January 17, 2011

  • Best of 2010: Compilation Film Music Releases

     

    When I first started writing about film music some ten years or more ago, a "compilation" disc generally was one of those pops-like discs featuring the Cincinatti or Boston Pops.  Before that, there was Charles Gerhardt and his RCA Film music classic series.  Six of those discs from Gerhardt's series were released in 2010 and you should not need any more encouragement to go out and buy those or gift them to young music lovers.  It's great to watch eyes open wide upon hearing Korngold's fanfares blaze forward.  So rather than fill my list here with these releases, I have chosen what are essentially non-reissues.

    First up is a box set collection, The Cincinnati Kid-Lalo Schifrin Film Scores, Vol 1 (1964-1968) from Film Score Monthly.  This fantastic selection of music covers a variety of the composers MGM scores familiar and less so and includes some of the pop albums Schifrin made in the 1960s.  It's not quite lounge-like but definitely a mix of the cool with the normal scoring with things like 1964's Rhino!

    Christopher Gunning first made my ears perk up with his score to the Edith Piaf bio-pic, La Vie En Rose.  His score worked perfectly in that film.  British film and television fans though will be far more familiar with his music and so will the rest of us now that Chandos has released a great 70+ minute collection of his work from TV and film (reviewed here earlier in the year) as part of Rumon Gamba's film music series.  The Film & Television Music of Christopher Gunning makes one look forward to hearing more from this fine composer.

    There was a flurry of emails and thanks for my review of Louise DiTullio's wonderful Cambria release, The Hollywood Flute.  These days there are too many review discs and downloads to warrant my reviewing some of the music I actually purchase for my own pleasure.  But when I heard this disc, I had to let others know about it so there were several reviews sent out to my normal places on-line.  This is probably the one disc I played the most last year!

    Naxos also released a fun collection of film music on a collection called Movie Brass which features brass quintet versions of film favorites by Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, David Arnold, and a take on Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story Dances.  It's all good fun and well done.

    Silva Screen also released a massive set of 100 Greatest Film Themes-Take 2 which continues there surveys of great film music past and present over the course of 6 full CDs.  It was available for download as well which would give anyone a quick collection of great film music for their iPod!