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Leonard Bernstein's musical update of Romeo and Juliet, with a young Stephen Sondheim's brilliant lyrics, had already galvanized Broadway with its vivid reinvention as a parable of racial intolerance and generational conflict. But director Robert Wise's lavish widescreen presentation broke fresh ground by taking the story to its most impressionable audience, the teenagers who could identify directly with Tony and Maria, and opened up Jerome Robbins's kinetic choreography through bravura camera work. The original soundtrack album was not merely a huge seller but a unique touchstone for an otherwise rock-oriented audience, and its release on CD benefits from an expanded program untenable in its initial LP release, as well as a 20-bit digital transfer. With Richard Beymer, Marni Nixon (Hollywood's vocal doppelgänger of choice, here standing in for Natalie Wood), and Rita Moreno dominating, the show's bounty of terrific songs and exciting instrumental pieces remains an ear-filling treat, mixing operatic passions, tart social commentary, and high comedy. From "Tonight" to "One Hand, One Heart," "America" to "Jet Song," this is a landmark in American musical theatre and film be...
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Score composer Howard Shore has informed this first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy with his distinctly modern sensibilities. Revolving loosely around a brief, heroic brass theme, this epic is infused with a powerful rhythmic thrust and a musical range that encompasses centuries (from the Renaissance pastoralism of "Concerning Hobbits" to the fiery, Prokofiev-influenced drama of "A Knife in the Dark"). Key to the score's sense of mystery and magical place are the rich choral passages that are interspersed throughout, some so ominously gothic they make The Phantom Menace's "Duel of the Fates" sound almost sunny by comparison. Enya's contributions ("The Council of Elrond" and the song "May It Be") add a sense of organic tranquility, but it's Shore's Wagnerian-scaled orchestral score that should long be cherished by admirers of film music and hobbits alike. --Jerry McCulley
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Artist:
Various Artists
Nicole Kidman playing a singing prostitute? Ewan McGregor channeling the Police? If the soundtrack to director Baz Luhrmann's freakish musical Moulin Rouge has its way, we'll all be wearing corsets and swinging from the ceiling while the former Mrs. Tom Cruise becomes our favorite new pop sensation. As daring as Luhrmann himself, the compositions test Kidman--who could have easily used a league of backup singers and studio knob-twiddlers to hide her inexperience--and she actually passes. She's no Olivia Newton-John, but she capably mixes Madonna's "Material Girl" with "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" (which is as breathy as Marilyn would've wanted it to be) and goes full throttle on any medley thrown her way. Her cover of "One Day I'll Fly Away" is especially poignant given her much-publicized personal tragedies. Ewan, though, is a real star; his giggly schoolboy brogue morphs into a fun cradle for Paul McCartney's Wings as well as U2's Bono on "Elephant Love Medley." Beck's cover of David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" is a hit waiting to happen, while Pattie LaBelle's '70s staple "Lady Marmalade" (remade by an all-star cast of divas, Lil' Kim and Christina Aguilera among them) ...
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Artist:
Mannheim Steamroller
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George Frideric Handel
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Irving Berlin
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James R. Murray
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Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
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Noel Regney
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Christmas Traditional
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Ray / Livingston, Jay Evans
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Catalan Traditional
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Alfred S. Burt
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Felix Bernard
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Robert Burns
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Chip Davis
Chip Davis's Mannheim Steamroller hasn't lost any ground in the six years since their last Yuletide offering. Christmas Extraordinare is another innovative and heartfelt collection of seasonal treasures played on a combination of 18th-century instruments and modern-day synthesizers, drums, and electric guitars. While not the first to marry different ages of musical instruments, Davis and his cohorts use them with imagination and an intensity that gives new life and drama to this rather inert genre. For material, Mannheim Steamroller asked their fans to choose their favorite holiday selections and vote on their Web site. The results of the poll are a fine mix of old and new--with slightly more emphasis on the modern--ranging from the bracing "Fum, Fum, Fum," a traditional Catalan carol, to Tchaikovsky's "Faeries" from The Nutcracker. Mannheim Steamroller imbues this beloved song with an almost militaristic edge, grounding it with an ominous tuba that gives the usually fey "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" an edgy tension. "Winter Wonderland" is a spectacular work, bordering on prog rock, as if Emerson, Lake & Palmer had re-formed to whip up a winter blizzard gone amok....
