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RED HOUSE, THE
Label: Intrada MAF 7122
Date: 1947
Tracks: 33
World premiere all-new recording of masterful Miklos Rozsa score for 1947 Delmer Daves film from George Agnew Chamberlain tale of passion and deception, love and murder, starring Edward G. Robinson, Lon McCallister, Julie London. Rozsa fans have asked us to record this one for years, now they get their wish. Charles Gerhardt recorded 12-minute suite in 1975, offering taste of involved, complex and colorful score. Splendid Gerhardt sound inspired producer Kevin Kaska (who expertly reconstructs entire score) to seek same crisp, detailed sound from Royal Scottish National Orchestra & Winchester Cathedral Chamber Choir... plus composer's beloved ghostly sound for haunted suspense, the theremin. Rozsa's score plays in roughly equal parts sumptuous romance, sinister suspense, violent murder, sunny outdoors, grim seclusion, even the dark human subconscious. You name the emotion, Rozsa captures it. Love theme is widely-spaced, yearning line while dark main theme for titular house, while also widely-spaced, is angled, hard-edged. In fascinating turn of events, perhaps more than with any other score, Rozsa both looks backwards towards aggressive film noir voice while looking forward to rich, sweeping harmonic vernacular of upcoming costume epics, period scores. Results are musically profound. Highlights are many: tender violin solo during "Meg Asks Questions", haunting theremin tones hovering above "The Accusation", florid woodwind runs glistening as "Nath Explores The Woods", modal harmonies of "Graduation Present" that suggest later BEN-HUR, searching material and angelic voices that surge forth during "Meg Finds The Red House", agitated, violent action of "Teller Shoots At Meg", ghostly women's voices with theremin during climactic confrontation... the list goes on and on. Then, when Rozsa and film finish, dynamic score comes to powerful end with glorious, fortissimo major-key coda. One of the great film score endings. Powerful! Rozsa authorities Dan Robbins, Frank DeWald offer scholarly commentary in handsome booklet. Note: complete score would not fit on one CD and we refused to cut precious bars down to fit. As such, musically appropriate spot to change discs was made with Rozsa's musical architecture in mind. (In other words, CD 1 is considerably longer than CD 2.) But we are keeping price same as similar single disc releases! Paul Talkington, Paul Wing nurture entire recording with Kevin Kaska while Dan Robbins consults. Intrada proudly releases album under their Excalibur brand of classic film score re-recordings. Allan Wilson conducts Royal Scottish National Orchestra, gives Rozsa fans one of the greats.
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