Search - John Williams, London Symphony Orchestra, Maurice Murphy :: Monsignor

In the early 1980s, John Williams composed the scores to one blockbuster after another (the STAR WARS sequels, E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, the INDIANA JONES series), not to mention carving out time as director of the Boston Pops. But if that wasn't enough, Williams was able to squeeze in a more serious drama, "... in which Christopher Reeve doesn't play Superman," to quote Williams, the 1982 20th Century Fox film MONSIGNOR. Williams' score remains one of the most memorable elements of a minor film starring Reeve as John Flaherty, an ordained priest who, once summoned to Rome and assigned to the position of Cardinal within the Vatican, becomes involved with black marketeers and has an illicit romance with a nun. MONSIGNOR remains the one post-STAR WARS Williams' score yet to be released on CD, until now. Intrada's release features the score remastered from the original elements, presenting the music as heard in Williams' original, perfect LP presentation. Astute listeners may detect a scant three minutes of music in the film that is not on the album, but the album presents more than 10 minutes of stunning music not heard in the film. The album-only material includes "The Meeting in Sicily," the genesis of Williams' work on his Esplanade Overture. This florid musical piece appears briefly in MONSIGNOR the movie, was further developed for inclusion on the MONSIGNOR LP, and was eventually revised and finalized, premiering as the Esplanade Overture with the Boston Pops. Another high point of the score heard in the film is "Gloria," a set piece featuring 500 costumed extras in Rome's Cathedral of St. John and Paul -- a five-minute musical sequence with no dialog or sound. The main theme itself is a haunting melody, first heard for solo trumpet, performed by long-time Williams collaborator Maurice Murphy. This release is limited to 3000 copies.