The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

All things come in threes. The tenors have already done it; now soprano Lesley Garrett manages a hat trick under her own steam--May 2000 sees the release of her new album, the publication of her autobiography, Notes from a Small Soprano and the screening of her latest series for BBC2. Not a diva in the traditional sense, Garrett is establishing herself as a kind of musical Michael Barrymore. A comfortable and generous host, she lets young Ramón Vargas shine alongside herself in "Parigi o cara" from La Traviata while Ladysmith Black Mambazo provides an interesting contrast to Garrett on the closing track.

Undeniably, Garrett is happiest alone in front of the band, be it the BBC Concert or Grimethorpe Colliery. Among many seamless arrangements features a delightfully schmaltzy version of "La Vie en rose" and the beautiful new Karl Jenkins composition He wishes for the Clothes of Heaven. Her take on Handel's "Tornami a vagheggiar" is frank and confident though lacking in intimacy and ensemble play. "Bel raggio lusinghier" from Rossini's Semiramide is flawless but Cole Porter's "Night and Day" sure doesn't swing.

Garrett takes her widening audience on a distinctly unrocky road. Making sure she won't have to wait too long for her next gold, she makes the noises we like to hear, and therein lies the secret of her success. --Yngvil V. G.

The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

Doncaster Diva Dazzles Devotees, 14 Jan 2001
Okay, so the one-line summary is silly. Don't let it into your system. This album (that derives from her BBC series) is a true joy. Songs that have impacted us, body and soul such as "La Vie En Rose", 20th century composers that go perennial ("You'll Never Walk Alone") and arias you probably listened to a hundred times before you got to know they were called "Parigi O Cara" or hymns you've known since time began ("Amazing Grace/Nearer My God To Thee") or even the odd exotic gem such as "Bachianas Brasileiras" And any singer daring to approach this kind of music - plus lyrics in English, Italian, French, German and Portuguese - gets the most eager thumbs up from me anytime. Just check it out!

The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

Doncaster Diva Dazzles Devotees, 14 Jan 2001
Okay, so the one-line summary is silly. Don't let it into your system. This album (that derives from her BBC series) is a true joy. Songs that have impacted us, body and soul such as "La Vie En Rose", 20th century composers that go perennial ("You'll Never Walk Alone") and arias you probably listened to a hundred times before you got to know they were called "Parigi O Cara" or hymns you've known since time began ("Amazing Grace/Nearer My God To Thee") or even the odd exotic gem such as "Bachianas Brasileiras" And any singer daring to approach this kind of music - plus lyrics in English, Italian, French, German and Portuguese - gets the most eager thumbs up from me anytime. Just check it out!

Tiomkin's Music is Marvelously Evocative of the Old West, 10 Mar 2005
As far as I know, unlike other issues in the current spate of Naxos film score releases, this one of Dimitri Tiomkin's score for 'Red River' had not previously been issued on the Marco Polo label, or if it was I missed it. This recording was made in 2002 by what has become the staple team for these releases: score restoration by John Morgan, with William Stromberg conducting those honorary Hollywood musicians, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, this time joined by a full choir (not to speak of a banjo and accordion, and an enlarged string section).

Dimitri Tiomkin, for American moviegoers of my generation, was a Big Name. Just look at a few of the movies for which he composed the score: Dial M for Murder, Rio Bravo (some of whose music was recycled for 'Red River'), Lost Horizon, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Giant, Duel in the Sun, The Big Sky, Friendly Persuasion, Hatari, The Alamo--and the list goes on. Notice how many Westerns there are in the list? Tiomkin may be considered to have more or less invented what we think of as the prototypical Hollywood Western filmscore 'sound.' And nowhere better than in this release. But did you know that Tiomkin, born in Ukraine, soloed as a pianist with the Berlin Philharmonic or that he played the European première of Gershwin's 'Concerto in F'? The concert world lost a pianist, but filmdom gained a great composer of apt and memorable scores.

