Truly a beautiful rendition of extraordinary talent.....February 21, 2005 Mike Mioton RN(Pineville, LA) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
When I first purchased this cd, my original intent was for the soundtrack of Star Trek, which has always been a favorite of mine. I was also motivated by the fact that the orchestra performing is the London Philharmonic, which I consider one of the finest in the world. To this day, this cd stays in my player at bedside. When hearing the news that Mr. Goldsmith had passed away last year, I decided to purchase the 6 cd collection in his memory from Fox. This mans talent was truly a rare and extraordinary gift which he shared with us. I have given this cd as a gift several times because I felt I was giving a wonderful, moving, inspiring rendition of the exquisite talent of this man. If you are not familiar with Mr. Goldsmith, give this cd a chance and I believe you will continue pursuing the mood and music of Jerry Goldsmith, who will be missed for decades to come.
Pure Gold from Maestro GoldsmithAugust 4, 2004 G M. Stathis(cedar city, utah USA) 7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Some time ago I reviewed Jerry Goldsmith's outstanding score for "Star Trek Nemesis." At that time I remarked that the tones and secondary themes seemed to be almost a farewell to the Enterpise. It is only fitting that Maestro Goldsmith's musicians gave him standing ovations as they finished recording several cuts for that score. Now, of course, that "farewell" is so poignant. A number of years ago, my wife and I attended a concert with the Maestro conducting the Utah Symphony Orchestra in Salt Lake City. The program was essentially the same as we find on this grand album. We stood and gave Maestro Goldsmith a standing ovation, and a loud "Bravo!" then, and wish we could do it again. This is representative collection of the Maestro's work that is well worth having. A fitting tribute to a genius in his field. Nicely produced and packaged. For those of us who grew up with Goldsmith it is hard to say farewell. Bravo and yeia sou!
Goldsmith's GoldMarch 4, 2004 James Eret(Yucca Valley, California) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Jerry Goldsmith is one of the greatest film composers of all time. He has written so many great scores on so many different themes that he is kind of taken for granted by his fans and listeners. This CD is an excellent introduction to Goldsmith's music and his immense range in musical themes and styles. Some of my favorites like "Islands in the Stream" and "Medecine Man" are missing but on one CD only so much can be represented. Goldsmith always gives us original themes of great originality and emotive power. His music blends well with the movies and he is one of our best narrative music composers. I'm happy that so much of great film scores like "Boys from Brazil," are included on this CD,when Goldsmith takes the Vienese Waltz of happiness and turns it into a Nazi Waltz of evil with strains of Wagner, Hitler's favorite composer, blended seamlessly into the score. "Patton" could have been better represented as it is easily one of Goldsmith's most recognizable scores and a classic. Whether it is action, love themes, horror, Goldsmith was and is always up to the task to create great film scores, most which stand on their own as any great symphonies of sound. Buy this and explore many of his other great scores and many are classics and out of print and this CD will give listeners a taste of what this grand master film composer can do and is still doing. Grand music on any scale. Highly recommended.
money ill spentJune 23, 2002 7 out of 11 found this review helpful
Many years ago, Sony and John Williams collaborated on an album of Star Wars favorites. I suspect someone at Telarc thought the same magic would work with Jerry Goldsmith and the LSO. Alas. While the pieces chosen show a good cross-section of Goldsmith's crativity, the execution is seriously lifeless. It is as if the compositions were left to saute' overnight in Symphony Sauce: the performances are plodding and pedestrian. I don't know who convinced Goldsmith to do it this way, but omitting the martial snare roll at the beginning of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. theme, or not adding at least an accordian to the Waltons theme, are just two examples of how Goldsmith's great work has been emasculated by, I suspect, some record exec's insight. If you want to hear these pieces as originally written and performed, you'll have to start searching on other albums. Good hunting, and let us know what you find.
A good example of Goldsmith's range, but...May 16, 2002 Dr. van der Linden(Williamstown, NJ) 3 out of 5 found this review helpful
...the quality of many performances are lower than they ought to be, which is astonishing in light of the reputation of the London Symphony Orchestra. This notwithstanding, there's enough to justify getting one's hands on this item. For me, the high point of the album is the medly of television themes composed by Goldsmith, which begins with a hellacious musical argument for the revival of *The Man From U.N.C.L.E.* as a theatrical film. (Hell, if they can resuscitate that bletcherous bore *Mission: Impossible* to make not one but two big-budget buckets of bilge, *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* ought to attract plenty of attention, particularly if it's done with a sense of humor similar to that which informed the old TV show.)
The other problem with this album is the selection of cuts. For example, almost anything could have been better chosen from the film *Rudy* but the highly sedative passage recapitulated here, and the entirely inadequate dose of the theme from *The Wind and the Lion* incorporated in this album comes at the tail of an 18-minute medly of lesser stuff through which the average fan of *The Wind and the Lion* has no wish to sit. We've heard the theme from the first *Star Trek* movie endlessly; why not a variation on the nasty elegence of the Klingon theme from that and subsequent *Star Trek* films? Goldsmith also wrote other incidental music for *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* -- so why not a re-visit of "The Man from THRUSH" (or the original program music "THRUSH Raid") and suchlike?
*The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith* is reasonably good, but by no means the best to be had. It whets the appetite, but doesn't satisfy.
