December round-up
Giving the Screen Choice a run for its money is Cinema, Alexandre Tharaud’s musical love letter to film music. The pianist himself curated the programme, which is anything but run-of-themill, Tharaud celebrating the movie music which has moved him since childhood and notable score selections that place the piano front and centre. French film looms largest, and there are delightful discoveries to be made, such as Philippe Sarde’s Le choses de la vie, alongisde classic pieces by Michel Legrand, Georges Delerue and Francis Lai, not to mention wellchosen examples by John Williams, Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone and Justin Hurwitz. Magical. (Erato 5419718461) ★★★★★
Morricone fans won’t want to miss Ennio, a documentary film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore which was recently released on Bluray. At 156 minutes, it leaves no stone unturned in terms of Il Maestro’s astonishing career, from young trumpet player and in-demand hitparade arranger to one of the world’s most acclaimed film composers. This is an intimate portrait of Morricone as told not only by close friends, collaborators and notable fans, but by the man himself.
Indeed it is the composer’s own testimony that has the most impact, as he shares his life story and a very personal, sometimes emotional, take on what he achieved.
(Dogwoof DOG471) ★★★★★
It’s a fictional composer/ conductor whose story is told in TÁR, Todd Field’s awards-worthy psychological drama starring Cate Blanchett. A film about the very nature of making music in today’s classical world ought to have an interesting soundtrack, and this one doesn’t disappoint. More a concept album than a traditional musical facsimile of the film, the result is both creative and curious. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s music lives within and without the film, and it rubs shoulders with snippets of Elgar and Mahler, interrupted by comments from the podium or control room. The experience is a little chaotic, but so is the process, and I think that’s the point. (DG 486 3431) ★★★★
It’s 60 years since Sean
Connery first introduced himself as ‘Bond, James Bond’ in Dr No and to celebrate cinema’s most enduring film franchise, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gives us Bond 25. From Monty Norman’s 1962 ‘James Bond Theme’ to Billie Eilish’s 2021 ‘No Time To Die’, all 25 themes are presented in new orchestral arrangements. It’s fun to hear them in order, though some may leave you shaken rather than stirred – the poptastic ’80s entries like ‘A View to a Kill’ and ‘The Living Daylights’ sound a bit twee in the RPO’S hands, while ‘Die Another Day’ remains the worst entry, no matter how it’s arranged. (Decca 882901) ★★★
Hans Zimmer underscores thrills of a different variety in the BBC’S Frozen Planet II. And he wasn’t alone, for the series also features music by composers James Everingham and Adam Lukas. Zimmer’s imprint is recognisible in the uplifting and barnstorming cues – not least of all the main theme, and while those moments are impressive, tracks like ‘Fidgety Bedfellow’ and ‘Projectile Vomit’ (yes) offer something a little more fun and unusual. Recorded in Reykjavik, Cardiff and Vienna, and featuring haunting vocals by Norwegian vocalist AURORA, it’s the kind of epic soundtrack we’ve come to expect from this run of big-budget natural history sequels. (Silva Screen SILCD1687) ★★★★