This CD contains 37 cues from the movie, from the 'Main Title' to 'The New Brand.' Most of the cues are less than three minutes long, but there is a sound throughout that carries forward the movie's atmosphere with use of leitmotiv and similar orchestration. Recurrences of western tunes, some sung by the choir, tie the whole together as well. There is no question that music helps to romanticize the Old West, just as the movie did, and much of it may strike modern listeners as a bit old-fashioned. But one cannot argue but that the score completely underlines Howard Hawks's vision for this John Wayne movie about the first cattle drive north along the Chisholm Trail (and right past my boyhood home; another reason I loved the film).

The music has not been widely available before. It took a good deal of restoration by film score expert John Morgan. I, for one, am grateful to relive the music and recall the film; I saw it when I was eleven years old and happily can go back to that wondrous time via this recording.

Recommended for anyone remotely interested in American film scores.

Scott Morrison

The most comprehensive package of cinema music on offer, 18 Nov 2006
Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema offers you the the most comprehensive package of the greatest musical songs to embrace their names in cinema history. This is a landmark celebration. In music retailing, you will not get any package that you offers the best and unique choice of high callibre music featured in movies. This takes some beating if you get what I mean. It is great value for money.

Cinema Century: A Musical Celebration of 100 Years of Cinema features three CDs of all the cinema songs which are a pleasure to listen and you can relive the magical and special moments of the greatest movies of all time. The list ranges from Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Taxi Driver,Gone with the Wind, Out of Africa, A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many more.

If you love classical music, then this is an album which is well suited to your musical taste. It is real treat for anyone who loves smoothing and relaxing music.

Play it Again...?, 24 Nov 2004
Probably not. What a shame, given the excellent range of titles on this 3 disc package. It was very disappointing to discover that these re-recordings based on the original film scores are no match for the original soundtrack recordings. To give just three examples: Max Steiner's - of all composers - 'Gone with the Wind' is weak and lacks all the pace, fullness, vigour and drama of the original soundtrack recording. And the same can be said of '633 Squadron' which has none of Goodwin's almost breathless pace; 'The Great Escape' can only be described as plodding. Unfortunately, this lack of energy in the scoring is identifiable virtually throughout the collection. There is a lot to be said for original soundtrack recordings, because the studios put a huge amount of effort into the orchestrations to get them spot on to the mood of the film, so my advice has to be go for original soundtracks every time - digtally re-mastered or not.

Very good, 19 Jun 2004
To be honest it is hard to review this box set. I can understand Andrew_mcp's point of view, and often find myself irritated by conductors playing around with the original material, or as Andrew wrote, when a small orchestra is used. In the case of these CDs I was not actually disappointed. I think with enough volume the recordings sound as good as the originals (though of course with a new orchestra and conductor). There are a lot of songs here for not a lot of money, which is good news, and in general the songs are great. I think I've rated this four and not five stars because I feel that potentially the song choices could have been better. For example, there is a lot of John Barry here, but it would have been nice to have varying themes as opposed to the very similar Dances with wolves, Born Free, and Out of Africa themes (though these are excellent). I also feel that there is more music from films like the Mission that I would have liked to hear rather than just the one theme. To be honest though I am being picky, and this is worth buying for unique tracks like the stroke of genius that is Where Eagles Dare, not to mention the likes of Zulu and Colonel Bogey. The more classical tracks are evened out with things like Mancini's Pink Panther and Fiedel's Terminator. This is well worth it for anyone who likes classic films.

Disappointingly "thin" versions, 11 Nov 2003
I was hoping for the full orchestral experience, but compared to the original soundtracks (ok, my memory of them), many of these versions are distinctly uninspiring... or recorded on a day when half the orchestra was off sick.

The playing as such isn't at fault, and 3 CDs for the price has to be good value for money. But I honestly can't recommend this.

You get a lot for your money!, 21 Mar 2003
This CD arrived this morning and already I've listened to most of it and love it - music from some of my favourite films such as "The Godfather" all on the one compilation! Even though I haven't seen most of the films I still love listening to the music. I bought this along with another film music compilation, "The Classic Score" and with these two CDs I've got a bit of everything!

