My best wishes to all people that
were kind enough to visit my new blog. I hope they have appreciated my efforts
and selection of movies. As you know, your comments would be most welcome.
Especially, I want to thank all readers from these countries with more 800 visitors
! :
France
United States
United-Kingdom
Ireland
Italia
Russia
Germany
Netherlands
Switzerland
Australia
Colombia
Spain
Canada
Italia
Portugal
Poland
Hope to hear from you next year…
Warmest regards to all.
NB : My appreciation for his friendly help and support to Mr Alan Hamer, the European Representative of the Miklós Rózsa Society.
After my topic on the “Quo Vadis” recording, I would
like to celebrate an outstanding event : The concert conducted in FRANCE by Miklos
Rozsa at the third Angers Film Festival.
Before, I wish to thank Alan Hamer of the MRS for his
very kind support.
In March, 1980, Alain Lacombe and the town of Angers
(FRANCE) invited Dr Miklos Rozsa, as guest of honor, to give a concert on the
occasion of their annual film Festival. The legendary composer was 73 and it
was his only concerts in FRANCE since the ones he gave with Arthur Honneger in the
thirties. For the opening of the Festival, a master class with the composer was
organized after a showing of “Spellbound” directed by Sir Alfred Hitchcock (1945).
During all the time he spent in Angers, the very nice gentleman composer answered
to all questions from journalists or single fans. All friends who were there
confirmed that Dr Rozsa was an elegant man and spoke a good French with a very charming
accent.
The French Historian Film Music and Journalist, Alain
Lacombe was the special artistic adviser of this festival. Some months before
the concerts, Mr Lacombe had organized several programs on one of the most
important radio channel with Dr Rozsa (“25 Notes par Seconde” (September and
November 1976) and “La Dernière Image” (June 1978)) and a TV interview (1980) with
Dr Rozsa to promote his score : “Time after Time” (1979). Also, Mr. Lacombe wrote
several books devoted to the film music and composers (“La Musique du Film”
(1979), “Des Compositeurs pour l’Image”(1982), “Hollywood Rapsody” (1983) and “Les
Musiques du Cinéma Français” (1995)).
For the Angers concerts, Dr Rozsa got the assistance of
the talented piano player, Eric Parkin and of conductor’s, Marc Soustrot. Alike
Jascha Heifetz, Parkin had already recorded several Rozsa’s concertos, and among
them, the score of Alain Resnais’s movie “Providence” (1977) of which LA VALSE
CRÉPUSCULAIRE was the peak.
Furthermore, a little documentary was shot by the
local French TV but could never be shown because of an unfortunate strike from the
French TV technicians. I do hope that one day, we could have the opportunity to
watch Dr Rozsa and the “Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de Loire”.
For those who couldn’t attend, here are the details of
the of the two concerts (March the 1st and the 2nd, 1980)
:
Conductors : Dr Mikos Rozsa and Marc Soustrot
Solist : Eric Parkin
Orchestra
: Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de Loire
ANGERS
CONCERT
Overture to a Symphony Concert, Opus 26
Notturno Ungherese, Opus 28
Concerto for Piano, Opus 31
Ben-Hur
(Prelude, The Galley Slaves, Love Theme and Parade of
the Charioteers)
Double Indemnity (Overture)
The Naked City (Pursuit and Epilogue)
Providence (Valse Crépusculaire)
Spellbound (Concerto)
Time after Time (Finale)
For reference, please find hereunder some
documentation about the Angers Festival Program :
I hope that some of you will spare a few minutes to comment
this new topic in a positive way, of course ! I can understand French and English
languages. Don’t be shy / Ne soyez pas timide…
I have just received the UK special blu-ray edition of
Billy Wilder’s “Double Indemnity” (1944). Just one word : great !
The restoration of the movie is very good (image and sound).
The film has a commentary by the historian Nick Redman and Screenwriter Lem
Dobbs and includes a fine documentary “Shadows of Suspense” and the theatrical
trailer. Also, there is a 40 page-booklet with several pictures and interviews
by Billy Wilder and James M. Cain…
For Rozsa’s fans, the other main interest is the
isolated musical score, in monaural sound with SFX. The quality of the sound is
quite correct, with the exception of two tracks which are damaged (*).
The collaboration between Wilder and Rozsa is one of
the most audacious in the Hollywood history. Five times, the legendary director
and the prolific composer worked together. In 1944, “Double indemnity was their
second film after “Five Graves to Caïro” (1943). Each of them gave again a
proof of their stupendous talent supported by an outstanding cast including Barbara
Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson.
