Maurice JARRE (1924-2009)
CD 1: Lawrence of Arabia (1962) [77:34]
CD 2: The Music of Maurice Jarre – A Personal Choice (of Producer, James Fitzpatrick). Moon over Parador (1988) [3:54]; Symphonic Dance Suite from The Magician of Lublin (1979) [7:40]; The Fixer (Suite) (1968) [7:11]; Cimarron Strip (TV series beginning 1967) [1:01]; Main theme; Prancer (1989) [6:19]; The Palanquin of Tears (1987) End credits [2:47]; Ryan’s Daughter (1970) ‘Where Was I When the Parade Went By?’ [2:37]; Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Nocturne (alternative version) [1:53]; Sunshine (1999) ‘The Sonnenheins’ [4:52]; Solar Crisis (1990), End Credits [6:51]; Resurrection (1980), End Credits [3:25]; Firefox (1982), End Credits [5:18]; Dead Poets Society (1989) [6:21]; Jesus of Nazareth (1977), TV Mini-Series Concert Suite [8:28]. Bonus Track – The Voice of the Guns Original version Kenneth J. Alford [2:41]
Crouch End Festival Chorus; City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra/Nic Raine (Lawrence of Arabia); James Fitzpatrick, Nic Raine, Derek Wadsworth, Paul Bateman (other scores)
rec. Smecky Music Studios, Prague, March 2010 (CD 1); Prague, various dates (CD 2)
World premiere recording of the complete score of Lawrence of Arabia
see end of review for full track-listing
TADLOW TADLOW012 [77:34 + 71:04]
 
Keen film-score collectors will recall that the Tadlow precursor, Silva Screen, production team (including James Fitzpatrick and Nic Raine as employed in this new release) recorded Lawrence of Arabia with Tony Bremner conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra back in 1988 (Silva Screen FILMCD 719). So why reinvent the wheel? Simply because this time around we have the full, unadulterated, undiluted score with material that was originally dialled out of the soundtrack. It is as if a veil has been lifted to reveal the full beauty and impact of this splendid classical score.
 
The orchestra of 100 includes two full sets of timpani, four sets of tom toms, two sets of bongos, three snare drums, tam-tam, xylophone, marimba, two large bass drums, and four tambourines. Three ondes martenots and a cithara were overdubbed because of their notorious instability.
 
Right from the ‘Overture’ you know this is something special. Those ferociously dramatic timp flourishes, the shifting meters, tritone intervals, Arabic motifs and that wonderfully expansive desert/Lawrence theme all add up to a thoroughly exciting musical experience. The wild Arabic themes are heard with telling little nuances I’d previously not detected. This wildness is counter-pointed by the disciplined British Military march, ‘Voice of the Guns’ by Kenneth J. Alford. The main theme also points up the indomitable spirit of Lawrence himself. Jarre is not above adding a little comic relief - satirizing and deflating his pomposity on occasions. In ‘Adulation’ and ‘The Horse Stampede/Farraj Killed’ he censors Lawrence’s ruthlessness and cruelty by twisting the music with strident, dissonant brass and pounding percussion.
 
But it is the ‘burning, fiery furnace’ desert evocations - the beauty, intensity, vastness and terror - that linger in the memory. Especially vivid is the magical portrait of the desert at night ‘Night and Stars’ all shimmering tremolando strings and pianos, harp, cithara and Ondes Martenot. ‘Sinai Desert/After Quicksands/Hutments/Suez Canal’ is just one other example of the desert evocations. This one is very powerful and quite frightening reflecting the perils of crossing such a hostile environment.
 
I am not sure why it was thought necessary to include bits of other Jarre scores when the Lawrence music did not spill over onto the second disc. This other CD comprises James Fitzpatrick’s personal choice from amongst Jarre’s other scores - not including Dr Zhivago, I noticed. It certainly demonstrates the composer’s virtuosity but I have to say that the content is not so memorable as Jarre’s Lawrence or Zhivago music.
 
