MIKLOS ROZSA

New release of Intrada

THE RED HOUSE

Label: Intrada MAF 7122
Date: 1947
Tracks: 33

World premiere all-new recording of masterful Miklos Rozsa score for 1947 Delmer Daves film from George Agnew Chamberlain tale of passion and deception, love and murder, starring Edward G. Robinson, Lon McCallister, Julie London. Rozsa fans have asked us to record this one for years, now they get their wish. Charles Gerhardt recorded 12-minute suite in 1975, offering taste of involved, complex and colorful score. Splendid Gerhardt sound inspired producer Kevin Kaska (who expertly reconstructs entire score) to seek same crisp, detailed sound from Royal Scottish National Orchestra & Westminster Cathedral Chamber Choir... plus composer's beloved ghostly sound for haunted suspense, the theremin. Rozsa's score plays in roughly equal parts sumptuous romance, sinister suspense, violent murder, sunny outdoors, grim seclusion, even the dark human subconscious. You name the emotion, Rozsa captures it. Love theme is widely-spaced, yearning line while dark main theme for titular house, while also widely-spaced, is angled, hard-edged. In fascinating turn of events, perhaps more than with any other score, Rozsa both looks backwards towards aggressive film noir voice while looking forward to rich, sweeping harmonic vernacular of upcoming costume epics, period scores. Results are musically profound. Highlights are many: tender violin solo during "Meg Asks Questions", haunting theremin tones hovering above "The Accusation", florid woodwind runs glistening as "Nath Explores The Woods", modal harmonies of "Graduation Present" that suggest later BEN-HUR, searching material and angelic voices that surge forth during "Meg Finds The Red House", agitated, violent action of "Teller Shoots At Meg", ghostly women's voices with theremin during climactic confrontation... the list goes on and on. Then, when Rozsa and film finish, dynamic score comes to powerful end with glorious, fortissimo major-key coda. One of the great film score endings. Powerful! Rozsa authorities Dan Robbins, Frank DeWald offer scholarly commentary in handsome booklet. Note: complete score would not fit on one CD and we refused to cut precious bars down to fit. As such, musically appropriate spot to change discs was made with Rozsa's musical architecture in mind. (In other words, CD 1 is considerably longer than CD 2.) But we are keeping price same as similar single disc releases! Paul Talkington, Paul Wing nurture entire recording with Kevin Kaska while Dan Robbins consults. Intrada proudly releases album under their Excalibur brand of classic film score re-recordings. Allan Wilson conducts Royal Scottish National Orchestra, gives Rozsa fans one of the greats

CD 1
01. Main Title And Narration
02. The Morgan Farm
03. The New Hired Hand
04. Oxhead Wood Mystery
05. Screams In The Night
06. Pete’s Strange Knowledge
07. The Barn
08. Nath Explores The Woods
09. Meg Asks Questions
10. Attack In The Woods
11. The Accusation And The Conspiracy
12. Search In The Woods
13. Swimming
14. Sunday Dinner
15. Pete Threatens Meg
16. Meeting In The Woods
17. Crossing The Stream
18. Pete Warns Teller
19. Prayer Sequence
20. Graduation Present
21. Meg Finds The Red House
22. Teller Shoots At Meg
23. Pete’s Grief
24. Meg’s Accident
25. Nath And Meg
26. Ellen Denounces Pete
27. Teller And Nath Fight

CD 2
01. Who Was Jeanie?
02. Ellen Goes To The Woods
03. Ellen’s Death
04. Pete’s Confession
05. Ride To The Red House And The Red House
06. Pete’s Death And End Title

Review of The Man in Half Moon Street:

http://www.movie-wave.net/the-man-in-ha … los-rozsa/

Well, hardly anyone besides Southall and myself mentioned the previous release "The Man in Half Moon Street", so seriously, why bother?

Great release of course and I again praise Intrada's return to the re-recording business. Yet I own and love the "Three Choral Suites" album by Erich Kunzel and the MTC, so I am not sure about obtaining this one.

Volker

EDIT: On closer inspection the choir and organ only content seems to be the same as on this Prometheus album:
http://www.discogs.com/Mikl%C3%B3s-R%C3 … se/3662097

This album I own and love also. Highly recommended, whatever release you choose.

V.

I rarely buy a CD these days but your strong recommendation James got me to purchase it. Intrada has only sent me one CD to review. I watched the movie last night on you tube since I had never seen it and was surprised. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE6_6SjPRJA

Tom

Craig Lysy isn't active at this board which may be the reason Jon doesn't post these announcements here. I take liberty to step in. The essays Craig writes in this series are outstanding and highly enjoyable for newbies and veteran score connoiseurs alike. Once finished these texts will warrant a physical book release. So check those pieces out, not only this sixth one but also the five essays that preceded it.

Volker

Yeah, I remember hearing that some years back. It's a nice little treasure.

Of course, there's also video footage -- like this excellent chat between Andre Previn, John Williams and Rozsa (actually, Williams is just sitting there and not speaking):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O9lCYM2Dh4

Indeed. I have the whole program somewhere, and in the other clips John speaks a bit -- but he seems awfully quiet in this particular session.

In any case, you can access the program Timmer speaks of from the Miklos Rozsa Society Webpage - go to http://www.miklosrozsa.org/, then click 'about miklos rozsa', then 'interviews'. Lots of other great stuff there too.

Be sure to point this out to me after I post it again three years from now.

Well done Thor for finding a more accessable link.

The downside being that those who may have wanted to peruse through many other wonderful guests over the years can't access the archive ( a brief glance shows me Louis Armstrong, Roger Waters, Andre Previn, Debbie Wiseman among others, John Barry was a guest twice but only the 1999 show exists unless someone miraculously uncovers the 1967 appearance )

I hear Prague is lovely that time of year.
(Actually, there could be sharknados for all I know and care. I'm SERIOUSLY looking into going)

Epic Hollywood: The Music of Miklos Rozsa

This is going in my collection for sure !

Was the actual concert much longer than that?

I'm listening to the suite that Rosza wrote and conducted in 1976 on DG of Thief of Bagdad (1940) To my knowledge this recording has never been made available on CD. I have a digital transfer from the LP. There is nearly 140 minutes of material from the 3 LP's.
Tom

I was listening to "The Lost Weekend," The Walk Along 4th Ave and I was amazed how much better the Theremin sounded on the Rozsa recording. I realize the Rozsa is stereo and the OST is mono but everyone of the 28 tracks are superb.
Tom

Sodom and Gomorrah is magnificent!

-Erik-

I do not have the new Tadlow of THE LOST WEEKEND, no. I wasn't even aware that Tadlow had done THE LOST WEEKEND recently. I once had a CD-R of an earlier re-recording (RCA?), but I don't know what happened to it.

I sometimes wish James Fitzpatrick put away his Rozsa fandom for a minute (since he's so well-represented on album) and focussed on more unreleased material that will most likely never see the light of day unless it is re-recorded. Which is why I keep nagging him about doing John Williams' glorious STORIA DI UNA DONNA/THE STORY OF A WOMAN (1970).