Charles Gerhardt Conducts

For reference, the following is a detailed listing of this Box's contents:CD1 The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang KorngoldKorngold, Erich Wolfgang Main Title - Reunion - Finale (from The Sea Hawk)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Nora's Theme (from Of Human Bondage)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang March of the Merry Men (from The Adventures of Robin Hood)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Love Theme (from Juarez)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Main Title (from Kings Row)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Tomorrow (from The Constant Nymph)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Overture (from Captain Blood)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang No Father, No Mother, No Name (from Anthony Adverse)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Main Title - Mother and Son (from Between Two Worlds)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Main Title (from Deception)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Death of Emily Bronte, The (from Devotion)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Main Title - Venice - March - Love Scene - Finale (from Escape Me Never)CD2 Lost Horizon: The Classic Film Scores of Dimitri TiomkinTiomkin, Dimitri Prelude - Foreward Card - Riot in Baskul - Mob Scene at the Refueling Station - After the Plane Crash - Arrival of the Caravan - The Journey over the Mountains - Entrance into Shangri-La - Nocturne - Riding Sequence - The Waterfall - Chinese Children's Scherzo - Bell Sequence - Funeral Cortege of the High Lama - Escape from Shangri-La - Return to Shangri-La (from Lost Horizon)Tiomkin, Dimitri Prelude (from The Guns of Navarone)Tiomkin, Dimitri Prelude - The Forest at Night (Nocturne) - The Wide Missouri (Epilogue) (from The Big Sky)Tiomkin, Dimitri Overture (from The Four Poster)Tiomkin, Dimitri Love Scene in the Barn (from Friendly Persuasion)Tiomkin, Dimitri Choral Finale (from Search for Paradise)CD3 Captain Blood: Classic Film Scores for Errol FlynnSteiner, Max The King- Main Title: Don Juan - The Brocade - Don Juan's Serenade - Parade into London - Don Juan and the Queen - Final Scene (from Adventures of Don Juan)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang The Albatross - The Throne Room of Elizabeth I - Entrance of the Sea Hawks - The Orchid - Panama March - The Duel - Strike for the Shores of Dover (from The Sea Hawk)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Ship in the Night (from Captain Blood)Steiner, Max Morning - The Farewell Before the Battle - Preparation and March - The 7th Calvary - Garry Owen - The Sioux - The Battle of Little Big Horn - Custer's Last Stand (from They Died with Their Boots On)Steiner, Max Warner Bros. Fanfare and Main Title - The Open Prairie - The Iron Horse - Surrett - The Comrades - The Covered Wagon - Grazioso - Abbie and the Children - Wade and Abbie: The Blarney - Abbie's Theme (from Dodge City)Waxman, Franz Parachute Drop (from Objective, Burma)Friedhofer, Hugo Prologue (Solennelle) - The Lights of Paris (from The Sun Also Rises)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang The Archery Tournament - Escape from the Gallows - Robin and Lady Marian - Coronation Procession (from The Adventures of Robin Hood)CD4 Gone with the Wind: Max Steiner's Classic Film ScoreSteiner, Max Main Title: Dixie - Mammy - Tara - Rhett (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Opening Sequence: The Twins - Katie Bell - Ashley - Mammy (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Driving Home - Gerald O'Hara - Scarlett - Tara (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Dance Montage: Charleston Hell and Toe Polka - Southern Belle Waltz - Can Can (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Grazioso - Mammy - Ashley - Ashley and Scarlett - Scarlett, Ashley and Melanie Love Theme (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Civil War - Fall of the South - Scarlett Walks among the Wounded (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max True Love - Ashley Returns to Tara from the War - Tara in Ruins (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Belle Watling (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Reconstruction - The Nightmare - Tara Rebuilt - Bonnie - The Accident (from Gone with the Wind)Steiner, Max Mammy and Melanie on the Staircase - Rhett's SorrowSteiner, Max Apotheosis: Melanie's Death - Scarlett and Rhett - Tara (from Gone with the Wind)CD5 Castile: The Classic Film Scores of Alfred NewmanNewman, Alfred 20th Century Fanfare with the CinemaScope Extension and Street Scene (from How to Marry a Millionaire)Newman, Alfred Pedro and Catana - Conquest (from Captain from Castille)Newman, Alfred Cathy's Theme (from Wuthering Heights)Newman, Alfred Homepipe (from Down to the Sea in Ships)Newman, Alfred Prelude - The Vision (from The Song of Bernadette)Newman, Alfred Main Title (The Hunters) (from The Bravados)Newman, Alfred Main Title (from Anastasia)Newman, Alfred London Calling (from The Best of Everything)Newman, Alfred Main Title (from Airport)Newman, Alfred Main Title - Elegy - Caligula's March - The Map of Jerusalem (from The Robe)CD6 Casablanca: Classic Film Scores for Humphrey BogartSteiner, Max Main Title - The Immigrants - Morrocco - "Sam, I thought I told you never to play…" - As Time Goes By - Flashback: Rick Remembers Paris - Love Scene - The Airport - Major Strasser's Death - "…the beginning of a beautiful friendship" (from Casablanca)Steiner, Max Rescue at Sea (from Passage to Marseille)Steiner, Max Main Title - The Trek to the Gold - Fool's Gold - The Letter - Finale: The Gold Scatters in the Wind (from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)Steiner, Max Love Themes (from The Big Sleep)Steiner, Max March (from The Caine Mutiny)Waxman, Franz Main title: Martinique (from To Have and Have Not)Waxman, Franz Main Title - The Embrace - The Storm - The Poisoned Milk - The Window - Geoffrey's Madness - Finale (from The Two Mrs. Carrolls)Hollander, Frederick Main Title - The Larrabee Estate (from Sabrina)Young, Victor Love Theme (from The Left Hand of God)Rozsa, Miklos Main Title (from Sahara)Steiner, Max Stagecoach - Love Scene (from Virginia City)Steiner, Max Main Title - The Bridge - McCloud and Mr. Temple - Reminiscence - Morning - Finale (from Key Largo)CD7 Citizen Kane: The Classic Film Scores of Bernard HerrmannHerrmann, Bernard The Death Hunt (from On Dangerous Ground)Herrmann, Bernard Prelude: Xandu - Snow Picture (from Citizen Kane)Herrmann, Bernard Theme and Variations (Breakfast Montage) (from Citizen Kane)Herrmann, Bernard Aria from Salammbo (from Citizen Kane)Herrmann, Bernard Rosebud and Finale (from Citizen Kane)Herrmann, Bernard The Sea - The Lagoon (from Beneath the 12-Mile Reef)Herrmann, Bernard Descending (from Beneath the 12-Mile Reef)Herrmann, Bernard The Octopus - Homecoming (from Beneath the 12-Mile Reef)Herrmann, Bernard Concerto Macabre for Piano and Orchestra (from Hanover Square)Herrmann, Bernard Talking Drums - Prelude: The Riverboat - Petticoat Dance - The Safari (from White Witch Doctor)Herrmann, Bernard Tarantula - The Lion (from White Witch Doctor)Herrmann, Bernard Nocturne (from White Witch Dotor)Herrmann, Bernard Abduction of the Bakuba Boy - The Skulls (from White Witch Doctor)Herrmann, Bernard Lonni Bound by Ropes - Departure (from White Witch Doctor)CD8 Sunset Boulevard: The Classic Film Scores of Franz WaxmanWaxman, Franz Prelude - King Aguar's Escape - The Fens - The First Chase - The Tournament - Sir Brack's Death and Finale (from Prince Valiant)Waxman, Franz Prelude - Angela - Loon Lake - Farewell and Frenzy - The Farewell (from A Place in the Sun)Waxman, Franz The Creation of the Female Monster (from The Bride of Frankenstein)Waxman, Franz Main Title - Norma Desmond - The Studio Stroll - The Comeback - Norma as Salome (from Sunset Boulevard)Waxman, Franz Elegy for Strings (from Old Acquaintance)Waxman, Franz Prelude - After the Ball - Mrs. Danvers - Confession Scene - Manderley in Flames (from Rebecca)Waxman, Franz Metro Goldwyn Mayer Fanfare - Main Title - The True Love (from The Philadelphia Story)Waxman, Franz The Ride to Dubno (from Taras Bulba)CD9 Elizabeth and Essex: The Classic Film Scores of Erich Wolfgang KorngoldKorngold, Erich Wolfgang Overture (from The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Main title - The Boys Go to Play - Epilogue (from The Prince and the Pauper)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang In the Forest (from Anthony Adverse)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Main