Erich Kunzel 1935-2009

[cinemabon]

The music world, especially the film music world, has lost a great conductor today with the death of Erich Kunzel. In the past two decades, Kunzel, principle conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, made several key recordings of film scores (some resurrected from obscurity) that heightened both their popularity and their importance in the American film lexicon. Like Arthur Fiedler before him, Kunzel relished in the idea that orchestra music should be for the masses and not a select group of elite individuals. Originally he held the position as Associate conductor of the symphony orchestra and put in a request to the board to form a "pops" orchestra. To that end, he surpassed the regular Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in both sales and residuals from the numerous albums that sold millions around the world. He had wonderful charm, vivacious wit, and encompassing sense of humor. He will be missed.

Just some of his recommended film score recordings:

The Ultimate Movie Music Collection (http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Movie-Music-Collection/dp/B000BFH26Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1251860660&sr=8-1)

Beautiful Hollywood (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Hollywood-Erich-Kunzel/dp/B000003D24/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1251860660&sr=8-2)

The Big Picture (http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Eric-Kunzel-Cincinnati-Pops/dp/B000LPR4OO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1251860660&sr=8-4)

and my personal favorite...

Round Up (
http://www.amazon.com/Round-Up-Elmer-Bernstein/dp/B000003CU8/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1251860660&sr=8-13)

I love "Round Up" because of the score from "The magnificent seven" and also William Wyler's "The Big Country" a rarely heard yet rousing score... also present, "Silverado" and "How the west was won," perhaps the greatest full orchestra score for a western ever composed by Fox's Alfred Newman (the same music later used for the opening of "Romancing the stone" presented here in its full glory)

[oscar jubis]

Thanks cinemabon. I will get a Kunzel CD titled VINTAGE CINEMA because it has the selections I prefer.

[cinemabon]

just to update this post...

I purchased the new blue ray version of "How the west was won" because I wanted to hear the sound track and because they said they eliminated the "separation lines" via computer from the 70mm print of the Cinerama version. Well, they did. The picture is beautiful and the sound incredible... only... the film sucks. All these years later, the revisionist history is terrible. The opening monologue by Spencer Tracy makes you want to crawl back under a rock... Native Americans appear as some comical version of "How!" with an outstretched arm before "Buckskin Charlie" Jimmy Stewart being "...more indian than the indians." Ugg! Unfortunately, there's plenty more where that came from... Still, the photography is beautiful and if you skip around, you can find some nice scenes. Overall, it stinks and is not the movie I remember as a kid (we all grow up, I guess.)

Speaking of kids, my son and I watched "The Magnificent Seven" the other night (his first time). I never grow tired of watching that or "Seven Samurai." I love both. My attachment to the first film is the Elmer Bernstein score (featured by Eric Kunzel), that rousing opening which few films rival. Eli Wallach makes such a great villain in that film, too. He said he had more fun on that set than any other production. Now, they're all gone... I think Wallach and Robert Vaughn are the only one's left.

Hope you enjoy your Eric Kunzel CD. On a sad note, Patrick Swayze died today at the age of 57 of cancer. Having just turned 58, I had to walk down the hall and give my fourteen year old a big hug (which he didn't like). Daddy is still here. Hopefully, I can share more movies with him before the rejection sets in.

Look for "The Voices Arrive" next month.