In Session

Varese Sarabande Records

Music Composed by Various Artists

Music Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith, Joel McNeely, Cliff Eidelman, Frederic Talgorn, Elmer Bernstein, Rick Wentworth, John Debney, and Georges Delerue

Performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra

Produced by Robert Townson

Release Date: 2001

     Oh yeah! Here is another compilation to review! While these things may be some of the hardest releases to review, we've all had those moments in the record store where the lure of the compilation makes its tempting offer right? Well, it has to me before (at least before I amassed such a huge collection). Every once in a while, a good compilation comes along that I feel makes good points and would be a pleasant buy for someone who is a rather casual listener to film scores or someone who just wants a particular piece of music that is only easily available on the said compilation, or even those with nice surround sound stereos who want to hear favorite classics boom out all around them.

     As far as compilations go, this is one of the more packed ones. The album consists of two discs, each running at slightly over 71 minutes in length...in fact, there is only a difference of six seconds between the two discs. I find it quite a shame that the engineers at Varese could not at least trim a few seconds here and there on disc 2 to make it have the exact same running time as the first disc since that would've been pretty cool.

     This album bears extra kudos in that it presents material from a more diverse range of sources then one normally finds. Yes, all the classic stuff like Jaws, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Psycho are here, but along with that are a whole range of material from a variety of classic film composers. Some of the material is really interesting, such as the sections from the Bernard Herrmann scores to The 3 Worlds of Gulliver and Marnie. There is also an abundance of Alex North material on this set, and from the quite extensive linear notes it seems to be that perhaps this album started out as a tribute to North.

     The selected cues are all done quite with, with rousing performances from the always excellent Royal Scottish National Orchestra, although the London Symphony does pop up to perform the track from Body Heat. The selection of pieces are generally very good, especially in the case of Jaws which presents what, to my mind, is the best cue from the score. Superman was a little disappointing since I felt the opening title would've worked better here, but the Love Theme is no slouch, though I do prefer the film version to the concert version presented here. Both cues get excellent performances from the RSNO, though if you have those two Varese albums already, its nothing you haven't heard before.

     Really, the only odd selection here would have to be that of Joel McNeely's Xizor's Theme from Shadows of the Empire. It's not that McNeely's score there was lacking in any respect, I actually found it to be quite excellent, but this piece just seems rather out of place with everything else. Since Varese put out the Shadows of the Empire project, I can understand that it was something that they could slap on the disc with no trouble. Still, it would have made more sense if Star Wars was represented by the Main Title or Duel of the Fates from the Themes from The Phantom Menace compilation.

     Like all compilations, avoid this if you already have a lot of the material in your own collection, or if you one of those purists who absolutely hates re-recordings. On the other hand, if you find that the material on this generous set offers you the most bang for the buck, there should be no reason to think twice. ****

Track Listing - CD 1

1 - 2001 - Main Title (1:17)

2 - REBECCA - Main Title, Forward, and Opening Scene (4:30)

3 - CITIZEN KANE - Salaambo's Aria (4:11)

4 - THAT HAMILTON WOMAN - Love Theme (4:26)

5 - ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM - Elegy (4:26)

6 - CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE - Conquest (3:18)

7 - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE  - Stan Meets Blanche (3:03)

8 - VIVA ZAPATA! - Gathering Forces (3:48)

9 - THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY - Overture and Autumn (2:16)

10 - PEYTON PLACE - Swimming Scene (5:37)

11 - VERTIGO - Prelude and Rooftop (4:54)

12 - THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD - Overture (2:05)

13 - THE TWILIGHT ZONE - Walking Distance: Memories (2:50)

14 - PSYCHO - Prelude and The City (4:09)

15 - THE 3 WORLDS OF GULLIVER - The Lilliputians and The Duel (2:48)

16 - BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S - Moon River (5:39)

17 - TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - End Title (3:25)

18 - MARNIE - The Hunt (4:18)

19 - HAMLET - Ball at the Palace (2:59)

Total Running Time: 71:10

1 - THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY - Main Title (2:58)

2 - THE SAND PEBBLES - Overture (2:28)

3 - WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF? - Moon and Main Title (3:54)

4 - BORN FREE - Playtime (3:21)

5 - FAHRENHEIT 451 - The Road (3:43)

6 - PATTON - Entr'acte (2:16)

7 - TORA! TORA! TORA! - Main Title (3:17)

8 - JAWS - Man Against Beast (5:15)

9 - MIDWAY - Main Title and End Title (5:15)

10 - SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE - Love Theme (5:01)

11 - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE - The Enterprise (6:07)

12 - SOMEWHERE IN TIME - Theme (3:37)

13 - BODY HEAT - Main Title (3:52)

14 - OUT OF AFRICA - Main Title (3:14)

15 - PLATOON - Theme (6:54)

16 - STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE - Xizor's Theme (4:36)

17 - TARAS BULBA -Ride of the Cossacks (4:51)

Total Running Time: 71:16