June 20, 2007

  • Spellbound

    Intrada has just released their entry for the Rozsa centenary celebration, Spellbound.  This re-recording featuring Allan Wilson conducting the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra is a welcome addition to the Golden Age discography.  The performances are in keeping with the style of of the period.  Wilson's leadership manages to make the score have the kind of dynamic ebb and flow that one would only expect in the film proper.  It is almost as if the ensemble is playing to picture throughout.

    Spellbound is one of those odd Hitchcock movies.  It has the murder element buried deep within its text but instead focuses on psychological drama in a somewhat experimental way.  Rozsa used a theremin, an early electronic instruement, to depict the psychosis of the film's main character.  The instrument would later be used in countless sci-fi and horror films of the 1950s and beyond.

    The orchestra here plays esquisitely.  The solos are well-detailed throughout.  The recording has a clear, yet warm, sound that honors the way a film score sounds over how this might sound in concert.  The "Love Theme" is performed here about as good as it could possibly be.  There is music making here that is in a class by itself and Intrada deserves a round of applause by fans of film music for their efforts.

    You can order the CD at www.intrada.com