Customer Reviews

Max Steiner's Classic Film Score: Gone With The Wind

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This is a one-movement high sound-quality suite prepared by Charles Gerhard and George Korngold in the early Seventies, for complete symphonic orchesta. The project had the approval of Max Steiner himself, though he died much before the production took place. Not to be confused with the original Soundtrack recording (now available thanks to Turner) nor with Max Steiner's own suite for smaller orchestra still available in a recording from the early Sixties with the London Sinfonietta. This 44-minute suite, like a Symphonic Poem, includes without cuts a long summary of most of the themes used in the original soundtrack recording. For many decades it was the most complete work regarding this beautiful music.
As expressed, there are three recordings highly important for collectors of the music of "Gone with the Wind":
1) The two-disc original 1939 recording, with old but very good sound, recently issued by Turner. It has an excellent booklet.
2) Steiner's two-movement concert suite for small orchestra, very beatiful also, still available in Muir Mathison's version with the London Sinfonietta.
3) This suite for whole Symphony orchestra, prepared with authorization of Max Steiner. It is a great achievement, and perhaps the most important result of the collaboration between conductor Charles Gerhard and producer George Korngold for the RCA's "Classic Film Scores" Series.

Max Steiner's music for Gone With the Wind was probably the most outstanding film score of the 20th century. Not only does it contain the gorgeous and justly-famous "Tara's Theme" but also a wealth of other beautiful and dramatically apt music -- much of which is presented on this CD. Although the original soundtrack recording is somewhat lacking in fidelity by modern standards, this CD presents a clean sounding re-recording of this wonderful music. If you buy only one film score, make it this one.

I remember when the original LP of this recording was issued, smack dab in the middle of RCA's hit "Classic Film Scores" series. One critic pretty much summed it up (paraphrasing as closely as I can remember): I guess it was inevitable that Gerhardt and company would get around to Steiner's "Gone With The Wind". Well, they did, and its' a winner. We can be grateful to Mr. Gerhardt, for there is no need to revisit this classic in the future. They have the last word."

That, of course, is true. However, I can't help but think that if "Gerhardt and company" had made their recording a decade or so later, in the digital age, they would have recorded more music. For that reason, I'm actually rather surprised Stromberg and Morgan, Nic Raine, or any of the others preserving film music with modern new recordings, hasn't revisited this old warhorse. A complete modern recording of "GWTW", which would surely require more than one disc, would almost certainly make Miss PittyPat's heart flutter once again.

You will flip head over heels for this version. It is by far better than the currently published "Original Gone With the Wind Soundtrack."