Customer Reviews

Cinema:Silent Film Music by J.S. Zamecnik

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

 

 

I simply must respond to the comments about the violin sound on this CD: I am the pianist and director of the Mont (not Mount) Alto orchestra. I know that violin sounds can be a matter of personal taste. We have listened to this recording many times, and I find no fault at all with our violinist, Susan Hall, who brings a lovely tone and spirit to this music. Susan is able to bring a tasteful humor to pieces like Danse Fantastique that leave other violinists at a loss. There are few groups who play everything perfectly, and I hear music on the radio every day that sounds far worse than this. It would be lovely if the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields were to approach this music, but they aren't likely to any time soon. I strongly encourage you to sample the sound files provided for you on this web site -- if the violin is not to your liking, avoid the recording. But this is the only complaint we've had to date about the execution of this material, so it is definitely a matter of personal taste. In any event, it's not like a Mozart concerto where if you don't like this recording you can buy someone else's -- despite the vast importance of this music in the period 1913 to 1928, this is the first and only time this music has been recorded for public release. If you want to hear silent film music, check it out.

This CD presents a sequence of short pieces composed by a student of Dvorak, for use in the silent cinema. The music is both charming and moving, and it is beautifully played. Strongly recommended.

As a lover of silent films, I was thrilled to find this collection of Zamecnik songs. The musicians do a wonderful job. I would love to seem more of the same!

I am an avid fan of silent movies ,and am drawn to this era in general. This adds to my enjoyment of this music,but I find it very appealing in and of itself. I will listen to this cd often.

I have really enjoyed this CD. The compositions are great and well executed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

The music of John Zamecnik, American composer and student of Antonin Dvorak, is largely unknown today, because, as is the case with some other composers who have suffered similar fates, his work was written for a particular medium and cultural milieu long obsolete: the world of silent films, accompanied by live orchestra.

It is a pity, because on the evidence of this recording and other music by Zamecnik I have encountered, the composer had a gift for memorable melody that conveys strong and immediate emotion. It is easy to see why he had such a success in his chosen field, which requires little else beyond the specialized skill of fitting music to the limited time frame of a particular film scene.

The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, really a chamber ensemble, is to be commended for attempting to revive this charming music. Unfortunately, on the evidence of this CD, good intentions are not matched by equally adept execution. While it is not gallant to point fingers it must be said that the principal offender among the generally competent players is the violinist. In track after track she consistently plays below the pitch, and her faulty intonation is exacerbated by a wide and loose vibrato. In this day of such high standards in string playing, such technical blots are simply not acceptable. The CD is worth listening to once for the music. I am not sure I will listen to it much more.

June 22, 2006: I did spell the group's name wrong in my original review and have corrected it.