Moon Over Parador is a joyous Latino score. It has an ‘outrageously scored tango’ with eccentric slurring. The Magician of Lubin is represented by a brief but riotous 6-movement concert suite - see track-listing below. It’s lugubrious, and then riotously witty comprising engaging waltzes and polkas and an uneasy, unsafe(?) bicycle ride. The bleak film The Fixer revolved around the plight of a Russian Jewish peasant wrongly imprisoned for murder. It includes a lovely violin solo - poignantly played by Lucie Svehlova - that comes under constant attack by iron-hard, percussive and ruthlessly martial-like chords. Cimarron Strip is a high-stepping, prancing Western theme. Prancer was a Christmas story and Jarre’s score is suitably magical, cute and winsomely sentimental. The Palanquin of Tears was about the life of a Chinese classical pianist and the music is exotic and high-spirited Chinoiserie. Jarre’s Ryan’s Daughter score is unusually represented by another army march for the unwelcome British presence. Christopher Palmer’s alternative view - with Jarre’s blessing - of the ‘Sea Shore’ Nocturne from Lawrence of Arabia is included. Soprano, Charlotte Kinder, and the Crouch End Festival Choir plus piano and orchestra decorate the glorious, joyous liturgical music from Sunshine, parts of which are reminiscent of the Zhivago score. The apocalyptic Solar Crisis score includes more choral music through its End Credits, this time reminiscent of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Jarre’s sensitively poignant scoring was a highlight of Resurrection which included an Oscar-nominated performance from Ellen Burstyn; the moving End Credits music includes a solo harmonica performance by Steve Lockwood. Clint Eastwood’s underestimated Russian-based thriller, Firefox, had a theme that boosted the film’s excitement. Dead Poets Society comes with harp solo and pipes setting the Celtic atmosphere and a link to the bards and poets of yesteryear. It goes on to embrace a troop of Scottish bagpipes. An intensely dark dramatic opening unfolds for Jesus of Nazareth suggesting the story’s tragedy before the more gentle music relating to Jesus’s pastoral teachings with choral material. This is more restrained than for a lot of Hollywood biblical epics at least until the glorious finale. Finally, CD2’s bonus track, the original version of Alford’s The Voice of the Guns brings the collection to a stirring conclusion.
 

Ian Lace
 
Complete track listing
CD 1
Lawrence of Arabia:-


  1. Overture (4:25)

  2. Main Titles (1:56)

  3. First Entrance to the Desert (4:25)

  4. Night and Stars (1:16)

  5. Lawrence and Tafas (4:31)

  6. Lawrence Rides Alone (0:50)

  7. Exodus (2:24)

  8. We Need a Miracle (2:40)

  9. In Whose Name Do You Ride? (2:34)

  10. That is the Desert (The Camels Will Die) (2:37)

  11. Mirage / The Sun’s Anvil (5:19)

  12. Gasim Lost in the Desert (3:29)

  13. Lawrence Rescues Gasim / Lawrence Returns with Gasim / The Riding (6:37)

  14. Arrival at Auda’s Camp (2:00)

  15. Bedouin Feast (1:26)

  16. On to Akaba (3:19)

  17. Attack on Akaba / Lawrence at the Sea Shore (2:03)

  18. Sinai Desert / After Quicksands / Hutments / Suez Canal (6:16)

  19. A Brilliant Bit of Soldiering – The Voice of the Guns (Kenneth J. Alford) (2:05)

  20. Bugle Call / Lawrence on the Terrace / Intermission (1:34)

  21. Adulation (0:50)

  22. The Horse Stampede / Farraj Killed (2:56)

  23. Ali Rescues Lawrence / Allenby’s Flattery (3:11)

  24. Assembled Army / Lawrence and His Bodyguard / Arab Theme (3:06)

  25. Military March (1:18)

  26. The End / Play-off Music (4:01)

 
CD 2
THE MUSIC OF MAURICE JARRE - A Personal Choice:-

  1. Moon over Parador (3:54)

Symphonic Dance Suite from The Magician of Lubin (7:40)

  1. The Magician (0:41)

  2. Warsaw (0:34)

  3. The Feast (1:48)

  4. Bicycles (1:28)

  5. The Park (0:50)

  6. The Magician Flies (1:56)

  7. The Fixer – Suite (7:11) Solo Violin: Lucie Svehlova

9. Cimarron Strip – Main Theme (1:01)
10. Prancer (6:19)
11 The Palanquin of Tears– End Credits (2:47)

  1. Ryan’s Daughter - “Where Was I When the Parade Went By” (2:37)

  2. Lawrence of Arabia – Nocturne (alternative version) (1:53)

  3. Sunshine– The Sonnensheins (4:52)

Solo Soprano: Charlotte Kinder

  1. Solar Crisis – End Credits (6:51)

  2. Resurrection – End Credits (3:25)

Harmonica: Steve Lockwood

  1. Firefox – End Credits (5:18)

  2. Dead Poet’s Society (6:21)

  3. Jesus of Nazareth – Concert Suite (8:28) 20.Bonus Track: The Voice of the Guns – Original Version (Kenneth J. Alford) (2:41)