Three Choral Suites (Compilation)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

At times its interesting to go back in time, to explore the golden oldies, or the soundtracks that were made when special effects weren't up to par as of today, yet spectacle remained. And I guess its fair to say that Miklos Rozsa was a composer that composed music for most of them, Ben Hur being the easiest to remind and name of them all. Of course, how many people really heard his music by now and of course who could blame them? Those who grew up with Hans Zimmer or David Arnold or Brian Tyler will barely ever heard of the legendary composer, and frankly that's a shame. I'm not one for golden age scores, the style is far from what you hear today, even considering the likes of Goldsmith and Williams. But a golden opportunity as Three Choral Suites by Miklos Rozsa isn't one to pass, and for reasons easily explained. You get powerful music, orchestral and choral and with fine themes and lots of explosive grandeur, like the time it had to be just that. The compilation features the re recordings of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (known for their compilations and works on John Williams material) and features 3 classic scores in 60 minutes of playing time. And it starts off pretty darn good, with Ben Hur the classic amongst classics. If the fanfare and typical Arabian like setting doesn't do it for you in 'Overture', then the choral majesty and magical nature of 'Star of Bethlehem / Adoration of the Magi' surely will, reminding you of something choral in respect. The non choral tracks 'Rowing of the Galley Slaves' and 'Parade of the Charioteers' are impressive brass feasts, especially the last with its concert version of one of the themes getting really good in motion. The magical 'Alleluia' is a blessing for any hymn and 'Miracle and Finale' is the most fantastical of them all, choir erupting in begin and end, stating all of the themes in most grand order, it shows especially well the quality of the themes you heard in this piece.

The middle selection of Quo Vadis is for me the weakest of the three, but that doesn't mean its without merit. 'Prelude' has a Latin choral church hymn over fanfares by trumpets, 'Ave Caesar March' capturing a playful manner of the drums and trumpets, some dance sections which grow rapidly in 'Assyrian Dance' and the big finish again in 'Miracle and Finale', which states surprisingly brief dialogue, but a stunning choral finish is there to erase that easily. King of Kings is the finisher and again displays its warm welcome of stunning moments. It opens with 'Overture', by then stating the Rozsa style firmly good. Bells and choir, pleasant main theme and returning with choir. How good and powerful that is, or the powerful war marches 'Roman Legions' (brass and drums), the short magical soft version of the theme in 'Nativity' or the Egyptian dance sequence in 'Herod's Feast', it are the magical choral moments in the last tracks that make all the fuzz. 'Miracles of Christ' capturing the brass fanfare of the theme, excellent string moments, and the miracle of choir, its all in a classic sense of a master composer its been written. 'The Lord's Prayer' works that way too, wonderful choir again growing over the orchestral play. And of course, as the way the album wants it, the big finish in the final track 'Resurrection and Finale' with again the themes getting the choral finale allure. Three Choral Suites proves many things, indeed time doesn't age when its surrounding classic good scores, that some Golden Age scores still deserve to be heard (though I don't fancy the 2 CD deals with the many short tracks of 2 of the scores presented here) and that Rozsa is one of the few Golden Age composers that can capture my interest well enough to not let it pass me by. And besides his fantastic love theme for El Cid, these 3 scores capture all the charm of the golden era, and the spectacle of the good film music. Together, its a warm welcome in the mind of a classic composer, and one not to pass up that easily.

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Tracks

Single Disc

Ben Hur

1. Overture (3.54)

2. Star Of Bethlehem / Adoration Of The Magi (3.50) Excellent Track

3. Rowing Of The Galley Slaves (2.39)

4. Alleluia (2.08) Excellent Track

5. Parade Of The Charioteers (3.25)

6. Miracle And Finale (5.29) Excellent Track

Quo Vadis

7. Prelude (1.46)

8. Ave Caesar March (4.11)

9. Fertility Hymn (1.15)

10. Assyrian Dance (1.58)

11. Marcus And Lygia (4.50)

12. Miracle And Finale (4.04) Excellent Track

King of Kings

13. Overture (4.01)

14. Roman Legions (1.36)

15. Nativity (1.58)

16. The Feast Of Passover (2.04)

17. Herod's Feast (1.08)

18. Miracles Of Christ (2.51) Excellent Track

19. The Lord's Prayer (2.25) Excellent Track

20. Pieta (3.01)

21. Resurrection And Finale (2.22) Excellent Track

Total Length: 61.52

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