Customer Reviews

Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet (World Premiere Digital Recording of the Complete Film Score)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was excited when I discovered that there was a new digital recording of Rota's score to Romeo and Juliet. I had been searching for the original soundtrack, but was unable to find a copy.

I am very disappointed with this CD. To me, the charm of the original score in the film is its intimate, early Renaissance style. From the opening notes of the score in the film, one is immediately transported to Shakespeare's Verona.

This recording, however, is over-orchestrated, overproduced, and not true to the original goals of the composer and director. In the liner notes, producer James Fitzpatrick explains that the original manuscript was"lost", and that this recording is based on what arranger Mike Townsend was able to recreate by ear. Commendable, but this rendition is very string-heavy and splashy, reminding me more of "Love Story" than Romeo and Juliet. The choral sections are nice enough, but Luke Bateman's odd rendition of "What Is A Youth" leaves much to be desired.

Fitzpatrick admits that "a few liberties" were taken with tempos and that the orchestra was expanded, but he insists that the intimate nature of the score is retained.

You be the judge

A theme to end all themes "Romeo & Juliet", composed by Nino Rota is without a doubt one of the most romantic and poetic scores ever conceived. Even when the music stops, the theme remains in your mind with tragic-love and medieval forbidden passions. A play from William Shakespeare, under the brilliant direction of Franco Zeffirelli with a young cast of players ~ seventeen year old Leonard Whitting (as Romeo), fifteen year old Olivia Hussey (as Juliet) and outstanding supporting cast of Milo O'Shea (as Friar Laurence), Michael York (as Tybalt) and John McEnery (as Mercutio) takes this film adaptation to the ultimate of classic Shakespeare. The film was sexual, passionate and lavish, but it was our composer Nino Rota who connected all the musical notes and gave our characters life on the silver screen.

With Rota's score there is beauty mixed with a deep sorrow that stirs every fibre within your being when you hear the music. Our composer captures the Italian renaissance and the desperate times for two young people in love headed for tragedy perfectly. For the first time we hear the entire and complete film score as it was meant to be heard. Wonderful digital recording with The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, conducted by Nic Raine and Choir Master Pavel Kuhn, on a musical journey back to Italy on October 19, 1968 when the film was released.

Can remember as if it were yesterday, when Henry Mancini came out with his arrangement of the tragically-haunting "Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet", must have played this a hundred times (never grew tired of it). Mancini's recording was featured everywhere on the radio, restaurants and at your local music stores. Was a big hit, and the film was nominated for four Academy Awards (Best Director & Best Picture), won for Cinematography and Costume Design. But it was the music that stayed with you and still does to this day...thanks to Nino Rota!

Silva Screen Records and James Fitzpatrick (producer), please stand up and take a bow for a well deserved rare gem you've given us. This can only be one of the most sought after scores complete in every detail for any "film-score-buff" worth his salt. As you listen to this CD, you can visualize each scene the cue is recalling. And speaking for one and all movie music collectors----this is a keeper!

Total Time: 55:16 on 21 Tracks ~ Silva America SSD-1140 ~ (2002)

I ordered this directly from the distributor in England. After searching high and low (Amazon 1st and it didn't come up)I finally called the local radio station to find out the details. The DJ said that he too was looking for another CD, but couldn't locate a copy either, but did give me a few details on the one he had. It took quite a bit of Internet research, but I was finally able to locate Silva Screen.

Received it yesterday and have listened to it non-stop. It is fabulous. Like so many in my age group (49)I loved the film by Zeffirelli and had the whole soundtrack memorized. At this point in my life, I don't quite feel the need to hear the whole dialogue; just want to enjoy the music. This CD provides a trip to the past. I can recall every scene. Hard to say why some who have reviewed this don't find it as good as the original. To me it is amazingly similar to the movie soundtrack, maybe even better.

I highly recommend this and suggest buying 2 or more because they can be very hard to find.

I grew up listening to my parents' LP of the original soundtrack recording of Zefferelli's "Romeo and Juliet." Also, as a classical actor, the film has a real place of respect in my heart. However, the great flaw of the original soundtrack album was the abundance of dialogue tracks from the film that obscured a real enjoyment and appreciation of Rota's music. I find this new recording as evocative and touching as the original, and because of the embellished orchestration and high quality of the recording (which the original recording could never match) this is a far more pleasurable and true record of Rota's beautiful score. I will add that I am a real appreciator of early music and I find that this orchestrator has retained all of the renaissance flavor of the score, with classical guitar, harp and other period instruments. If you're a fan of this film or of this score you will not be dissapointed in this recording.

