DR. STRANGELOVE: MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF STANLEY KUBRICK

VARIOUS

Rating:

Original Review: It is with unfortunately apt timing that Silva's latest compilation of film music has been released just weeks after the sad and sudden death of the enigmatic, reclusive but inarguably brilliant film director Stanley Kubrick. It is important to acknowledge that this is most definitely not a tasteless attempt to jump on the Kubrick bandwagon and make a profit from his passing. Kubrick and Silva had been working on this album together for nearly two years, and Kubrick himself had heard and approved all the music selections included. In the end, though, this album will ultimately be received as a tribute album to one of the cinema's greatest and most respected visionaries. One of the most eccentric things about Kubrick was the way in which he used music in his films. For the early part of his career, Kubrick remained in the most part loyal to one composer, the increasingly popular Gerald Fried, who wrote five scores in total. Fried's music on this album comprises six lengthy cues, beginning with the brash, pulsating 'Main Title and 'The Robbery' cues from The Killing, parts of which are highly reminiscent of the work of Bernard Herrmann. Equally impressive are the soft, tense 'Murder 'mongst The Mannikins' from Killer's Kiss, the increasingly upsetting and frantic 'Madness' cue from Fear and Desire, the sparse but brilliant 'The Patrol' from Paths of Glory, an original score which was written solely for percussion, and the celebratory 'March of the Gloved Gladiators' from Day of the Fight has a sense of grandeur and pageantry of which Miklós Rózsa would have been proud. Upon hitting the big time during the early Sixties, Kubrick began to work with other composers, including Alex North, whose loud, impressionistic, somewhat chaotic main theme from Spartacus is a highlight of the CD; Nelson Riddle and Bob Harris, whose lush love theme from Lolita stands as one of the most attractive original pieces from any of his movies; and Laurie Johnson, who incorporated a rendition of "Johnny Come Marching Home" into the climactic scene from Dr. Strangelove. As time went on, though, Kubrick became less and less willing to commission original scores for fear of compromising the artistic and emotional impact of his vision, and increasingly turned to the classical archives for musical inspiration. At times, however, Kubrick's decisions in this capacity were the stuff of pure genius. Who could ever forget the majestic images of the vastness of space in 2001: A Space Odyssey, accompanied by the beautiful sounds of Richard Strauss' grand 'Also Sprach Zarathustra', Johann Strauss II's sublime 'Blue Danube' and Aram Khachaturian's eerily lonely 'Gayenne Ballet' (a piece sadly not included in this album)? Similarly, Barry Lyndon and A Clockwork Orange tracked in familiar pieces from the classical repertoire, three tracks from which are included: the gorgeous, lilting 'Women of Ireland' from historical epic Barry Lyndon simply shimmers with beauty and passion, while Mark Ayres' totally synthesised version of Beethoven's Ode To Joy, which was used to chilling effect in A Clockwork Orange, is both fascinating and hilarious, with its tinny computerised voice singing in German. Towards the end of his career, however, Kubrick began to embrace electronic music, and in his last two films - The Shining in 1980 and Full Metal Jacket in 1987 - turned to electronics wizards Wendy Carlos, Rachel Elkind and Abigail Mead to write new music to accompany Bartok, Penderecki and selections of pop music. Mead's tumultuous, sometimes bizarre soundscape for Full Metal Jacket is appropriate in conveying the dehumanising effects of war, but is hardly easy listening, while Carlos and Elkind elicit a series of chillingly ominous tones to accompany the fateful journey of Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall to the Overlook Hotel at the beginning of The Shining. In the end, this compilation is more "interesting" than purely "enjoyable", especially as it clearly marks the different musical stages in Kubrick's career. The classical selections, of course, are all supreme, and it is gratifying to see Gerald Fried getting some time in the spotlight, but ultimately this CD will be more of interest to curious collectors than casual fans of film music. Kubrick's final feature, the psychological erotic drama Eyes Wide Shut starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, will open later this year, undoubtedly to a media frenzy. The reports claim that, again, Kubrick had eschewed original score in favour of the classics, meaning that the Kubrick legacy of original film music is captured in its entirety by this release.

Track Listing: Running Time: 78 minutes 01 seconds

Silva Screen FILMCD-303 (1999)

Conducted by Paul Bateman and Nic Raine. Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic and The Crouch End Festival Chorus. Orchestrations by Maurice De Packt, Mark Ayres, Paul Bateman, Leonard Rosenman and Gerald Fried. Electronic music arranged and performed by Mark Ayres. Featured musical soloists Tomas Lerst, Vaclav Sykora, Zbynka Solcova, Gareth Williams and Jaraslava Eliasova. Recorded and mixed by John L. Timperley and Mike Ross-Trevor. Edited and mastered by Gareth Williams and Ian Shepherd. Album produced by James Fitzpatrick.


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