7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good idea not perfected, August 10, 1999
This review is from: Shakespeare's Music (Audio CD)
Shakespeare seems to be all the rage in the cinema world and record companies are seldom far behind. This is a Good Thing but it is easy to run out of ideas and/or saturate the market with Elizabethan-type programs; so one must find a gimmick. Telarc has found one, not very original perhaps, but pleasant enough for the listener. It is called <Shakespeare's Music: classic and popular music inspired by the plays of William Shakespeare> (CD-80551) and contains music that comes from films and greater works. The films represented are "Shakespeare in Love," the second "Henry V," and the Zeffirelli "Romeo and Juliet." None of these, mind you, have any pretense at a late 16th century sound; and I would have strongly opted for the Olivier "Henry V" which at least used material from that period. But the keyword in this collection is "inspired," so let that rest. From the classics come some Mendelssohn "Midsummer Night's Dream" and some Berlioz "Romeo et Juliette" with some of Prokofiev's, and all of Tchaikovski's. Why Telarc didn't stick to just to the Romeo play makes me wonder. The best bit (to me) is the "Ave Maria" and final scene from Verdi's "Otello." This compilation features Kunzel and the Cincinatti Pops, Levi and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra. The film music is generally played well given the level of it quality), the classical is better played on many other older recordings. Still this idea is a good one and perhaps Telarc will use it again using only classical or only film score sources.
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