AURIC: La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast)

Moscow Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Georges Auric (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Georges Auric
• Audio CD (July 27, 2009)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Marco-Polo
• ASIN: B00000464E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,576 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great music on its own terms, February 21, 1999

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: AURIC: La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Audio CD)

This very well might be the greatest cinematic score of them all. All the magic of Cocteau's visual elements is more than matched by the magic of this music. Even if I had no idea what was supposed to be happening on the screen during each musical segment, I would still play this CD over and over. But knowing the film as I do, my enjoyment is increased many times over. Since most copies of the film have somewhat poor sound-tracks, I am extremely grateful to Marco Polo for making this studio recreation available. And in case you are wondering about THAT OTHER recording, the Philip Glass score does not even come close! It is amusing on its own terms, but the Auric score is great music on ITS own terms. See if you can spot the influences on this composer. (Hint: listen to Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe"!)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Resistance is futile--you must have this CD!, May 16, 1999

By 

William F. Flanigan Jr. (North Potomac, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: AURIC: La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Audio CD)

Getting right to the numbers. On a scale of five and rounding up, I'd rate the CD at 4-1/2 stars (five because it's the only modern recording of this marvelous film score; four for performance; and four for sound quality). The music conjures up in the mind's eye scenes from what is one of the most stunning films of the post-war 40's and, very likely, of all time. For sure, it's Jean Cocteau's finest cinematic poem. Like the film, the score as performed here seems magical, light as a souffle, haunting, emotional, and delicately beautiful--clearly, a tour de force for your ears! For film enthusiasts who love the film (like myself), your life will never be complete until you have this CD! For those who love films, but have not yet seen Cocteau's masterpiece, you might as well get the CD now because this task will go straight to the top of your "Things I Gotta Do Today" list immediately after you've seen the film. And for those who are familiar with Mr. Auric's scores (say, from Cocteau's The Blood of a Poet (1930) or William Wyler's Roman Holiday (1953)) or are just casual listeners to film music, you will not be disappointed by this recording.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sounds appropriate for the time period - AS IT SHOULD., October 8, 2011

By 

Dale Lloyd "and/OAR" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: AURIC: La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Audio CD)

This CD is great as it is and I accept it for what it is. For me, the only thing better would be to have the music taken directly off the master tapes or film print. When I buy and listen to soundtrack recording CDs of older films, I usually don't like re-recordings because they often sound too sterilized and contemporary. Which is why I like the recording quality of this CD. It actually sounds appropriate for the time period - AS IT SHOULD. I was surprised to discover it was recorded in 1994 because it manages to maintain the aura of Cocteau's film rather well. I don't know how other reviewers can rate the performances on this CD. Do they know the score inside and out? Can they do a better job? Was there perhaps a misplayed note somewhere? If so, I've been too busy reliving memories of the film (through the music) to notice or care. If you're a big fan of Jean Cocteau and/or the original Beauty And The Beast film, this CD is a must-have.