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For this Nancy Meyers-directed romantic comedy, Hans Zimmer serves up a breezy score quite different from the more heavy-duty works he's become known for. This may have something to do with the film's tone, of course, but also with the fact that Zimmer has sole credit on only two cues, having co-written the others with members of his extensive stable of helpers, including guitarist Heitor Pereira and even pop artist Imogen Heap (who also contributes wordless vocals in addition to getting writing credits on three tracks). In the film, Jack Black's character is a composer who namedrops Ennio Morricone; Zimmer steps up to the challenge with the opening track, "Maestro" (one of his solo compositions), which evidently seeks to emulate the romantic sweep of some of Morricone's scores and nearly succeeds. (This may sound like a criticism but getting near Morricone level is nothing to sneeze at.) A little later "Verso e Prosa," a collaboration between Pereira and Herb Alpert--who contributes his immediately identifiable trumpet--also stands out. If the rest of the CD had shown as much spirited zest as these two tracks, the album could have become a prized addition to any soundtrack lover's...
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Artist:
Original Cast Recording
Bring home BROADWAY'S NEWEST HIT, LITTLE MERMAID! The Brand-New Cast Recording of Broadway's Sparkling New Musical featuring the beloved hits from the film PLUS 10 ALL-NEW SONGS from the Broadway Show!
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Those who spent (or are spending) their formative years watching Kermit and Miss Piggy dance their special interspecies dance will revel in this spectacular, positively historic new Muppets CD, released just in time for the 25th anniversary of Jim Henson's The Muppet Show. A 20-page insert booklet, complete with color photos, details the fascinating history of Muppet music. Remember when Sesame Street's rendition of Jeff Moss's "Rubber Duckie" hit the kiddie pop charts? This 27-song CD harvests favorite and lesser-known recordings from feature films and from the original The Muppet Show, stringing songs ranging from Piero Umiliani's "Mahna Mahna" to Tony Burrello's "There's a New Sound" (the sound that's made by worms) together with skits and grand pronouncements and goofy sound effects like an old-time vaudeville show. A stunning variety of musical styles are showcased in this witty, wonderful collection that reminds us that a world without Fozzie Bear and Gonzo and Kermit and Miss Piggy would be less fuzzy indeed. --Karin Snelson
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Artist:
Richard M. Sherman
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Robert B. Sherman
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Julie Andrews
Winner of five Oscars (including two for Richard and Robert Sherman's memorable slate of songs), Disney's 1964 adaptation of British author P.L. Travers' beloved children's tales melded live action, animation and music more successfully than any film before or since. Containing the most complete version of the Sherman Brothers' score and a wealth of previously unavailable behind-the-scenes treasures, this double-disc, 40th anniversary soundtrack edition becomes the ultimate musical tribute to the beloved family masterpiece. The Sherman's memorable songs are showcased here in a more comprehensive musical context than ever before; indeed, a number of the expanded or previously unreleased pieces of the Irwin Kostal-arranged underscore now included were truncated in editing the film itself. The generous bonus disc contains the set's greatest historical treasure: a 40+ minute pre-production story meeting between the Shermans, gag writer Don DaGradi and author Travers herself. Also included is a lengthy 1964 audio documentary featuring the Shermans and stars Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, an audio montage of the songwriting team reminiscing and playing their original demos for th...
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The great irony of John Barry's Academy Award-winning score for Out of Africa (which also took the Oscar as Best Picture) is that it almost never was; director Sydney Pollack had originally envisioned the film with native African music, going as far as laying the indigenous score down as he was editing. But the weight of John Barry's arguments--not to mention his considerable track record and composing gifts--held sway, and the composer delivered on his intent: a lush, romantic masterpiece for the ages. --Jerry McCulley
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