Music Webmaster Len Mullenger
	FILM MUSIC RECORDINGS REVIEWS

	Max STEINER They Died With Their Boots On Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by William T. Stromberg  MARCO POLO 8.225079 [70:07]
		Crotchet Amazon

		Probably more than that of any other old Hollywood film composer, Max Steiner's music continues to divide opinion among film music fans and historians. No other composer from his era was as overworked or as revered. He is often credited for developing the art of scoring motion pictures into something more than source music being played in the background of a scene. His music to Gone With the Wind is arguably the best loved film score from that era and undoubtedly it epitomizes the old Hollywood sound for most people. Steiner has also taken some knocks from today's historians for his tendency to write music that mimics rather than enhances the action on screen. Whatever your opinion of his music might be, I suspect this new recording of his score to They Died With Their Boots On won't sway your opinion one way or the other. As with all their recordings for Marco Polo, conductor Bill Stromberg and arranger John Morgan have done a superb job in reconstructing this huge score and coaxing a sympathetic performance out of their Moscow Orchestra. The recorded sound could be warmer and less strident but the overall production is first class. The liner notes are superb (another characteristic of this series) and short of having had a world-class symphony orchestra to work with, this is the best production this team could have expected to achieve. The devotion to this music is obvious from all involved but I can't help thinking that a more representative Steiner score could have been chosen for this recording. The film was made in 1941 and is the story of George Armstrong Custer's (played by Errol Flynn) graduation from West Point, his romance and subsequent marriage to Libby (played by Olivia DeHaviland), his involvement in the American Civil War and finally his fated encounter with Crazy Horse at the Little Big Horn. The film is well regarded for Raoul Walch's direction and Flynn's charismatic performance as Custer. The liner notes also state that the film was one of the first to portray Native Americans in a more realistic and humane way. What is uncanny about Steiner's music is how remarkably descriptive it is. It has been many years since I last saw this film but listening to this CD prompted many recollections of the film. All the Steiner trademarks are there including the rousing fanfares and marches, a charming polka, the gorgeous melody representing Custer's romance to Libby, the fierce music depicting Crazy Horse and the Sioux Tribe as well as some frantic battle music that weaves all the major motifs along with popular tunes ranging from the Battle Hymn of the Republic to Rule Britiannia! Morgan has stated several times how difficult Steiner's scores are to reconstuct due to the very intricate writing. Steiner was undoubtably a peerless technician but even after hearing this disc, I continue to have my doubts about how well his music stands away from the images that inspired it. For me, only a few of the cues seem to stand on their own as fully developed structures that can enjoyed for their own sake. The scores of Waxman, Rozsa, Herrmann and Korngold are filled with such excerpts and that is why, I believe, their scores have survived so well and have developed a following independent of the films that inspired them. This is all very subjective and I will admit an irrational dislike for scores that quote a lot of unoriginal material or mimic the action on screen too closely - both trademarks of Steiner's western scores. Perhaps this is why I prefer his scores to the great romance pictures where his unrivalled lyrical gifts were put to such good use. Still, there is very much pleasure to be gained from this charming and energetic score and fans of film music are again indebted to Stromberg, Morgan and their impressive Marco Polo team. Reviewer Richard Adams   Ian Lace adds a short footnote:- I will confess that I greeted this album with less enthusiasm than other Marco Polo classic film score recordings. I had been wearied by the tedious repetitions of the Sioux Indian war-whoopings and the Garry Owen theme that dominated the 8 minute suite from this score in Charles Gerhardt's album, 'Captain Blood, Classic Film Scores for Errol Flynn', in the RCA Series (GD80912). To endure 70 minutes of this kind of tedium seemed daunting indeed! However I found much to enjoy in this new Marco Polo album including the lovely theme for Libby and the dramatic juxtapositioning of this theme with the military calls to battle in the cue 'The Final Goodbye'. Steiner was a master at musical character study - he could paint a detailed portrait in the space of a few bars - 'Meeting Father' is a vivid evocation of Libby's crusty cantankerous father. The battle music really thrills; this is very much due to the incredible virtuoso playing of the Indian war drums. Reviewer Ian Lace	Reviewer Richard Adams Ian Lace
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