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Concertos and such for film scores

Started by jerfilm, Saturday 24 September 2011, 15:22

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Arbuckle

The suite from "Four Wives" by Max Steiner is orchestral with lots of piano, so that might fit in the "and such", plus it's a nice piece.

semloh

I think the preceding few posts prove that my cautions were perhaps justified. Neither Shostakovich nor Steiner could be regarded as unsung; and, once you go go beyond concertos and into "and such" the scope of the genre becomes a problem. Is this about film scores as such, or about pieces of music which are somehow embedded within a film? I'm confused! :-\


eschiss1

Has there ever been a recording of the piano concerto made (not by the composer, I gather) from some of M. Weinberg's music to the film The Cranes are Flying?

jerfilm

Well I would say in defense of the thread (and my ego.....) that while composers like Shostakovish and Steiner are not unknown, the are fairly unsung in terms of their concert music.    Lots of folks know Korngold for his superb background scores, but how many have ever heard (or heard of) his Symphony? 

And certainly a fair share of film scores could be considered as "romantic" in style, if there are folks that want to talk about them, why not?

And if this music and discussion thereof is no appropriate for a forum that is supposedly devoted to the music of the romantic era and general style,  then where does the recent glut of post-romantic (and beyond) 20th century music fit into the scheme of things?   

One of the great things that attracts me to this forum is the fact that many of us have vastly divergent views and musical tastes but we don't ridicule each other, or put folks down for their opinions or use inappropriate language.  How refreshing is that if you read many blogs on various subjects?

Jerry

eschiss1

Shostakovich's concert music seems to me much better-known (on the whole- not all of it equally or even proportionately!)- than his film scores?, likewise that of Aaron Copland (Arthur Honegger's concert music is somewhat better-known than his film scores in that neither side is still all that well-known really but the latter is -really- not well-known; Saint-Saƫns' concert-music is a good-deal better-known than his few (one?) contributions to the early film score- etc.)

jerfilm

Oh, and not to forget Carl Davis who has written a number of very nice scores for historic silent feature films of the 1920's.

Jerry

X. Trapnel

In addition to the Symphonie [not very] Moderne, Steiner wrote the terrific, deliriously pseudo-Gershwin Magic Island Symphony in the 1940 James Cagney picture City for Conquest. This is in DIRE need of recording.

chill319

Quite a robust thread. My 2 cents in 2 words: Roy Webb. His noir scores in particular are standouts. Anybody else a fan of his?

eschiss1

Symphony from film scores: I gather Alex North, I think it was, incorporated the music that he wrote for 2001 and which Kubrick then did not use, into his 3rd symphony. (No, I have not heard any concert music by Alex North, but this statement has intrigued me since I read it some time back.)

giles.enders

I wonder how many of these composers scored their own concertos.  Richard Addinsell certainly didn't score his and I believe was give a lot of help with its composition.  From what I know, much film music is a collective effort with credit given to the 'big name'

adriano

As for Arthur Honegger, this should not be a closet thing anymore since I've recorded his film music on 4 CDs long ago, and that sold very well. 2 voluems vere reissued not long ago. I don't learn all that from royalties received (Marco Polo never pays such a thing), but I look at the composer's rights lists and those from our performer's society and radio performances.
Regards from Switzerland