges them into a pleasant listening order.
For this "ultimate" collection (which is a silly claim to make, if you
think about the fact that there would certainly be another series and
films from the famed Alpha Quadrant in the coming few years, reducing
the validity of this product's claim), Varèse assembled
performances conducted by their usual favorites, including some already
existing in their library of released works. Jerry Goldsmith conducts
the Royal Scottish Orchestra for a few of his own pieces, while Frederic
Talgorn conducts the same group for two of the more recent entries. Fred
Steiner works with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the selections
from the "Original Series." Finally, Cliff Eidelman conducts his Seattle
Symphony Orchestra for the majority of the motion picture themes,
including his own.
Generally speaking, the performances are basically decent, but most are lacking when compared to either their originals or other recordings done by similarly employed orchestras. The best selections on this album are, obviously, those for which Goldsmith conducts the impressive RSNO for his own compositions, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek: First Contact, and Star Trek: Voyager. Unfortunately, the product doesn't mention that these same performances were originally available in late 1997 on a Varèse compilation of Goldsmith recordings with the RSNO called "Frontiers." The difference in quality between Goldsmith's conducting of his own works with the RSNO and Frederic Talgorn's conducting of Goldsmith work with the same ensemble a few years later is interestingly noticeable. While the RSNO's professionalism is still maintained for Star Trek: Insurrection, a genuine spirit is lacking in the rendition, proving that the effect of Goldsmith's own presence in the podium is not to be underestimated. So many of the highlights of Star Trek: Insurrection were contained outside of the primary statements of the film's themes that the suite stands at a disadvantage due the choice of material to record for this album. Talgorn's leading of Star Trek: Generations is admirable, but the inclusion of Dennis McCarthy's theme is easily one of the poorest on the product because of the fluffy composition's original "episodic score-like" shortcomings. Fred Steiner's conducting of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra provides a unique and well conditioned spirit in the performances that capture the essence of the old 1960's themes quite well. To hear them performed in such vastly improved sound quality will be awkward for some listeners, however. Cliff Eidelman, while composing arguably the most gutsy and enjoyable score for a Star Trek film, is greatly hindered by the lackluster size and unenthusiastic attitude of the Seattle performers. Their recordings of four feature film themes in the middle of the album, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, are shallow and poorly mixed compared to the RSNO's performances. Even the recording of Eidelman's own Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, arranged into a unique suite of the score's two final cues ("Sign Off" and "End Credits"), proceeds at an unsatisfyingly slow and withdrawn pace. There are several small, but noticeably painful mistakes during their sequences as well, especially during Star Trek VI. Additionally, there are two factors working against this album. First, the tracks mostly consist the same old concert suite arrangements. The targeted fans have heard them hundreds of times, many of them in person. Only Eidelman's own, aforementioned extended suite is an exception. With Goldsmith's end credit sequences all sounding so similar, the producers would have been better served by commissioning the performance of one of the relentless attack sequences from Star Trek: Insurrection instead. The other factor working against this compilation is the simple fact that most of the suites have been performed better by other orchestras. From Erich Kunzel to The City of Prague Philharmonic (and even the older Czech performances on the Edel label in the early 1990's), massive symphonies with assistance from authenticating synthesizers and choirs have produced exciting "Star Trek" recordings that are far superior to most of those on this product, especially the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. In light of this reality, dedicated fans should seek out these other products, as well as Goldsmith's "Frontiers" album from the same label. **
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 52:03
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a long note from Jeff Bond about the series of scores,
as well as information about artist Bob Peak.
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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 The Ultimate Star Trek are Copyright © 2000, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 12/11/00 and last updated 12/1/07. |
