Search - Korngold, Mauceri, Dso Berlin :: Between Two Worlds

Simply Superb And THE Reference Recording For BTW!

William F. Flanigan Jr. | North Potomac, MD USA | 01/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains about 30 minutes of cues from Erich Wolfgang
Korngold's BETWEEN TWO WORLDS film symphony, and is the primary
focus of this review. I know of no other modern recording that
can compare with the selections presented here. And there may be
more cues yet to be released, since the CD booklet notes that the
"(s)oundtrack (was) edited by John Mauceri" who is, of course,
the conductor of this brilliant recording. The CD also contains
two of Korngold's classical compositions which are excellent,
and, for Korngold film-music fans, definitely a major "bonus."
Don't hesitate with this one; add it to your collection
immediately!"

Generally good, but recommended with reservations

D. B. Rathbun | Washington, DC United States | 06/08/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Korngold's music is spectacular, and I would recommend it do anyone. I also agree with other reviews I have read for this disc that the music for Between Two Worlds is generally well performed. The DSO-Berlin (former RIAS Orchestra) is a top-notch orchestra, but the second movement of the Symphonic Serenade is utterly amateurish. I kid you not, it sounds at times like a student orchestra. The third and fourth movements are generally solid, but overall there are many patchy parts in the playing--weak coordination, intonation problems, and so forth. But given the paucity of quality recordings of these pieces, this disc is still well worth getting."

Leave aside musical conventionalisms and go for this one!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 10/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's time to draw, the unsaid prejudices about the merits and superb talent of Korngold as composer, and stop to overlook him due he made scores for films.



Seventy years have elapsed and it's time to acknowledge and regard him as one of the most egregious and imaginative composers of his generation.



Between two worlds is in this sense an admirable evidence about his powers as astonishing musician. Moreover, if you listen carefully the score, you will be able to find out traces that leads us to a celebrated composer who contrarily received warmth praises around the world: Bernard Hermann, Dimirti Tiomkin and Elmer Bernstein. But of you follow your intuition, you will find the key for emblematic musical curtains (Twilight zone, for instance) and too many variations around those fourteen episodes in different movies. But as you know, "It's easier to break an atom rather than a prejudice" according Albert Einstein.



The Symphonic Serenade is one o his most pyramidal landmarks, the fertile inspiration and the way he gets to create an engaging atmosphere.



The talented conductor John Maurcier makes a refined and sheer performance about all these works that certainly make a winning album, measure by measure.



So, let yourself an artistic license and enjoy the talent and musicality of one of the biggest and overlooked composers of the last Century, whose only sin was to have escaped from Europe in 1934 and choose North America as his home as so many others did it.

"