The Composer Dr Miklos Rozsa
In his biography “Double Life”, Rozsa told that he met
many difficulties in having his musical views agreed during the recording sessions
of the score, especially from the musical director of the Paramount. Fortunately
he was supported by Wilder and succeeded in having his music played in the way
he wanted. Now, for the first time more than 65 years after, we can hear the
complete original film score. The success of “Double Indemnity” brought him a nomination
for an Academy Award and the
opportunity to work with another legendary director Alfred Hitchcock for his
next movie “Spellbound” (1945)…
Fred MacMurray & Barbara Stanwyck
I like this movie very much and I feel that it has
kept after so many years its powerful capacity of attraction. Wilder wrote a
solid script with the help of Raymond Chandler based on a James M. Cain‘s novel
(1935). We can understand why “Double Indemnity” inspired many younger directors
among them Lawrence Kasdan (“Body Heat” / 1981) and Dennis Hopper (“The Hot
Spot”/ 1990). Today, it remains one of the greatest classic of the American “Film
Noir”, I do hope this opinion will be shared by many…
The French Poster
Suite from "Double Indemnity"
For those that could be interested in, here are my own
musical track selections from the UK blu-ray edition of “Double Indemnity”.
Complete Musical Score with SFX (Approx. Total Time : 49.47)
:
01. Main Title / Office Memorandum (4.45)
02. Mrs Dietrichson (2.36)
03. Back to the Office (0.31)
04.
Phyllis’s Phone Message (1.01)
05. Phyllis’ Proposition (1.28)
06. Straight Down the Line*(3.25)
07. Double Indemnity* (1.47)
08. At Jerry’s Market (1.04)
09. Walter’s Office (0.34)
10. Extra Careful (6.01)
11. The End of the Line (3.47)
12. Walter’s Anxiety (0.38)
13. Keyes’s Visit (1.30)
14. “Shut Up, Baby !” (2.17)
15. Walter and Lola (1.01)
16. Sticking Together (3.18)
17. Hollywood Bowl** (2.23)
18. Walter’s Thoughts (0.55)
19. Walter’s Phone Call (2.15)
20. Radio Music – Piano (3.50)
21. “Good Bye, Baby !” / Finale (8.01)
* : damaged
** : from Cesar
Franck’s Symphony in D minor
Barabara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and The Director Billy Wilder
P. S. : If
you want to know more about “Double indemnity”, please refer to :
·Books :
“Double life” by Miklos Rozsa (in English) ; 2011 ;
The University of Wisconsin Press.
“Soundtrack : The Music of The Movies” by Mark Evans (in
English) with an introduction by Miklos Rozsa ; 1979 ; Da Capo Press, New York.
“Conversation with Billy Wilder” by Cameron Crow (in English)
; 1999 ; Alfred A. Knopf, publisher, New York.
“Le Film Noir” by Patrick Brion (in French) ; 1992 ;
Editions de la Martiniere.
·Music :
CD Album of “A Musical Autobiography” by Miklos Rozsa
; Voume 1 (1937/1949).
CD Album of “Miklos Rozsa : The Lost Weekend, Double
Indemnity and The Killers” ; 1997 ; performed by the New Zealand Symphony
Orchestra conducted by James Sedares ; Koch International Classics.
CD Album of “Spellbound, The Classic Film Scores of
Milkos Rozsa” ; 1975 / 2001 ; performed by The National Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Charles Gerhardt ; RCA Red Seal.
The Hollywood composer, Dr Miklos Rozsa composed the score for an american cinematographic adaptation of "Quo Vadis" (1951) directed by Melvin Leroy and
produced by Metro Goldwin Mayer. The film was shoot in Rome at the
Cineccita studio, Italy. At that time, Dr Rozsa has been under contract with MGM for three years.
In 1977, the Decca label decided to produce new
recordings of three of the most important epic scores by the composer :
"Quo Vadis, Ben-Hur and King of Kings". Unfortunately, only two were recorded.
Now, more than sixty years after the movie was shown, the Tadlow label has just recorded the complete film score of "Quo
Vadis".
Suite from "Quo Vadis"
This seems to me the right moment to put some light on the Decca recording...
-------------------------------------------
The compilation of the recording of the Decca Album, (September the 3rd, 1977) :
Assistant to Mr Rozsa :
Christopher Palmer
Producer : Ray Few
Engineer : Stan Goodall
Orchestra : The Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra
Chorus : The Saltarello Choir
(Non Professional
Singers from Dr Rozsa’s comments)
Time of The Recording
Session : 6 hours
Special Visitor : Charles
Gerhardt
Place of Recording : London's Kingsway Hall
Recording
order (from Dr Rozsa’s own list) :
Prelude *
Finale *
Ave Caesar
Chariot Chase
Epilogue
The Burning of Rome
Hail Galba
Fertility Hymn *
Aftermath (Death of Peter
* / Death of Poppaea / Nero’s Suicide)
Petronus’s Banquet,
Meditation and Death
Marcus’ awakening (Marcus
and lygia)
Lygia (love themenot retained in the final record)
Assyrian Dance
*: (Orchestra and Chorus)
Not recorded because of
lack of time :
Bacchanale
Women’s Quarter of Nero
Sicilian’s Dance
-------------------------------------------
Here are some pictures of this recording session taken by my father :
Dr Rozsa chatting with a player who had been a member of The RPO
at the time of the original recording of "Quo Vadis" in 1951
Dr Rozsa with Christopher Palmer
Dr Rozsa with Charles Gerhardt
Dr Rozsa is conducting The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
