It’s hard to believe that no one before now has made a complete recording of this, one of Korngold’s most famous and beloved film scores–but it certainly has been worth the wait. Beautifully restored by John Morgan, and with the Moscow Symphony on the best form we have seen so far, you now can enjoy 78 glorious minutes of some of the most evocative and colorful music ever to take the screen. The more familiar excerpts (such as The Tournement or The Duel) barely hint at the riches contained here, with many cues playing for several minutes and making perfect formal sense in and of themselves. Take, for example, the tracks entitled The Poor People, Richard Meets Robin Hood, The Attack, or the delightful sequences in which Robin meets (and fights) Little John and Friar Tuck. Korngold was particularly prodigal of invention here, despite the fact that he initially turned down the job and composed this sunny and ebullient score against the backdrop of his flight from Vienna at the opening of World War II.
As noted above, the Moscow Symphony under William Stromberg manages the necessary richness of texture that the music requires. The sensuous Love Scene, all six minutes and 25 seconds of it, especially stands out, and the engineering combines sumptuousness (more than we usually get from this source) with excellent clarity. There have been many fine releases in Marco Polo’s film music series, but none better or more important that this–a self-recommending acquisition if ever there were one.
