A little late, but only because it's been a crazy couple of weeks plus I finally had a chance to listen to some of the latest things that I actually ordered (yes, I buy CDs too....lol).  So these are not necessarily new releases from the month, as they are new to my own collection.  But since this particular column has been a popular one on the blog here, I figure it is worth continuing.

I'll just start by saying that if you have not yet purchased the 2-disc Naxos release of Korngold's The Sea Hawk paired with Deception--well WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WAITING FOR!  This is simply one of the best film score re-recordings Stromberg and Morgan have put together ever.  In fact, it may just be one of the best overall Korngold releases and one of the best Naxos releases on the label.  (Shame that Naxos claims this to be their last one--but word is that Stromberg/Morgan have begun a new label!)  The Sea Hawk is one of those scores that has begged for an up-to-date release forever.  Kojian's recording, reissued on Varese, with the Utah Symphony is a good one and I wouldn't give it up for its fine presentation.  But this is ALL the music for the film and over 100 minutes of any Korngold is never too much of a good thing.  The orchestra here is rich in detail somehow managing to blend the kind of film score recording listeners are used to but also honoring the large orchestral sound in a way that does not overdo things too much.  The orchestra plays crisply and there is just one wonderful musical moment after another.  This is the kind of CD that really belongs on your shelf even if you never bought another film score from the past--though I'd wager that after hearing this you will begin hunting for more of this great composer's music.  To make things even sweeter, the complete score for the Bette Davis film Deception is included.  The plus here is a recording of the film version of the "Cello Concerto" Korngold wrote for the film, so it is an interesting take from the concert version.  Theatrical trailer music is included for both films.  And, while you are at it, Naxos re-released one fo the Steiner combos this past month featuring scores for All This, and Heaven Too and A Stolen Life.  If you missed it on Marco Polo, well, you have a great bargain in equally stellar sound.

While browsing through the Naxos website I came across their re-issue of a Conifer recording featuring complete performances of two Ginastera ballets: Panambi and Estancia.  This is a real knockout recording with some wonderfully evocative music.  The integration of the more familiar music back into its original form in Estancia is worth the price here.  Ginastera's earlier work has a delicious blend of Stravinsky, Bartok, and Debussy, adding in wonderful Latin syncopations. 

Back to film music with one of 2 guilty pleasures this month.  First up is Chris Young's score for Ghost Rider, a film I doubt I'll ever see.  Young's music here is thoroughly enjoyable big orchestral gestures including chorus.  The action sequences are excellent and the blend of popular music elements with the orchestral sound are really first rate.  Let's face it, this is the kind of bad movie Goldsmith was great at scoring.  Young continues to prove he is an A-list composer whether or not anyone else will admit it.  So why are we still waiting for a Spiderman 3 release?!

Those who know me also know I usually have little nice to say about Hans Zimmer, but my mind is changing as the last three scores I have heard by him have been surprisingly engaging and seem to be moving in new directions for the composer.  So, it is with real guilty pleasure that I found myself listening to his score for The Simpson's Movie in my car a lot in the past month.  I am still trying to figure out how that choir made it through "Spider Pig" without laughing.  A fun comedy score that blends Zimmer's style with that from the TV series.

Finally, I just reviewed here Desplat's score for Lust, Caution.  So I won't say much more here other than to encourage you to pick this on up as well.

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here.  I started teaching a Music Appreciation course which takes up a bit more time on the front end.  Plus it's been a crazy September all around here.

I just picked up a host of Varese Sarabande releases this past week and only now have begun listening to them!  So consider these pocket reviews for now.

GHOST RIDER was one of those "you have to be kidding me" type movies.  If I was 25 years younger I am sure I would have headed off to check this out and loved it.  Who knows, it might even be one of those late-night rentals some day for me.  Perhaps feeling the void of Chris Young's Spiderman 3 score, I decided to pick up his score for this Nicholas Cage superhero endeavor.  The score turns out to be a a great action adventure score complete with big orchestral moments, some crazy Morricone like scoring (almost like an updated Spaghetti Western sound), and big choral chants.  The ample CD does not wear out its welcome at all.  Young has a couple of tracks that  provide an ease to the intense action music that feature some beautiful melodic writing.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.  The one thing that did strike me about the release is the way it is sequenced.  A lot of recent soundtrack discs just seem to end oddly, or feature lots of short disjunct cues that have signs of fine compositional writing but which just can't sustain an album.  Ghost Rider has long tracks of shaped music, sometimes incorporating smaller cues, but which all seem to make musical sense. 

It might have been an overbudget bloated failure, but John Debney's score for Evan Almighty is actually cast in those Copland-esque vistas with some nice solo piano writing.  The one annoying thing is a segment of vocalises taken more out of soul, or gospel music, that sneak into a couple of tracks.  But as is usual with Debney's music, there is a lot of tunefulness to engage the ear and some larger sequences that work well on their own as music.  The one distraction is how much of this sounds like cribbing from Copland's Our Town. 

I've waited all summer to finally hear Marco Beltrami's action score for Live Free or Die Hard.  I have been a fan of the composer's for quite some time and it was good to see what he would do with a big action film.  There are times in this score that one thinks of Goldsmith, but the melodic contours are all Beltrami and they get a lot more time to work their way out than in some of his more recent works.  But for the most part this is a big orchestral action score with awesome cross rhythms that make for a powerful listen.

Still on the play pile is Ottman's score The Invasion.  So more on that later.

Finally, a non-Varese release...Hans Zimmer's score for The Simpson's Movie.  I cannot believe that I am enjoying this disc so much.  I am not a big Zimmer fan by any means, but lately he has really been turning out some interesting music.  This score works so well in the film taking elements that sound like Elfman and giving them an even bigger over-the-top treatment.  There are some gentle thematic moments for balance and some pop-music type underscore tracks to follow the antics on screen--they work perfectly in the film.  The only real irritation is that the track titles are not necessarily for the scenes they accompany in the film.  The seriously choral arrangement of "Spider Pig" is wonderfully hilarious in its own way.  How they sang that with out laughing is beyond me.  One of the two fine comedy scores so far this year (the other being Shapiro's for Blades of Glory).

We'll see what the rest of the week holds. 

By the way, Intrada has been releasing some David Newman music of late, they just announced a release of Throw Mamma from the Train.  It's a limited release of 1500 copies.  It will be interesting to see how fast these move.  This is the one Newman that just can't seem to get the big break of his other relatives.