Big - bigger - Kunzel (I)

For the purchase of "The Great Fantasy Adventure Album" speaks a whole lot of good reasons. As would be the music itself: 17 pieces from 17 different films - composed by 13 people who really belong to the crème de la crème in the field of symphonic film music. On the other hand, there is the Publications of the label "Telarc" usual convincing sound quality of the recordings, which have made the most highly recommended by the relevant magazines reference repeatedly in the past, the CDs of Mestro Kunzel and his Cincinnati Pops.

"The Great Fantasy Adventure Album" spans, thematically and chronologically seen, a wide berth. So have the interested listener to the delight, not only works from the early cinema past found its way on the CD, but also a few pieces from Hollywood's golden age of symphonic film music: On whether "El Cid", then, really a "fantasy film" is, perhaps could even argue - about the fact that the Hungarian-born Miklos Rozsa (1907 - 1995) one of the most influential composers in the field of film music is (to the students of Grand Master Miklos Rozsa, of the music for such famous films as "Ben Hur "and" Quo vadis? "wrote, also included Bernard Herrmann and its avowed fan Jerry Goldsmith).

Gave for collectors of symphonic film music and there but probably another good reason, the domestic record collection the collaboration of Kunzel, Pops and Telarc incorporate: For it has almost become a tradition that on the film music compilations by Kunzel and the Pops again and again pieces emerge that would otherwise not, or at least raise only with difficulty can be.
The music for "Clash of the Titans" (1981) was and is (again) as a case: Laurence Rosenthal sumptuous soundtrack to the wonderfully kitschy mix of Greek myths is that time indeed appeared on LP, the awaited by collectors CD transfer was however long years away. Until it was time, there was, after all, the most important topics in a Kunzel'schen processing.

When the CD with the original recordings for "Clash of the Titans" then a few years ago has been released, I noticed at first listen involuntarily the word from the mountain, a who gives birth to a mouse: Had the original recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra really always so feeble sounded?

Compared with the version of the original recordings Kunzel & Co. faded anyway. Currently, they are obviously just again not readily available, and who, perhaps because it at one of the countless TV repeats the music has gone into his ear, looking for a good recording of the main theme, is well advised to make the currently prices beat from $ 60 traded stock a bow and prefer "The Great Fantasy Adventure Album" zuzulegen.

Normally, the reverse is true: as a film music with renowned, large orchestra is recorded, and if the film is successful enough, it usually does not take long to commercially a glut cheaper emerges plagiarism, the comparison with the original nor rudimentary endure.

The stroke of genius that still gives the stock a bit more shine, however, is relatively rare. All the more remarkable, I think it's that he Kunzel on "The Great Fantasy Adventure Album" once again succeeded at least: his version of the main theme of "Conan the Barbarian" thunders a little brute from the speakers than the already pretty huge original (there was the original really a piano? Here is certainly clear to hear one, and it even fits quite well to the piece).

The remaining pieces are the original recordings least equal: Whether it is the issues that doyen John Williams' ("Star Wars") for Steven Spielberg's Peter Pan adventure "Hook!" and has written for the "Jurassic Park" or Michael Kamen schmetterndes signal it "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" wrote on the body - everything sounds so bombastic as earn great adventure great heroes on the big screen. One could also say: Where "Kunzel" it says, is usually music in it, is in not spilled, but only padded.

But since it is known, is no exception to every rule, begrudge "The Great Fantasy Adventure Album" the listener a breather. Between SF ("Total Recall") and Fantasy branded Sword and Sorcery ("Wizards and Warriors") but actually the dreamy main theme has found a place, has composed the Mark Knopfler for Rob Reiner's screen adaptation of William Goldman's winking fairy tale of the Princess Bride ,

In the version that can be found on this CD, the Dire Straits boss engages not personally into the strings of (acoustic) guitar, but I think that in this case, now not so bad: Knopfler's soundtrack is beautiful, and her kindness stands and falls with the fact that the master plays itself.

In addition to 17 pieces have music, also typically a few "sound bytes" once again found space for the Telarc Kunzel-Connection, where mainly "geeks" are likely to have their joy with consumer electronics craze. As an intro for John Williams' score for "Jurassic Park" let the engineer first the king of all terrible lizards through the undergrowth break (no, not "break in the undergrowth"): Can be nice to run in the background, when, once again, the landlord, Jehovah witnesses or collection collectors from local waste disposal services ("The garbage disposal wishes Merry Christmas!") are on the mat.

"Splitting Hairs" leaves the king of hair-splitting (here: Robin Hood) arrows to shoot at the audience (really convincing but that will probably only sound if the inclined listener a triple verdasnöckelte multi frequency response compatible with lol-locked and ADHD shielded jack socket connector equipped Surrender Plant his own calls;.. Buying Tips please the current edition of "Audio Geek" refer Thank you), and whose tweeter the Britzelbrutzel-Gespratzel the "Cyber ​​Genesis" took part, can look forward to the end even a little Sauriergeknurpsel (" Jurassic Lunch ").

[R Ü mee:]

"The Great Fantasy Adventure Album" is a well-compiled cross-section and a varied journey through the film (music) history. The cover I find cheesy, the inner part of the booklet informative. Kunzels arrangements are spirited across the board and testify Kunzels firm hand in dealing with film music category XXL. "The Great Fantasy album" makes its name: this CD is really all around "great".