Taras Bulba: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack [Enhanced CD] [ENHANCED] [SOUNDTRACK]

Mack David, Franz Waxman

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Original Release Date: December 19, 1962
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Soundtrack
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B00000BIJI
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,383 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Soundtracks > By Decade > 1960s

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Franz Waxman was eminently qualified to score this 1962 epic about Cossack soldiers battling on the Russian steppes in the 16th century. He composed the film's music shortly after becoming the first American to conduct all of the Soviet Union's major orchestras during a historic two-month tour. Waxman, who'd lent his talents to Sunset Boulevard and A Place in the Sun, earned an Oscar nomination for Taras Bulba's spirited and moving arrangements. Borrowing motifs from Ukrainian folk music, he created mini-masterpieces like "The Ride to Dubno," a jaunty, horn-laced tune with a bouncy rhythm that practically transports cross-armed, fuzzy-hat-wearing dancers to your living room and that is still an orchestra program staple around the world under the adopted title "The Ride of the Cossacks." --Richard Martin

From the Label
One of the last great works by legendary composer Franz Waxman (SUNSET BOULEVARD, A PLACE IN THE SUN), the score for TARAS BULBA earned Waxman his 13th Academy Award® nomination. The score itself is a sweeping, dymanic work that captures, in the words of the composer, "the flavor of the proud and unconquerable spirit of Ukranian Cossacks of the 16th Century" by mixing authentic Russian music with contemporary rhythms and harmonies. Includes previously unpublished liner notes by composer Franz Waxman, and rare photos from the scoring sessions for the film.First Time On CD!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taras Bulba on CD AT LAST!, August 20, 2000

By A Customer

I saw this movie in the theatre when I was a kid. I remember I couldn't get the music out of my head. I looked for years trying to find the LP soundtrack. I found a MONO copy just a few years ago. It was not in very good condition. The music also sounded very flat.

I was surprised when I saw this title issued on CD. You have got to hear the remastering of this soundtrack to believe the quality and the power of the score. They really did an excellent job on this one. It sounds great.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE SOUNDTRACK on CD, September 30, 2000

By	gobirds2 (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is one of the most rousing and memorable scores of 1960s. Based on the novel by Nikolai Gogol the film and music follows the 16th-century struggle for control of the Ukraine by horseback riding Cossacks and an elite Polish army. This must have been a welcome assignment for Franz Waxman given his place of birth and background knowledge of local folk themes.

Born in Chorzow, Poland Franz Waxman moved to the United States in 1934 at 28 years of age. He at once found work in Hollywood and quickly gained recognition as one of the most highly endowed composers of American film music. He was very effective with suspenseful and psychological subject matter as he scored several of Alfred Hitchcock's films: 1940's "REBECCA," 1941's "SUSPICION," 1948's "THE PARADINE CASE" and 1954's "REAR WINDOW." He won Academy Awards for his music to 1950's "SUNSET BOULEVARD" and 1951's A PLACE IN THE SUN and was nominated for several other Oscars ("THE SILVER CHALICE" and "TARAS BULBA" amongst others).

This much desired soundtrack has been long out of print and this stereo CD has been a long time coming. It was worth the wait. It sounds incredible. The CD retains the very distinctive and beautiful cover artwork. I highly recommend it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great score, cool themes, bit too dated to hold up today, September 26, 2004

By	The No Evil Killer "Know No Evil" (Everywhere, Anywhere, Nowhere) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Listening to the Taras Bulba soundtrack it's clear that John Williams was a fan of Franz Waxman. Much of this score seems to be the kind of stuff that inspired him in later years. So much so that much of the feeling and emotion in Taras Bulba is not too far removed from the Harry Potter score.

My problem is that the orchestra is rather sparse. I've heard the Taras Bulba score done massively and it's much better than what's on this CD. Yes, the score is great and some of those themes are really cool but they are rather primitive sounding. Even though this release in an 'enhanced' CD (it contains a random clip from the film in pan and scan), try to find the concert CD of the score in the classical sections of your music store. It really is much better.