| Goldsmith Conducts Goldsmith |
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Composed by Jerry Goldsmith |
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Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith Performed by The Philharmonia Orchestra Produced by James Fitzpatrick Release Date: 2002 |
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There has been quite a number of Jerry Goldsmith compilation CDs released as of late. Telarc's latest two releases has given us a taste of a typical Goldsmith concert along with the cantata he wrote for a Ray Bradbury text. Now Silva Screen chimes in with a compilation of their own which is actually a re-issue of a studio recording from his first-ever concert session. The concert was performed in 1987 with the Philharmonia Orchestra at The Barbican Center in London. The next day, the same group was assembled in a recording studio where a recording of the content from the concert was made over the course of three sessions. The original British CD release came about in 1989, and now Silva has re-issued a re-mastered version of the CD (say that three times fast) in honor of the concert’s fifteenth anniversary. While some basic pieces have stayed in place since Goldsmith’s first concert performance, many will notice both additions and omissions from what is usually included now. The album begins with a lengthy suite from The Blue Max, a good, if somewhat bland, war score. The Masada track is quite interesting and is also one of the few available recordings (original or otherwise) of this score. The suite from Gremlins is dismissible, and while I’ve heard good things about that particular work, I cannot compare how well the concert version stands up to the original recording. Next is the medley of television themes that is typical of a Goldsmith concert but without the inclusion of the theme from Star Trek: Voyager, which had yet to be written at this point. The medley of film themes is also quite standard, but is also missing some of the themes that would later be incorporated. The General’s Suite is also a staple of Goldsmith concerts and the version here stands quite well, although the piece from Lionheart is somewhat flat. Finally, the CD is rounded out with the addition of a bonus track from the score to Legend. The track sounds a lot better than the original CD release, which is actually quite a shame because the two selections chosen from the score are two of the weaker cues from that album. Overall, the sound quality is excellent, especially for having been recorded in the late eighties. The linear notes are rather skimpy, but provide an adequate amount of information both pertaining to the original concert work as well as the CD re-issue. Still, unless you’re such a fan of Goldsmith’s that you need to have this staple of his career, you’d be better off with the latest Telarc compilation of his concert work. While this release is no slouch, it seems a bit lacking in the content that would eventually be composed to help Goldsmith refine the concert experience. *** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 71:06 | |
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