This compilation is similar to the Themes
from The Phantom Menace and Other Film Hits album released by Varese
Sarabande, though its subject matter is more varied. The Cincinnati Pops
Orchestra delivers performances from such film scores as Air Force One,
The Mask of Zorro, and even A Bug's Life.
The only other Telarc album of this nature that I have listened to was the Symphonic
Star Trek (which I really need to get around to reviewing). I found the
performances on that CD to be pretty good, but here it is a mixed bag. Some
of the selections are great, such as the instrumental version of When You
Believe from The Prince of Egypt,
and the music from The Phantom Menace. On the
other hand, there are some major problems with some of the music. The
opening title from Godzilla just doesn't
sound right without the accompanying choir, and The Mask of Zorro
suite, while interesting, falls just so short of the intensity and the fun
that can be found in the originals (and in the suite that is on the Cinema
Century 2000 set).
The two Media Ventures pieces (The
Rock and Armageddon) are probably the worst since the
Cincinnati Pops just can't seem to match the brass line that made those two
so great. The performances themselves are also lacking. The biggest
disappointment though was The Sand Volcano from The
Mummy. Once again the brass section is heavily at fault since it
hardly even registers in the piece. Even worse, the Middle-Eastern ethnic
instruments don't sound quite right. After the great and enthusiastic
performance on Varese's comparable album, I was very upset. I expected a lot
more from Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops.
Rounding out the mediocre content, there is some
gee-whiz sound effects sequences. These are really just for show and the
only one I really cared for was the Godzilla sequence. Still, they are
really nothing more than gimmicky and serve to only break up the music
between tracks.
This CD is okay as far as compilations go, and
the subject matter is actually very interesting as far as the arrangement
goes, but the troublesome performances really lower the quality of this one.
Only recommended to diehard fans of those Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops
compilations (or maybe if you're interesting in obtaining vocal-free
versions of When You Believe or It's the Time of Your Life). ***
