Various artists: Music From the Films of Stanley Kubrick (Silva Screen)
The opening track on this excellent collection is, inevitably, Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra, which so dramatically opened Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, this is a remarkably comprehensive selection of music from the first 12 of Kubrick's 13 films, the only omission being his swansong, Eyes Wide Shut. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Gerald Fried, who scored five films for Kubrick, beginning with the 1950 boxing documentary, Day of the Fight; more familiar, but no less welcome, inclusions range from the wonderful Barry Lyndon soundtrack to Vera Lynn singing We'll Meet Again from Dr Strangelove.
Michael Dwyer
The City of Prague Philharmonic: The Wild West (Silva Screen)
This stirring, wide-ranging double CD is subtitled The Essential Western Film Music Collection and features over 140 minutes of music drawn from 38 westerns. The highlights include such enduring - and rousing - themes as The Big Country, How the West Was Won and The Magnificent Seven, along with John Barry's gorgeous score for Dances With Wolves, David Mansfield's lyrical music for Heaven's Gate and Trevor Jones's powerful theme for The Last of the Mohicans. Ennio Morricone is represented by A Fistful of Dollars, Two Mules For Sister Sara and the haunting Once Upon a Time in the West. Four of the lesser-known themes are from television series: Wagon Train, The Wild Wild West, Buffalo Girls and Lonesome Dove.
Michael Dwyer