The CD is a good copycat, but it is not arranged as beautifully as the original score. It's like comparing a brand name medicine to a generic one. However, it is still beautiful to listen to.

This music has been my favorite since I saw the movie, at least 14 times, in the summer of 1968. When I recently bought this in February on DVD my step daughter had just died of cancer at a tender young age. This helped me get through that tough time. I can't think of a better collection of music to listen to for the past 40+ years.

If you liked the 1968 movie of Romeo and Juliet you will want to hear this modern recording of the soundtrack music released in 2002. This CD has the music alone, which is a unique listening experience not offered by the other soundtrack containing the dialog with music playing in the background. The recording sounds great with today's technology recreating the original score, which was composed back in the 1960's. If you already own the movie on DVD you may prefer this to having a collection of audio tracks from the film. However, I wonder what the old 1968 recordings would have sounded like if they would have been released without the dialog from the film. That would really have been marvelous to listen to-- even with the old fashioned techniques used at that time.

the music by itself is as beautiful as the movie

Some have claimed that the original score for the sound tracks of "Romeo and Juliet" 1968 by Nino Rota have been lost and had to be recreated by ear. Not true, I have it on mailto:nrota@pobox.com's authority that the original music score is at Fondazione Cini in Venice and is being cataloged and completed as time permits. Famous Music is the publisher of "Romeo and Juliet", it would be up to them to publish the sheet music.

This is the only sound track CD out there that I know of. Better get it while it lasts.

I think that "A Renaissance Timepiece", an original instrumental suite of "Romeo and Juliet" 1968 by Nino Rota is out of print. I have the CD 1997 Label: Varese Sarabande Catalog: 5752 ha ha! The original music recorded way back on 1960's technology is beautiful indeed, but only a suite, not a movie sound track.

For me the great value of this recording is in the recognition of the original score as a classic that is worth keeping in the living repertoire. As other reviewers have pointed out here, however, it is patently untrue that Nino Rota's original score has been lost. It is readily available online, as is indeed the original soundtrack, without dialogue, and conducted by the composer himself. That recording has been out of print for probably a decade, but a few sellers still offer it occasionally. I'm guessing that the myth about the "lost" score must be a marketing ploy for this one aimed at creating an aura of mystery and "better get it now while you can." I'm frankly a little put off by the idea that manipulative huckstering is required to sell a masterpiece, and to me that diminishes the value of this recording somewhat.

That said, this is a creditable re-creation, if not entirely faithful. The discerning ear will note some departures from the original that may or may not be problematic, depending on individual preferences. For example, this recording has an immediacy, a presence, not heard in the original soundtrack. Sometimes that immediacy works well, as in cases where it allows you to hear individual instruments clearly (the harp, for instance). Modern listeners will likely appreciate the clarity and crispness of a digital recording, as well. But in some cases, such as in the monks choir when Romeo is visiting Friar Laurence, a sense of distance and remoteness enhanced the storytelling in the original recording. That is lost on this version. Changes in specific chords, harmonic underpinnings, chord progressions and instrumentation may also be less pleasing if you particularly liked the original.

The most egregious substitution, in my opinion, is the use on this recording of a vibrato-heavy adult mixed choir on the "Ave Maris Stella" sung at Juliet's funeral (the original soundtrack featured a boys choir). It feels clumsy and heavy-handed and entirely inappropriate for the delicacy that was surely intended. Similarly, the female soloist on the same piece in the wedding scene does a lovely job and has excellent vocal control. But her voice lacks the haunting timbre of the original soloist, whose voice tugs at the heartstrings and lingers in the memory.

I'm ambivalent about the soloist for the new version of "What is a Youth?" The original voice was breathier but more agile. This one is more resonant but more ponderous on the fairly simple melismas. And frankly, I always thought that this song was really the one throw-away number from the entire score. (Please do not write me angry letters! That's just my opinion.) The fact that it became the most popular track probably says something about popular tastes; but I also think this mediocre number got a free ride from the sheer magnificence of the rest of the score. The melody of Rota's achingly beautiful theme becomes somewhat trite when it is turned into a pop-style ballad, and the words are pretty insipid. Why would anyone think these lyrics would stand up well in a movie featuring those of the great Bard himself?

In short, if all you are looking for is a decent, solid performance of an exceptionally beautiful composition, this is probably going to suit. It's reasonably priced, easy to find, and readily available. Die-hard purists may enjoy it as well, but will probably want to think of this as a good supplement for the rare, hard-to-find original.