Customer Reviews

Cinema Serenade

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...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!

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?

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.

This truly is one of the greatest cds I have in my entire collection of soundtracks. I have been collecting soundtracks since age 9 when I bought the Star Wars score from John Williams too. This masterpiece from two masters of music as violinist Izhak Perlman and director John Williams is the most played cd in my house because it has a compilation of the greatest movie themes in the history of filmmaking, such as the beautiful Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso -my favorite- by Ennio Morricone and the touching song from the unforgettable "Il Postino" by Luis Bacalov. Also a memorable performance of "Por una cabeza" the tango played in "Scent of a woman" and "True Lies"... a hard to find song! And the excellent leit motiv song from "Out of Africa" by John Barry... Be sure to buy it if you love music at all!

THIS CD is SIMPLY THE BEST. My personal and soon to be your favorites-the lush and romantic Cinema Paradiso Love Theme, unforgettable Schindler's List Theme, and the Postino II Themes are only a few of the shocking tracks on this CD. This CD has to be the perfect gift for yourself or anyone. Itzhak Perlman's violin sings and soars.

A treasured find! Itzhak Perlman, John Williams, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's rendetions of our cinema favorites provides hours and days of the very best in listening pleasure. Romantic, heart-warming, tender--the list goes on--to bring out our most appreciated responses.

Film scores have been a passion of mine since I first heard John Williams' unforgettable score for Star Wars at the age of 14. Since then I have become acutely aware of movie themes and orchestral music's ability to affect one's perceptions and emotions. As a result, my musical collection includes many CDs of music by composers such as James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith and, of course, maestro Williams.
Cinema Serenade, featuring acclaimed violinist Itzhak Perlman, John Williams and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, is a beautiful 13-track collection of movie themes by such famous composers as Elmer Bernstein, Michel Legrand, John Barry, Andrea Morricone, Luis Bonfa, Andre Previn and, of course, Williams.

Because the featured solo instrument is a violin, producer John Frost, Williams and Perlman chose themes that, with the exception of the Gardel tango "Por Una Cabeza" (heard in Scent of a Woman) and Williams' Irish-styled "Theme from Far and Away," are sentimental, stately and even melancholic. Listen to the plaintive "Papa Can You Hear Me?" from Yentl or "Theme from Schindler's List" (both evocative of European Jewish music), or the haunting "I Will Wait For You" from Michel Legrand's "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" with closed eyes and an open heart...I don't think there is anything more moving than Perlman's performance of those beautiful themes.

Williams conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with his usual golden touch, and although some of the arrangements in this CD have been tweaked to highlight Perlman's violin, the effect is not at all detrimental. Indeed, this is one of the best albums of the genre. Along with Cinema Serenade 2, it is a must-have CD for lovers of classic film scores.

This is one of the my favorite orchestral CDs. Do not be mislead - John Williams is the conductor, not the composer of all these pieces. Itzhak Perlman, the greatest violinist alive (imho), is instantly recognizable. This album...is worth the money just to hear the Tango from "Scent of A Woman." But just in case you are not satisfied by that, there's the stirring Papa, Can You Hear Me? from "Yentl" - the violin being so expressive you wonder if words were ever necessary. The evocative Manha de Carnaval from "Black Orpheus" (with its gorgeous guitar), the theme from "Schindler's List" and the romantic I Will Wait for You from "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" are also must-hears. I did not care for The Age of Innocence theme, and a few of the pieces in the middle are not too distinctive (e.g. Sabrina), but I still give this four stars. I like to listen to it on rainy days or evenings; it is very conducive to daydreaming. Overall, a very beautiful album.

This is a beautiful anthology of film music themes, lovingly caressed by Itzhak Perlman's violin and backed up by John Williams and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The only downside is that each selection is so enjoyable it leaves you wanting to hear more of the music from that particular film, preferably also played by Perlman.

This is a wonderful recording even for the listener who has no interest in Violin per se.
The themes are well known and beautifully executed.
I think this is a recording every music lover should have.