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Classic Choral Themes From the Movies *** This collection of choral film music appears to be a compilation of tracks drawn from a variety of BuySoundtrax/Dragon’s Domain releases, serving as a sampler. Some selections seem to come from the OSTs, while the Miklós Rózsa excerpts from Ben-Hur and King of Kings are recorded with the Brigham Young University A Capella Choir (culled from the label’s compilation of Rózsa choral music released in 2012). Meanwhile, the Brian May (Thirst suite) and Tony Bremner (The Everlasting Secret Family) tracks come from an earlier Dragon’s Domain compilation of Australian film music (DDR 694). Apart perhaps from the opening suite from Christopher Young’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II, most of the tracks here are lesser known, which is actually a good thing, as many compilations cycle through the same material again and again. For instance, the austere “The Great Prayer” from Laurence Rosenthal’s 1979 score for Meetings With Remarkable Men is not something you’re likely to find on your average film music collection, choral-based or otherwise. Also on hand is the haunting main theme from Mark Snow’s 1992 TV movie score A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story, where the harp opening fosters a subtle sense of mystery. Richard Band’s “Cantos Profane” from Troll (1986) makes for a nice little surprise, as does “Godzilla Under the Sea” from Akira Ifukube’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, performed here by the choral group Bukimisha. Overall, this is a fine sampler of choral music that you’re unlikely to find collected elsewhere. It’s at least worth auditioning the tracks at the label’s website. —Steven A. Kennedy Comments regarding this review can be sent to: stev4uth@hotmail.com. |
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