Victory at Sea [Soundtrack]

Richard Rodgers (Composer), Robert Russell Bennett (Conductor), RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Robert Russell Bennett
• Composer: Richard Rodgers
• Audio CD (August 11, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: RCA Victor
• ASIN: B0000064X9
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,104 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rodgers' score for Victory at Sea is glorious, moving....., April 12, 2004

By 

Alex Diaz-Granados "fardreaming writer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Victory at Sea (Audio CD)

Although Richard Rodgers will always be remembered for his brilliant musical theater collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II, particularly with the latter (South Pacific, The Sound of Music), he also had a successful career as a composer of incidental music, and Victory at Sea is perhaps his best-known orchestral score.

Rodgers composed 13 hours' worth of music for "Victory at Sea," NBC-TV's 26-episode documentary which premiered in 1952 and was a staple of the pre-cable late night hours on independent televisions such as WCIX-TV in Miami. Each episode ran for 30 minutes and focused primarily on the U.S. Navy's participation in the then-still recent Second World War, from the fight against German U-boats in the North Atlantic to the fierce struggle for domination of the Pacific between American and Japanese fleets.

Renowned conductor and arranger Robert Russell Bennett's name has forever been linked with Rodgers' Victory at Sea score, for it was Bennett who conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra during the original soundtrack's recording, and early LP and cassette editions of the score were credited to this now defunct ensemble. Later recordings, including this 1992 BMG re-issue, were later performed by the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, but still under the energetic and expert baton of conductor Bennett.

This first of two Victory at Sea BMG CDs contains all of the tracks contained in the 1950s-era RCA LP album, starting with the iconic "sweep of wind and wave" motif that started each episode. Even without the visual input, if you listen to "The Song of the High Seas," you can conjure up mental images of windswept white-capped waves as warships large and small sail across the oceans. Track one also features the menacing "U-boat" motif, which is played in the minor keys and conveys a sense of "danger down below" as a German submarine tracks its prey -- more than likely an Allied cargo ship -- and sinks it with a salvo of torpedoes.

Rodgers portrays various battles and aspects of naval warfare magnificently, capturing the emotional impact of Japan's early victories in "The Pacific Boils Over" (track 2), the resolute comeback of the Americans after Midway and the long struggle for a South Pacific island in the rousing "Guadalcanal March" (track 3), the "Hard Work and Horseplay" that were part of the sailors' and Marines' daily lives (track 5), and the awesome power of American naval aviation in "Theme of the Fast Carriers" (track 6), a stirring motif that conveys not only the big carriers and the air groups that fought so many crucial battles, but the awful price paid in blood as planes and ships were lost in action in such engagements as the Battle of the Coral Sea, "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot," and the bloody campaigns for Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Perhaps the most popular piece from Victory at Sea is "Beneath the Southern Cross," (track 7), a strangely sensuous and romantic tango-like composition. It was such a lovely and evocative melody that Rodgers later "borrowed" it and transformed it into a hit song ("No Other Love"), which would be covered by Perry Como.

There are also several tracks ("Fire on the Waters," "Danger Down Deep," "Mediterranean Mosaic," and "Magnetic North") that were not in any previous recording that I'd owned, and even though they feel tacked on (the producers should have placed them before track 9, in my opinion), they are still very powerful compositions. I would recommend this album to any fan of either film/television scores or American music of the 20th Century.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Score that Demands Your Attention, June 30, 2000

By 

Jason Poplaski (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Victory at Sea (Audio CD)

This CD contains selections from the 1950's television series by the same name. The music was not only perfect for the series, it is just as spectacular by itself.

Rodger's score is strong, demanding, and ever changing. The first track, "The Song of the High Seas," is a perfect example of a diverse style blended perfectly. The track begins strong, then hits hard, and ends with a very solid but noticeably lighter ending. It is a good track to show off the talent of every section of this orchestra.

It has been said that this CD is all march. That statement would be in error. "Guadalcanal March" is a good example of Rodger's ability to compose marches. However, on the opposite side of the spectrum, "The Magnetic North" is nothing like a march. That track ends with one of the most quiet, controlled endings that one might hear in modern music. There is a wide variety of styles on this CD.

Technically, the CD was recorded before 1972 in the A D D format. Those two facts made me hesitate before purchasing this CD. Don't let those two factors stop you from buying this CD. The recordings may be old, and in analog, but the CD sounds crisp and clear. You should have no trouble hearing the details of the music and enjoying this recording.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brialliantly moving scores., December 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Victory at Sea (Audio CD)

Richard Rodgers has successfully captured the tragedy of defeat and elation of victory in this album.

His passages not only tell a story, they convey powerful emotions, best felt by those who were there. The recurring themes vividly identify the elements in the passages.

I loved the Victory At Sea score as a kid, and I still do today. It is truly a contemporary classical masterpiece.