Title - Escape in the Fog - Love Scene - Finale (from The Sea Wolf)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Concerto fo Cello and Orchestra in C Major (from Deception)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Night Scene (from Another Dawn)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Main Title - Christmas - Sally - Lullaby - Finale (from Of Human Bondge)CD10 Spellbound: The Classic Film Scores of Miklos RozsaRozsa, Miklos Prelude (from The Red House)Rozsa, Miklos The Morgan Farm - The New Hired Hand - Swimming Scene (fom The Red House)Rozsa, Miklos Meg Finds the Red House (from The Red House)Rozsa, Miklos Teller Shoots at Meg (from The Red House)Rozsa, Miklos Pete's Death and Finale (from The Red House)Rozsa, Miklos The Love of the Princess (from The Thief of Bagdad)Rozsa, Miklos The Bottle - First Meeting (from The Lost Weekend)Rozsa, Miklos The Mouse and the Bat - Nightmare (from The Lost Weekend)Rozsa, Miklos Love Scene and Finale (from The Lost Weekend)Rozsa, Miklos Sunstroke - River Journey (from The Four Feathers)Rozsa, Miklos Mrs. Dietrichson - The Conspiracy (from Double Indemnity)Rozsa, Miklos Scherzo - Hawks in Flight (from Knights of the Round Table)Rozsa, Miklos Song of the Jungle (from The Jungle Book)Rozsa, Miklos The Dream Sequence - The Mountain Lodge (from Spellbound)Rozsa, Miklos Overture (from Ivnhoe)CD11 Now, Voyager: The Classic Film Scores of Max SteinerSteiner, Max Warner Bros. Fanfare and Main Title - Love Scene and Finale (from Now, Voyager)Steiner, Max The Forgotten Island - Natives - Sacrificial Dance - The Gate of Kong - Kong in New York (from King Kong)Steiner, Max As Long as I Live (from Saratoga Trunk)Steiner, Max Forward the Light Brigade (from The Charge of the Light Brigade)Steiner, Max Symphonie Moderne (from Four Wives)Steiner, Max Main Title - Marlowe - Bookshop - Murder - Chase - Love Theme and Finale (from The Big Sleep)Steiner, Max Suite (from Johnny Belinda)Steiner, Max Main Title (from Since You Went Away)Steiner, Max Main Title - Love Scene - Sancta Maria (from The Informer)Steiner, Max Main Title (Roark's Theme) - Dominique's Theme - The Quarry - Construction: Enright's House - Finale: The Wynand Building (from The Fountainhead)CD12 Classic Film Scores of Bette DavisSteiner, Max Warner Bros. Fanfare - "It Can't Be Wrong" (from Now, Voyager)Steiner, Max Blindness (Judith's Theme) - Winter - Resignation (from Dark Victory)Steiner, Max Main Title (from A Stolen Life)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Elizabeth (from The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex)Waxman, Franz Forsaken (from Mr. Skeffington)Steiner, Max Main Title - Stanley and Roy - Finale (from In This Our Life)Newman, Alfred Main Title (from All About Eve)Steiner, Max Waltz (from Jezebel)Steiner, Max Main Title - Rosa Moline - The Train - Rosa's Death (from Byond the Forest)Korngold, Erich Wolfgang Carlotta (from Juarez)Steiner, Max Main Title (from The Letter)Steiner, Max Main Title - Henriette and the Children - Love Scene - Finale - End Cast (from All This, and Heaven Too)

What a trove of great film scoring and what excellent recordings! With several absolutely marvelous concertos, scherzos, fugues and chorale works scattered throughout. Nice sound engineering and recorded at what was estimated, at the time and likely still is, the best sounding hall on the planet: Kingsway Hall in London.I can't add much to what has been said of the performances, they're brilliant. But, I'd like to try and throw in a clarifying word to help with the confusion around which version one might want to buy since there are so many versions of this series. I've auditioned and directly compared this box set to the Surround editions, the (2011) CD editions, an earlier Red Seal disc and even a Vocalion, hybrid SACD disc. Comparisons were on a $22k system with a single ($2.5k) DAC fed by 2 different transports. Had to use one of them to down-convert the Surround discs to regular, 2-channel stereo. And that way I could directly compare the sound of the Surround discs to the non-Surround ones as "apples to apples".In fact, in doing so, I found it impossible to put a piece of paper in edgewise into the difference between the two. So, even though the box-set packaging dropped any mention of "remastering", despite being released in 2020 and well after the late 80's release for the Surround series, I'm well convinced that the mastering reflects no difference between the two and is, in effect, the same mastering - just that the box set is merely without the Surround processing. And, the 2011 editions (red and yellow cover art) I also found to be identical to the box set - no differences there either. Nor were there any differences with Red Seal edition. But, that was not the case with the Vocalion SACD. This was supposedly direct from an original, quadrophonic master (for the Sunset Boulevard disc) and while the disc did indeed sound just as clean and clear as the other versions I tried (I didn't have the capacity to test the SACD layer, so I listened to the stereo, CD layer only), there was a noticeable tonal shift to the entire disc, and by no small margin. The sound on this disc was rather a lot cooler. In fact, I'd say the warmth that I had felt was so pleasingly evident on both the box-set, the 2011 and the Red Seal discs of that name had been stripped away, rendering the otherwise competent-sounding SACD version sounding rather sterile, and in direct comparison here it was Very evident - and is probably apparent even without direct comparison.One nice thing about the Surround versions though, is that they come with very good liner notes that the box set omits. Maybe the good news there is that they made so many of Surround discs and used supplies of them are generally good. I've been buying them without regard to disc condition just for the notes and they are quite cheap.But, whatever you do - don't buy into the industry tag-line hype - that Dolby Surround discs "are fully compatible" with regular stereo or mono playback equipment. People usually report that outing as a hot mess and I could confirm it here. The actual compatibility is highly debatable and I'm thinking that there may be a reason why Dolby Surround is these days a dead format. Maybe that's for the best. I have not actually heard These discs in Surround, but I heard others in the past and I myself was not moved to pursue it.The Red Seal, Sunset Boulevard disc I have has the extra tracks on it. Not all of which are listed on the same disc in the box set, however the remaining material was redirected to other discs in the box set, so you don't really miss out on anything there, you get it all, just in a different order. You don't get the "sampler" disc, which is mostly redundant anyway, though you do forgo the Star Wars main theme that was on it. And other stray material, like the SiFi disc itself, were not included in the box set, but basically the bulk of what's been released to CD is included, and you could round up the odd stray disc or two that are likely still available, used, if nothing else.But, the box set alone is a very economical way to get your hands on a wealth of film-music scoring for sure! Likely even cheaper than buying all the discs separately - even at used prices. Enjoy!

You don't have to be a nostalgia buff to enjoy this 12-disc set of postromantic music from the Golden Age of Hollywood, but these splendid performances may sweep you away anyway. Korngold, Steiner, Newman, Herrmann, Waxman, Rozsa--these composers, most of them trained in the Viennese tradition, dominated the pantheon of Hollywood composers for over 30 years, providing evocative backgrounds for the movies we may love more than any others. The conductor, Charles Gerhardt, drew these admirable performances from the National Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble of musicians representing carefully-chosen members of London symphonies. As you immerse yourself in these performances, magic things may happen: Bogie and Bergman will bid their foggy farewell; Bette Davis will spit out has classic "What a dump!"; the faded-star-gone-mad, Gloria Swanson, will enact her final, tragic "take,"; and that hissing sound you'll hear is Elsa Lanchester, astounding electric hairdo and all, shuffling away to meet her piecemeal mate. Grab this collection and you'll have it all--the European flavor, the nobility, the tenderness, and yes, sometimes even the beguiling schmaltz that surrounded us in the darkness of those cavernous old theaters, most of them sadly gone since our once-sensible world turned itself upside-down.