Georges Delerue
Commented Discography
My Top 10 Non-Delerue
Releases
I do listen to and enjoy a wide variety of music, including many scores by composers other than Delerue. To give your a better idea of my musical tastes, here are ten of my favourites releases. I have been regularly listening to most of them for a long time.
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Orchestral Film Music - composed and conducted by Michael J. Lewis - Pen Dinas USA In 1995, the little world of film music was delighted to discover or rediscover Michael J. Lewis, a nearly forgotten composer and orchestrator who worked mostly for British movies of the 70's and the beginning of the 80's. He started his own label, Pen Dinas, to re-record with a top-flight crew the best parts of his symphonic scores : Julius Caesar, Theatre of Blood, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Upon this Rock, The Medusa Touch, to name only a few. The resulting 117 minutes double CD has become a celebrated classic of action and romance, often skillfully interlaced in the same tracks. Lewis proved to be an equal of masters like Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, with the same flair for catching melodies as John Barry and Georges Delerue. Some selections have been removed for a recent reissue on two separate CDs, each focusing on a different genre, but at least a new generation of music lovers have the opportunity to enjoy Michael J. Lewis' legacy.
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Romeo & Juliet - composed by Nino Rota and conducted by Nic Raine - Silva Screen USA Franco Zeffirelli, the director of Romeo and Juliet, had the brilliant idea to ask his compatriot Nino Rota to write the music of what would become the most famous cinematic version of Shakespeare's masterpiece. The Italian composer had done a great job for another famous director, Federico Fellini, but in a quite different genre. It's like Rota had long awaited this opportunity to express his lyrical temperament through writing music for a tragic love story. He may have found inspiration in the first bars of Tchaikovsky 's Romeo and Juliet Overture, before going on with his own, generous melodic inspiration. The interpretation of the City of Prague Philharmonic renders all the passion and the tenderness of Rota's music. They had to reconstruct the whole score by ear but the result proves to be even better and more complete than the 1968 original recording, which was conducted by the composer himself. Included is What is Youth?, the song that contributed so much to popularize this music. Sound levels are a little too high in one or two places (the shrilling recorders at the end of the Saltarello), but this remains a minor inconvenient considering the overall quality of the production. |
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La Venexiana (The Venetian Woman) / Mosca Addio - composed and conducted by Ennio Morricone - GDM Music Italy The popularity of Morricone's music for Italian westerns and blockbusters like The Mission is directly related to the box office success of these movies. This is a common rule for film music. However, one should not overlook the composer's efforts for less known productions of his native country. La Venexiana, the most notable score of the two featured on this release, shows the romantic side of Morricone. For this obscure melodrama by Mauro Bologninni, set in the Renaissance period, the maestro delivered some of his most gentle and sumptuous music, and included parts for children's choir. The soprano recorder and a web of strings prevail elsewhere. One of the most beautiful pieces, Angela e Valeria, features the voice of Edda Del'Orso in top form, but I'm not sure it was part of the La Venexiana score at first. Despite some distortion in one or two tracks, a treat from the beginning to the end. |
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L'Atalante, Quai des brumes et autres musiques de films - composed by Maurice Jaubert and conducted by Patrice Mestral - Milan France Director François Truffaut and Georges Delerue himself acknowledged the lasting influence of Maurice Jaubert (1900-1940) on French film music and they both paid a tribute to his genius. Jaubert's collaboration with directors like Jean Vigo, Julien Duvivier, René Clair and Marcel Carné generated the masterpieces of intelligence, clarity and sensitivity that are L'Atalante, Quai des brumes, Zéro de conduite and l'Ile de Pâques, which are represented here. Of course, this music is even better when you have seen the movies; L'Atalante, starring the legendary Michel Simon, is an absolute must and is available on DVD. This release has a short running time (35') but remains a treasure and an essential complement of another Milan compilation devoted to Jaubert and Delerue, Les Musiques de films de François Truffaut Vol.1, reissued as Les Bandes originales de François Truffaut - Les Passions amoureuses. |
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Jalna - composed by Serge Franklin and conducted by Mario Klemens - Virgin France Because he worked mostly for television, the gifted veteran Serge Franklin has kept a rather low profile and very few of his scores have been released on CD. One of his most notable efforts, L'Enfant des loups, was reissued a few years ago to critical acclaim. However, my preference goes to more the intimate and personal Franklin, as shown in Jalna, a 1994 TV mini series also directed by Philippe Monnier. Most of this one hour score consists of expert variations of a simple but compelling theme, with the support of a wide range of solo instruments. The composer shows a constant concern for melody and the numerous cues are sequenced to form a comfortable and stand alone suite. Obviously the recording was not intended for a CD release; hence the sound tends to remain a little muddy to lower the noises of the orchestra. Still, the outstanding quality of the music and the warmness of the interpretation make the whole highly recommendable. |
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Zulu - composed by John Barry and conducted by Nic Raine - Silva Screen USA This 1999 double set remains one of the best releases of the City of Prague Philharmonic and the Crouch End Festival Chorus. Since then, with the help of the high definition (HDCD) and Dolby Surround technologies, they have confirmed their status as world leader in the reinterpretation of symphonic film music. In this compilation of mixed compositions by John Barry, the best moments come from scores written for action, war and comedy movies more than for romantic ones. Not so surprising from the creator of James Bond themes. But who could expect that, under the baton of Nic Raine, the ethnic flavoured scores Zulu and Mister Moses would become even more spectacular than Bond? The complete 20 minutes score of the former opens the program, while the latter closes the CD in a lighter vein. This half hour of pure fun alone justifies its inclusion in the present list. |
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Black Beauty - composed by Danny Elfman, orchestrated by Steve Bartek and conducted by J.A.C. Redford - Giant USA The well-named Black Beauty music relies basically on one theme presented in different variations played with violin, piano, harp, woodwinds and glockenspiel. At times, the full orchestra, apparently backed with samplers, bursts in for dramatic effect. Though the 45 minutes score is very repetitive and lacks secondary themes, I love to immerse myself in it once in a while. Danny Elfman is one of the most interesting American film music composers, but I can't find another gem of this kind in his overall production. It's true that a story based on children and a friendly animal - a horse in the present case - has always been a powerful source of inspiration in pictures. Sadly, this one was not a box office success and the original soundtrack release has quickly vanished. Excerpts can be found on the compilation Music For a Darkened Theatre Volume Two.
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Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain - composed and conducted by Yann Tiersen - Virgin France Not a true original soundtrack since about half of the music was already available on CDs when director Jean-Pierre Jeunet called Yann Tiersen to complete the score with additional compositions. A wise choice for sure. Beside the irresistible charm of Audrey Tautou, perfect - perhaps too perfect - for the cast, much of the magic of this successful movie lies in its whimsical and mostly joyful music. Often led by the accordion, the small orchestra delivers an exuberant interpretation that recalls a circus atmosphere. Here and there, delicate piano solos provide quiet pauses, tinged with melancholy. A feeling of euphoria takes hold of you and lasts long after the one-hour listening. Amélie Poulain can help prevent nervous breakdowns and reconcile the diehard misanthropes with humankind. Truly fabulous... © Clément Fontaine 2006 |
