Cinema Serenade II: The Golden Age

1	Laura, song (for the film, "Laura") / David Raksin 3:17
2	Now, Voyager, film score~Theme / Max Steiner 5:07
3	Smile (as used in the film "Modern Times" ) (spurious; by Geoffrey Pers / Boston Pops Orchestra 3:43
4	The Lost Weekend, film score~Love Theme / Boston Pops Orchestra 4:21
5	St. Patrick's Day, traditional melody / Victor Young 2:19
6	The Adventures of Robin Hood, film score~Marian & Robin Love Theme / Boston Pops Orchestra 4:07
7	As Time Goes By, song / Boston Pops Orchestra 4:21
8	Henry V, film score~Touch Her Soft Lips and Part / Boston Pops Orchestra 4:01
9	Stella by starlight, song (from the 1944 film "The Uninvited") / Victor Young 5:12
10	My Foolish Heart, song (written for the film score of the same name) / Victor Young 3:46
11	Gone With the Wind, film score~Tara's Theme From Gone with the Wind 3:36
12	Wuthering Heights, film score~Cathy's Theme From Wuthering Heights 3:42

Barnes & Noble

As with movies, successful recordings often spawn sequels. So, following the bestselling Cinema Serenade -- Itzhak Perlman and John Williams's tribute to contemporary cinematic soundtracks -- comes Cinema Serenade 2, an homage to classic themes of the silver screen. Williams obviously knows his soundtracks, and he has chosen a tuneful dozen, drawing primarily on lush love themes. Well-known selections like "As Time Goes By" from "Casablanca" and "Tara's Theme" from "Gone with the Wind" are mixed in with charmers that only serious film music aficionados will recognize, such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold's love theme for "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and Sir William Walton's "Touch Her Soft Lips and Part" from "Henry V." There's even a tune by Charlie Chaplin ("Smile" from "Modern Times"). The opulent orchestral arrangements and sweet singing tone of Perlman's violin suit the richly romantic style of these excerpts. Don't be surprised if Cinema Serenade 3 appears around the corner! Andrew Farach-Colton

Barnes & Noble

In an effort to capitalize on the success of their phenomenally successful Cinema Serenade, Itzhak Perlman and the Boston Pops conducted by John Williams have just released Cinema Serenade 2: The Golden Age. The album features a dozen tracks devoted to great themes from classic films scores of the 1930s and '40s in discreet -- though by no means shrinking violet -- arrangements by Richard Rodney Bennett, Angela Morley, and John Williams himself. A bittersweet reminder of a time when the major film composers were also masters of the instantly memorable, heart-stopping melody, the disc is also a showcase for Itzhak Perlman's extraordinary communicative powers. He never condescends to the music, nor even hints that it's anything other than what it so obviously is: beautiful and important music that is more than worthy of his time, and ours. Jim Svejda