PARIS UNDER THE STARS - BALLET MUSIC FOR ALBERTINA RASCH

World premiere recording of melodious ballet music by Dimitri Tiomkin for Albertina Rasch and her famed dance troupe, the Albertina Rasch Dancers. Recorded as a companion to Intrada’s world premiere release of Tiomkin’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder, this lavish 2-CD recording made by William Stromberg leading the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra offers more than 80 minutes of early Tiomkin music, dazzling transcribed and orchestrated for this recording by Patrick Russ. Composed between 1927 - 1932, Tiomkin wrote these stirring and energetic pieces during the years prior to his becoming the celebrated Academy Award-winning Hollywood film composer. Albertina Rasch conceived and executed the first ballet staging set to music by George Gershwin in 1926, with Tiomkin one of two pianists on stage. Her efforts led to new concepts in ballet, what she referred to as New World Ballet or American Ballet. While Tiomkin later made mention of his Mars Ballet music, he largely ignored the remainder of his “truckload of ballet music”, according to liner note author Warren M. Sherk. New Intrada presentation brings generous amount of this brilliant, neglected work out into the open. Film music aficionados will enjoy discovering beloved Duel In The Sun theme finds its origin in several of these dazzling miniatures. Stunningly performed orchestral showpieces include rollicking opener, “Snow Ballet”, exciting “Mars Ballet”, rich four-movement “Choreographic Suite” with its impressionistic “Prelude”, animated “Scherzo”, haunting “Valse Con Moto” and perhaps most significantly, its hypnotic and powerful “Exotica”, with a singularly stirring buildup of the orchestra and the introducing of that afore-mentioned memorable theme later immortalized in Selznick’s Duel In The Sun. Numerous other highlights include the rousing Latin-flavored “Fiesta Suite”, particularly the powerful “Gitana” and virtuoso “Fandango” and the infectious and delightfully-syncopated rhythms of “Albertina Rasch Girls” from “Moulin Rouge”. Big spotlight goes to “Rasch Specialty” with its own unique, stirring variant on that ever-memorable Duel In The Sun theme. Recorded on the supervision of Olivia Tiomkin who gracefully attended the recording sessions. Engineered by veteran Simon Rhodes, orchestrated by Patrick Russ. William Stromberg conducts the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra.