Search - Henry Mancini :: Academy Award Songs

Mancini at the height of his love with film music

Vicente P. T. Adorno | São Paulo, Brazil | 06/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last this title is on CD in its entirety! I remember buying the original 2 LP album in the mid 80s in a record shop in Tokyo which specialized in film music and hard to find, out of print titles. The very first impression I had of it then was renewed when I had the chance to hear it quite recently on CD. Mr. Mancini, as the accomplished musician he was, took all this varied material (among the cuts there are two of his own, "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses") and gave it a fresh approach. Once again Mr. Mancini made the best of his incredible knack to turn even time-honored standards to something that sounds new to those who already know them, and intriguing to those who hear them for the first time. My favorite ones in this big collection are "On the Achison, Topeka and Santa Fe", "Buttons and Bows", "Chim-chim Cheree", "The Way you Look Tonight", "Swingin' on a Star" and "Lullaby of Broadway". Other people will mention other titles, but what matters is that the whole ensemble was given a distinctive unity not because all songs share the honor of being Oscar winners, but because of the whole musical concept behind the idea of putting them together. The lyrics of each song are valued as much as the melodies, with a well-crafted and balanced treatment of words and music. Mr. Mancini was one of the greatest American composers of film music, and in this remarkable collection he gives us a beautiful idea of how much he loved the songs created to enrich movies (some of them are much better than the movies they were created for, to be sure). All we have to do is to enjoy this wonderful gift, and be grateful for having known (or for having rediscovered) through him so many wonderful tunes that had been long forgotten until Mr. Mancini had the idea of presenting them in such a pleasant way. Mr. Mancini's past experience as a big band pianist and arranger serve him right here. The knowledge of scoring music for so many different mooods -- developed back in his formative years -- allowed him, when arranging these songs, to create a vibrant atmosphere for the faster tunes. And his familiarity with strings helped to give softer melodies a more relaxed approach. The vocals are first rate, clear and involving, as usual, and the final sensation is of our having had an unforgettable tour of the best film music produced in three decades, under the guidance of someone who was among those who knew and cherished it best."