Search - Korngold, Gerhardt :: The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold

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Giovanna Visconti | 01/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All Gerhardt's film music recordings are worth finding. Once you've heard them, you'll treasure them and only wish he were alive and recording NOW when so many scores are being "reconstructed" and recorded complete.



It's just amazing how wonderful this particular recording of Korngold's music sounds today, 36 years after it's original release on LP. All the CD transfers of Gerhardt's film music recordings still hold up against anything recorded today, but only "The Sea Hawk" was actually re-mastered--and extended with music that had been recorded but left off the LP because of space/time constraints. (See my review of the William Stromberg "Sea Hawk" on Marco Polo/Naxos for a full explanation.) And only THIS edition of "The Sea Hawk" CD (RCA Victor 7890-2-RG) was NOT issued on CD using Dolby Surround! (NOTE: ONE of the two issues of "Sunset Boulevard: The Classic Film Scores of Franz Waxman" was also issued without Dolby Surround. It's RCD1-7017. It too was expanded to include music not on the LP.) The others in the series WERE issued that way, but even that mistake doesn't destroy the vitality, searing lyricism, exquisite orchestral playing and overall superiority of the Gerhardt series.



He was the first to give film music the respect and reverence it deserves; the first to bring this music front and center with that splendid series on RCA.



And he's still non pareil."