Search - Ernest Gold, London Symphony Orch :: Film Themes & Suites

Treasure of Gold

Kevin Hughes | Albuquerque, NM | 03/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've waited years for one of the soundtract record labels to release a collection of Ernest Gold compositions from his wonderful film scores. Here appears to be the first of several such complilations, all conducted by the composer himself. The music represented here, from such notable films as "On the Beach," "Exodus," "Inherit the Wind," and "It's a Mad, Mad World," is nothing short of inspired! I hadn't seen any of these films in years, but as soon as I heard their music cues, I was instantly reminded of them. "Inherit the Wind" conjures up the aftermath of a battle of intellects and passions in the famous Scopes Monkey trial depicted in that film. "On the Beach," which paraphrases the Aussie tune "Waltzing Matilda," is absolutely heart rending, because of its aural depiction of humanity in the face of nuclear annihilation. And of course "Exodus" demonstrates Gold at his best--a beautiful theme based on Hebraic folk melodies. If you love film music as much as I do, treat yourself to the work of a sadly underappreciated master of the form."