The mere fact that Erich Korngold’s complete score for The Sea Hawk exists will probably be enough for most film-score buffs to leap up and grab this release, even were it not as fine as it actually is. What we have here, for all intents and purposes, is a vast symphonic poem only a couple of minutes shy of two full hours. It’s all vintage Korngold: the heraldic fanfares and swaggering tunes for the “good guys”, the luscious love music, brooding atmospheric bits, and thrilling action sequences, all decked out in the most sumptuous orchestration imaginable. William Stromberg and his irrepressible sidekick John Morgan have outdone themselves in bringing all of this music to life. The performance is brilliant, the engineering among the best from this source.
As if that weren’t enough, we also get the music from Deception, a Betty Davis vehicle that gave birth to Korngold’s Cello Concerto (here performed as in the film, in its original, shorter form). While recognizably the work of the same composer, the score is darker and more subdued in keeping with the film’s “noir” ambience. What it all adds up to is almost two-and-a-half hours of “golden-age” music from two golden-age movies, magnificently played and recorded, on two very reasonably priced CDs. This isn’t just essential for Korngold or film score collectors–this release also is perfect for mp3 players, long car trips, or any activity that needs a nice big chunk of orchestral music to while away an hour or two. If this isn’t an irresistible bargain, then I don’t know what is. [6/13/2008]
