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Editorial Reviews

Telarc's Vintage Cinema, featuring Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, is a survey of classic film score music from the period commonly recognized as the finest for film music, stretching from Max Steiner's groundbreaking score for King Kong (1933) to Franz Waxman's valedictory Taras Bulba (1962). It is a very fast moving program; with Miklós Rózsa's Spellbound segment being the longest excerpt at just over seven minutes and most others coming in at about three to five minutes. For that, it does not sound at all patchwork, but has a superb sense of flow and forward direction. It is a carefully conceived compilation and contains at least something from each major Hollywood film composer, though one could argue that the inclusion of Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein in this canon is stretching it a bit; On the Waterfront is Bernstein's only contribution to classic film music, and both composers are better known for other things. However, these segments still fit well into the overall concept, which emphasizes strong thematic ideas over dramatic scoring; Bernard Herrmann's Psycho is not included, nor is Waxman's The Bride of Frankenstein, the latter being the only essential piece that is not covered within the necessarily limited scope of this disc.

The performances by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Erich Kunzel are splendidly well drilled and effective, on a par with the outstanding Miklós Rozsa: Three Choral Suites album made for Telarc in 2005, and the Bernstein is a highlight, along with Cincinnati's marvelous, jazz-flavored reading of Alex North's music for A Streetcar Named Desire. Vintage Cinema is as close as anyone is likely to come, within the parlance of a single disc, to producing a high-quality sampler of the whole of classic Hollywood film music that is also relatively comprehensive. It would be a great place to start if you would like a definition of what classic film music is and how it is different from other kinds of classical orchestral fare; however, even if you just want something enjoyable to listen to, Telarc's Vintage Cinema is a sure bet. It is available in two formats, both as a conventional CD and as a super audio multi-channel surround disc, and while even on a conventional player you will note a significant advantage in terms of sound with the super audio format disc, these require more care in handling and can be unpredictable, so it pays to know your system. Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

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