A notable absence is "Titanic" but because I've heard the Titanic music so much, I was actually rather pleased to see it had been missed out! I was very pleased to discover that the track from "Bridge On the River Kwai" is the fun marching tune that all the soldiers whistle to on the film!! There are some real cinema classics on here, such as "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur", "Jaws"... the list is endless! So, three CDs, over 3 1/2 hours of great film music - you can't go far wrong with this!

Doncaster Diva Dazzles Devotees, 14 Jan 2001
Okay, so the one-line summary is silly. Don't let it into your system. This album (that derives from her BBC series) is a true joy. Songs that have impacted us, body and soul such as "La Vie En Rose", 20th century composers that go perennial ("You'll Never Walk Alone") and arias you probably listened to a hundred times before you got to know they were called "Parigi O Cara" or hymns you've known since time began ("Amazing Grace/Nearer My God To Thee") or even the odd exotic gem such as "Bachianas Brasileiras" And any singer daring to approach this kind of music - plus lyrics in English, Italian, French, German and Portuguese - gets the most eager thumbs up from me anytime. Just check it out!

Tiomkin's Music is Marvelously Evocative of the Old West, 10 Mar 2005
As far as I know, unlike other issues in the current spate of Naxos film score releases, this one of Dimitri Tiomkin's score for 'Red River' had not previously been issued on the Marco Polo label, or if it was I missed it. This recording was made in 2002 by what has become the staple team for these releases: score restoration by John Morgan, with William Stromberg conducting those honorary Hollywood musicians, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, this time joined by a full choir (not to speak of a banjo and accordion, and an enlarged string section).

Dimitri Tiomkin, for American moviegoers of my generation, was a Big Name. Just look at a few of the movies for which he composed the score: Dial M for Murder, Rio Bravo (some of whose music was recycled for 'Red River'), Lost Horizon, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Giant, Duel in the Sun, The Big Sky, Friendly Persuasion, Hatari, The Alamo--and the list goes on. Notice how many Westerns there are in the list? Tiomkin may be considered to have more or less invented what we think of as the prototypical Hollywood Western filmscore 'sound.' And nowhere better than in this release. But did you know that Tiomkin, born in Ukraine, soloed as a pianist with the Berlin Philharmonic or that he played the European première of Gershwin's 'Concerto in F'? The concert world lost a pianist, but filmdom gained a great composer of apt and memorable scores.

This CD contains 37 cues from the movie, from the 'Main Title' to 'The New Brand.' Most of the cues are less than three minutes long, but there is a sound throughout that carries forward the movie's atmosphere with use of leitmotiv and similar orchestration. Recurrences of western tunes, some sung by the choir, tie the whole together as well. There is no question that music helps to romanticize the Old West, just as the movie did, and much of it may strike modern listeners as a bit old-fashioned. But one cannot argue but that the score completely underlines Howard Hawks's vision for this John Wayne movie about the first cattle drive north along the Chisholm Trail (and right past my boyhood home; another reason I loved the film).

The music has not been widely available before. It took a good deal of restoration by film score expert John Morgan. I, for one, am grateful to relive the music and recall the film; I saw it when I was eleven years old and happily can go back to that wondrous time via this recording.

Recommended for anyone remotely interested in American film scores.

Scott Morrison

Love Lost Forevermore Regained., 14 Feb 2006
This must be the umpteenth CD reissue of Richard Tauber recordings, but so far as I know it is the first and only one to feature a very special item from his discography – Love Lost Forevermore. Featured originally in the 1934 film Blossom Time (where it differed from the recorded version), it gives us the opportunity to hear Tauber beautifully recorded in a very favourable acoustic backed by a boys choir and an organ. A little piece of pseudo-religious hokum perhaps, it contains many good ideas over-topped with a grandiose conclusion.

Otherwise, the usual collection of Tauber favourites is here, rounded off with the ubiquitous Adieu, mein kleiner Gardeoffizier.

Track listings are so far not provided for this CD that I am reviewing. A more serious omission is the lack of recording details in the leaflet provided with the CD. The sound quality, however, is of the usual high standard of products deriving from the Dutton Laboratories.