Steiner’s score
for The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) was his
first for Warner Bros. He would go on to write for more than
one hundred films over the next three
decades. The film’s story was a very
fanciful concoction involving the Light Brigade’s exploits in
India before the Crimean campaign. The
film starred Errol Flynn, Olivia de
Havilland, Patrick Knowles and David Niven.
It is available on DVD:
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The Warner Bros shield logo
circa (1935-37)
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Portions
of Steiner’s The Charge of the Light Brigade score had
previously been recorded. The ‘Forward the Light Brigade’ track
from the album Now Voyager, Classic Film Scores of Max
Steiner performed by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic
Orchestra, appeared on RCA Victor GD80136. There was also a
seven-movement suite from The Charge of the Light Brigade
on the 1994 Marco Polo recording, 8.223608, that featured the
Brandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Potsdam conducted by Richard
Kaufman.
This
is the first recording of the complete score with superb performances,
blisteringly exciting in the battle sequences redolent of Richard
Strauss in Heldenleben-mode and tenderly romantic for
those scenes involving Flynn’s regular romantic interest, Olivia
de Havilland. It’s all delivered in excellent sound. The Tribute
team: John Morgan who was responsible for music reconstruction
and orchestration and Anna Bonn who prepared the music together
with conductor William Stromberg are to be congratulated on
their achievement.
Steiner
again uses the leitmotiv principle he had pioneered in his 1930s
groundbreaking RKO Radio Pictures scores: King Kong,
She and The Informer. The main theme that stands
for the hero Geoffrey Vickers (Errol Flynn), and by extension
the British Army, is introduced in the opening scene after the
Main Title music. This theme is varied according to the exigencies
of the plot, martial-sounding or tender or plaintive for the
more romantic moments. It contrasts strongly with the nasty
slithery theme for the movie’s villain, Surat Khan.
Being
the first film Steiner scored for Warner Bros, his famous fanfare
for that studio is not heard (see footnote below). The score
is wonderfully evocative and atmospheric: the sinuous ethnic
music created for Kahn’s court musicians and menacing material
for the leopard that threatens Khan. The complex harmonies,
dissonances and cross-rhythms for the battle scenes sound tremendously
exciting with bugle and trumpets blaring across the sound-stage
as in ‘I’d Rather Hoped for Some Action’ And of course, there
is the ‘Charge’ music itself, the horses’ pacings so vividly
evoked, with march accelerating to canter, to gallop then to
full-blooded charge. Anna Bonn, in her notes, recalls how Stromberg
pushed the orchestra such that they could not believe he required
to play so fast. Most memorable perhaps is that march, sounding
so glorious in ‘On to Chukoti’. Contrasting with all the bombast
are Steiner’s beautiful yearning love theme for Elsa and his
dazzling and romantic waltzes for the Ball scenes.
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Max
Steiner conducting the
Warner
Bros Studio Orchestra
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The
sumptuous 32-page accompanying booklet includes many of the
film’s stills and posters plus Tennyson’s famous poem, articles
about the production of the film and Steiner’s music, and a
track-by-track analysis of the score.
Ian Lace
Footnote
Ray Faiola has
contributed, for MusicWeb, the following note about Steiner’s
famous Warner Bros fanfare:
Steiner composed the Warner fanfare for Gold is Where You
Find It. However, the first film in which it was heard
was Tovarich. Tovarich was released in December of 1937
and Gold didn't make it to theaters until February of
1938. Although Steiner did not retain the rights to the
composition, Warners has used it only sporadically since Steiner's
last use of it on Battle Cry in 1955. Recent uses
have included Blazing Saddles in 1974 and Time
after Time in 1979. Steiner composed music
for nearly a dozen Warner Bros. pictures before writing the
ubiquitous fanfare. Of the staff composers on the lot,
Heinz Roemheld, Adolph Deutsch, Frederick Hollander and
Howard Jackson would employ Steiner's fanfare for their scores;
Korngold, Waxman and later David Buttolph would score the logos
uniquely for each picture.
A
fabulous, tremendously exciting album and a must for all Steiner
admirers.
DISC
ONE (65:28)
1. Main Title/Palace of Surat Khan 4:08
2. Dispensing with Formalities 1:45
3. A Brilliant Shot 2:59
4. Little Prema and Geoffrey :51
5. Soldiers on Parade 1:36
6. Calcutta :53
7. Perry and Elsa 1:43
8. Brothers Reunited :40
9. At the Lancers’ Ball 3:38
10. Elsa’s Waltz 4:42
11. Ballroom Waltz 1:05
12. Geoffrey Warns Perry 1:14
13. Geoffrey Bids Farewell/Trek to Buy Horses 5:13
14. “I’d Rather Hoped for Some Action!” 4:39
15. On to Chukoti 3:35
16. Prema Tries on a New Salute :24
17. Colonel Campbell Annoyed/Lady Warrenton 1:47
18. In the Garden with Perry/Convoy Returns 2:04
19. Leaving Chukoti Undefended 3:47
20. Attack of the Suristanis 3:05
21. Retreat to the Barracks 4:21
22. A Chance by Moonlight 1:28
23. Surat Khan Proposes a Truce 3:06
24. Treachery under a White Flag 2:31
25. Massacre/A Debt Is Paid 4:00
DISC TWO (34:54)
1. Rescue Troops to Chukoti 2:51
2. “They’re Dead! They’re All Dead!” 2:31
3. “The Finest Man I’ve Ever Known” 2:46
4. Orders to Withdraw the Light Brigade 1:18
5. Forging the Order to Advance on Balaklava Heights 3:10
6. “It’s Come at Last”/Noble Gesture 2:35
7. “Our Objective Is Surat Khan!” :51
8. The Charge of the Light Brigade 9:27
9. “For Conspicuous Gallantry” 1:04
10. End Cast :39
BONUS TRACKS
11. The Light Brigade Rides Again Promotional Trailer 4:37
12. Arsenic and Old Lace Original Theatrical Trailer 2:59
