POLL: Which OST would you like to have on CD ?

Reviews,comments,suggestions on Korngold's discography

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Dennis Miller
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POLL: Which OST would you like to have on CD ?

Post by Dennis Miller » Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:50 pm

Greetings!

First Floor Entertainment has done a wonderful job of providing us with original motion picture soundtrack recordings (OST) from the catalogue of films for which Korngold wrote and conducted the music (with one exception*).

Thus far we have:
The Sea Hawk
Captain Blood
The Constant Nymph
Robin Hood
Anthony Adverse
The Sea Wolf


And the soon-to-be released:
Juarez/Prince and the Pauper/Between Two Worlds

QUESTION: Of the remaining 14 films for which the OST has not yet been transferred to CD by First Floor Entertainment, which one would you like to see them issue next?

Here are the choices:
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Dream Comes True (short subject)
Rose of the Rancho
Give Us This Night
Hearts Divided
The Green Pastures
Another Dawn
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Kings Row
Devotion
Of Human Bondage
Escape Me Never
Deception
Magic Fire* (conducted by Alois Melichar)


Best regards from San Francisco,
Dennis
Last edited by Dennis Miller on Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Peter Timoney
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Post by Peter Timoney » Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:02 am

Hi Dennis

I suppose such a question to the Korngold fanatic is a bit like offering us far too many rich foods at a banquet to choose from. Honestly, I could not restrict myself. However one regret I have with the existing recordings is that the complete Sea Hawk has not been released. Now, I don't know if all the tapes are extant and it is possible to do this, but I find it a great loss that a whole Sea Hawk under Korngolds baton is not available. What we have is wonderful, and I'm virtually headbanging to the battle scenes such is the intensity of the original recording. I should really be more grateful. I'm told there is a studio recording of this coming out, but I fear it will have an impossible task trying to emulate the searing intensity of this version.
Some of the lesser films probably don't have enough Korngold music on them to fill a CD single never mind a full CD, but I'm sure that we are all obsessed with getting the most complete collections possible and I hope such a collection could be possible.
Incidentally I assume you mean the Sea Wolf and not Sea World? Not to worry, I remember trying to inform a German friend about Korngolds Ring des Polykrates and somehow managed to convince him that he had written Wagners Ring des Nibelungen.
Okay, if you twist my arm I would have to choose the films which I have not yet seen, have little chance of seeing and are so far unreleased in another CD version, therefore Escape me Never and Of Human Bondage. I would like A Midsummer Nights Dream because I did not like the way much of the recent studio recording was done. To be honest, we should just be grateful for what is served up to us. My Captain Blood OST is coming with me to my desert island.

I hope this answers your question.

All the best
Peter
Dennis Miller
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Location: San Francisco

Fantastic Banquet

Post by Dennis Miller » Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:52 am

Hello Peter,

Thanks for your post. I had to laugh at my Sea World mistake. I live near an amusement park called Sea World, so I must have had that on the brain when I wrote that list. How funny.

I absolutely love the music from Between Two Worlds. I have not seen the film, so I don't know if the soon-to-be-released suite will be complete, or exactly what that suite is supposed to be. It is my favorite Korngold film music, and Mauceri's recording would be my number one desert island disc. (I guess I prefer the ethereal over the swashbuckling, and mystery more than the sword). Also King's Row.. that's my other desert island soundtrack.

I am missing 9 Korngold films from my video collection, but at least 4 of those show up on Turner Classic Movie Channel from time-to-time. (I would get those four on tape if I subscribed to cable television). At any rate, having uncut versions of any of the Korngold films in my library is a lovely way for me to have the music even if it is buried in dialogue. I do, however, enjoy the alternate takes and other little surprises that are included on the Tsunami discs which are not in the films. This reminds me that many years ago someone was selling video copies of the "Constant Nymph" on eBay, and each time it went for a lot of money. At least we have the OST, although that film will probably never be aired or released commercially.

If you twist my arm, and force me to make a decision, my personal choice for the next OST to be released on CD (as well as the next film to be released on video).... well, my vote is for Magic Fire.

Thanks!
Dennis
peter hodgson
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OST/CD/DVD

Post by peter hodgson » Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:41 pm

Clearly one stands out: Magic Fire; I would love to what EWK did to Wagner. A DVD is long overdue.

I am not particularly keen on OSTs of the Hollywood films as the sound quality is usually pretty poor.

The Marco Polo/Naxos series of new recordings are so much better! And there's Chandos ones too (by Rumon Gambas).
brendan g carroll
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Location: England

Magic Fire

Post by brendan g carroll » Sun Sep 03, 2006 12:15 pm

I should say that Korngold did nothing to Wagner other than edit the scores. His piano playing of Wagner on the soundtrack however, is one of the most astonishing examples of orchestral transcription I have ever heard...
peter hodgson
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Magic Fire

Post by peter hodgson » Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:09 pm

Dear Brendan

I shall look forward to hearing it!

PH
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