Cinema Serenade

Itzhak Perlman (Artist), John Williams (Artist), Pts (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 29, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029W9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,659 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > World Music > Middle East > Israel

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On this disc of themes and songs from famous movies, the playing's the thing that beguiles ear and heart. The music varies in quality, but it captures the national and emotional flavor of the films, sometimes aided, sometimes overwhelmed by the orchestration. André Previn's and John Williams's compositions and arrangements stand out. Except for one lively Irish dance, the basic mood is wistful, nostalgic, melancholy, and always sentimental, but Perlman can turn pure corn into pure gold. His tone is ravishingly, exquisitely beautiful. Focused and intense, it sings, shimmers, and glows, soaring into the highest register with radiant ecstasy. Equally remarkably, he brings no less seriousness, care, and expressiveness to this music than to his customary repertoire, yet projects a sense of having a wonderful time. The arrangements, especially those by Williams, seem tailor-made to his strengths, giving him plenty of chances to display his virtuosity, flair, gypsy abandon, improvisatory freedom, and infinite charm, and he uses them to the hilt. Listeners familiar with the films may find their favorite tunes freshly illuminated; the uninitiated could not wish for a more persuasive introduction to the style. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful..., July 6, 2002

By 

Allyn "pianogirl" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cinema Serenade (Audio CD)

...OK, you get my point. But I'll say it again just in case. You really can't get much better than this-great music and a great performance. Itzhak Perlman has chosen timeless classics for this CD-ranging from the haunting theme from "The Color Purple" to a tango from "Scent of a Woman." This is one of those CDs that you really can't pick a favorite song from. Is it the romantic "I Will Wait for You"? Is it the gorgeously mournful "Papa, Can You Hear Me"? Or could it be the "Cinema Paradiso" theme that is just perfection with Itzhak playing it? And speaking of Itzhak, he is obviously a musical genius. His violin interprets the songs perfectly, and you'd swear his violin really was singing as it mourns, soars, and romances its way through this songs. Now that I'm out of adjectives to describe this treasured CD (I promise, that was my last one), I'll sum up my review in two words...buy it!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Movie Music CD, March 17, 2002

By 

Li (PJ, MY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinema Serenade (Audio CD)

As soon as I heard the beautiful strains of the Love Theme from "Cinema Paradiso," I knew I had to have this. I've had it for half a year now and it's the CD I listen to most often. To say Itzhak Perlman is amazing is an understatement. Combining one of the most gifted violinists with some of the most moving music themes ever written equals nearly 54 minutes of auditory bliss.

It would be pretty hard to pinpoint the faults (if there are any), unless you're one of those nitpicky people who like to butcher everything apart. Unlike many albums, none of the tracks are fillers. Even the less distinctive ones are lovely. Standouts include the themes from Yentl, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Out of Africa, Black Orpheus and Schindler's List. The charming theme from Il Postino is another one of my favourites, but I could be biased because of the movie. The icing on the cake has to be Andrea Morricone's classic "Love Theme" from Cinema Paradiso.

If you love music, if you love to be moved, this is the perfect album. How can anyone listen to this and not feel anything?

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine Performanes, Fine Music, Fine CD, December 6, 2001

By 

Zachary S. Houp "RAREfiend" (Fleetwood, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cinema Serenade (Audio CD)

With a CD like this, John Williams at the helm and Itzhak Perlman doing what he does best, it's hard to go wrong; and sure enough, this album won't fail to please. As the title obviously indicates, the CD is intended more for a string fan than, say, one of William's other compilations, Hollywood Sound, which focuses on his more loud, bombast scores that are mostly regal brass. So if string is your thing and Itzhak Perlman is your man, then this CD is in all likelihood right for you.

As expected, the performances are top-notch with nothing to complain about or even simply comment on. The Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra does quite well, along with Perlman's perfection and some excellent arrangements by several of the music industry's finest composers. Perhaps the only real complaint I can administer is that some of the selections are perhaps too obscure or play out as somewhat redundant on the CD. Most surprising is the fact that tracks of greatest value come in americanized versions of a few foreign scores.

There are several exceptional tracks: The Color Purple is innocent and beautiful, Por una Cabeza is a fun tango and the most jolly piece on the album, excerpts from John Barry's Out of Africa are always splendid, and finaally Andrea Morricone's work for Cinema Paradiso is without fault. All of this is without mentioning the several fabulous cues by Williams himself--the least being Sabrina. Schindler's List certainly won't come across any different, as it pairs Williams and Perlman together again.

The only thing one might find amiss is that some classic themes and orchestrations have been reorganized to allow greater airtime for Perlman's violin; this is completely understandable for the album, but some might be dissapointed by Far and Away and Out of Africa, as many beautiful brass passages have been redistributed to strings. All in all, however, this is a fine CD, with excellent performances, and gives a very good sample of some of film's better film scores, better composers, certainly not the least of which are the two heads of this album, John Williams and Itzhak Perlman.