The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection [SOUNDTRACK]

Elmer Bernstein (Composer), Bill Ashton (Conductor), Daniel Caine (Conductor), James Fitzpatrick (Conductor), Nic Raine (Conductor), Paul Bateman (Conductor), Daniel Caine Orchestra (Performer), National Youth Jazz Orchestra (Performer), City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Performer: Daniel Caine Orchestra, National Youth Jazz Orchestra
• Orchestra: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Bill Ashton, Daniel Caine, James Fitzpatrick, Nic Raine, Paul Bateman
• Composer: Elmer Bernstein
• Audio CD (June 7, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Silva America
• ASIN: B0007XTQ14
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,342 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

*A specially priced 2CD set with over 110 minutes of some of the greatest film music in the history of cinema.

*New digital recordings in spectacular and sound performed by the acclaimed City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and National Youth Jazz Band.

*Includes world premiere recordings from "The Birdman Of Alcatraz," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Airplane!" and "An American Werewolf In London."

*In 2004 the world of cinema lost one of the most iconic figures in film composing. In a career that spanned half-a-century and over 250 films, Elmer Bernstein was responsible for writing the music to many of the greatest and most loved movies of all time ranging from "The Ten Commandments," "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape," through to "True Grit" and "Airplane!" This collection has been lovingly created and compiled as a tribute to a genius and true master of the art of film scoring.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally!!!, August 31, 2005

By	Richard J. Guhl (Sitka, Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This superb collection of Bernstein's film music only lacks the title theme from "Spies Like Us" to rate all 5 stars. I have been looking for soundtrack music from "Zulu Dawn" in general, and the "River Crossing" specifically, since 1987. That selection alone is worth the price of the 2 disc set.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "his music left an impression on all of us ~ Mr. Bernstein", June 7, 2005

By	J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Daniel Caine Orchestra and Crouch End Festival Chorus (Choir Master: David Temple) performs the gems by composer ELMER BERNSTEIN...conducted by Paul Bateman, Daniel Caine, James Fitzpatrick and Nic Raine, this latest release "The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection", has all the rhythmically dynamic and poetic scores ever conceived...Bernstein's music remains in your mind with haunting and forbidding themes that will stay with you the rest of your days...sought after Bernstein career selections and World Premier Debut Recordings give this package an A Plus!

Disc One...Bernstein has the ability to capture the moment from each cue within his scores, examples are in alphabetical order:
AGE OF INNOCENCE (End Titles)
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (World Premier Debut Recording)
BUCCANEER (Overture)
COMANCHEROS
GHOST BUSTERS
HEAVY METAL (Taarna's Theme)
HOLLYWOOD AND THE STARS
JOHNNY STACCATO (seldom recorded or heard)
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
TRUE GRIT (Rooster Cogburn/A Warm Wrap-Up)
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
ZULU DAWN (River Crossing)

Disc Two...music flows in the air and the tapestry is fine and the weave is just right...in alphabetical order:
AIRPLANE (World Premier Debut Recording)
BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (Finale) (World Premier Debut Recording)
BRIDGE AT REMAGEN
FAR FROM HEAVEN
GREAT ESCAPE
HALLELUJAH TRAIL (Overture)
HAWAII (Overture)
MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM
SHOOTISTS (Main Title)
SONS OF KATIE ELDER
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (Overture)
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (Sky-Hi) (World Premier Debut Recording)

Listen and recall the scores which have crossed our path...one has only to close their eyes and visualize the characters that came to life on the big screen...the music of Elmer Bernstein was a very large part of the cinema...sit back and soak up each passage and cue that prevails.

Silva Screen Records and James Fitzpatrick (producer), Rick Clark (NYJO tracks), Reynold da Silva (executive producer)...please stand up and take a bow for the well deserved rare gems you've given us...a tribute compilation dedicated to the memory of Elmer Bernstein (1922 to 2004)...this can only be one of the most sought after collections for any "film-score-buff"...speaking for myself and some of my movie music collector comrades...this is a keeper!

Total Time: 2-CD-Set ~ Silva America 1178 ~ (6/07/2005)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 21, 2007

By	tjguitar - See all my reviews

it's unfortunate that more tracks weren't able to be recorded as theree was a good 15-20 minutes of space remaining on both discs. Regardless, this is an excellent sampler, especially in conjunction with Varese's Bernstein sampler including rare stuff like the Black Cualdron.


With regards to this silva set, these recordings range back to 1994, with Sons of Katie Elder and True Grit being recorded for a John Wayne CD and Bridge At Remagen for a CD of classic War themes. The Great Escape was also recorded for that CD, but producer James Fitzpatrick opted to record a new arrangement (same with Magnificent Seven). In '97, The Buccaneer for included on a Swashbucklers disc, while Heavy Metal was on the popular 'Space and Beyond' compilation. In '98, the world premiere recording of Airplane first appeared on a DISASTERS film disc. So while it may technically be the world premiere RECORDING it certainly is not the world premiere CD RELEASE of that recording. Ghostbusters was included on Space 3: Beyond the Final Frontier, the second followup to the popular 'Space and Beyond'. Fast forward to 2002 and 4 recordings first appeared on WAY OUT WEST: ESSENTIAL WESTERN FILM MUSIC COLLECTION VOLUME TWO, those being The Comancheros, The Hallelujah Trail, The Scalphunters and The Shootist. Man With the Golden Arm and Walk on the Wild are from Silva's JAZZ IN FILM cd.


The remaining tracks were all newly recorded for this release. They are of course the strongest tracks, seeing as the City of Prague Philharmonic has improved over time. I do wonder though why they did not include the older arrangements of Great Escape and Mag. Seven as bonus tracks.

I also recommend the simultaneously released '40 years of Film Music: Jerry Goldsmith' for another great set honoring a late great film composer.