Search - John [Film Composer] Williams, Howard Shore, Erich Kunzel :: Great Film Fantasies

Good but not great

Bruce W. Britton | Santa Clarita, CA USA | 09/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"John Williams is my favorite film composer, and Howard Shore's work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy (together with Enya's songs) is excellent, too. So, the idea of this album resonated with me. While Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops do their usual journeyman job, I was a little disappointed.



In the case of the Star Wars films, I prefer the original soundtrack interpretations, for which John Williams conducted the London Symphony Orchestra. Williams and the LSO work so well together that it's hard to top them -- I've lost count of the number of movies for which Williams has led the LSO when recording his score. Of course, a quarter-century of familiarity with the Williams/LSO performances probably has something to do with my preference, too! To my ear, even Williams' other recordings of his Star Wars music (for example, with the Boston Pops) don't compare to the original soundtracks, so I'm not surprised that Kunzel's effort is not as satisfying.



I found Kunzel's Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings interpretations closer to the original Williams/LSO and Howard Shore/New Zealand Symphony/London Philharmonic soundtrack performances.



To me, the original soundtrack interpretations are like old friends that I return to again and again. However, listening to the soundtrack albums of the twelve movies represented here would take about twelve hours! So, this album is a good Reader's Digest condensed version, providing just over an hour of terrific film music.

"

Not up to usual standards.

Pen name | Valparaiso, Indiana | 01/13/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I always look forward with much anticipation to Erich Kunzel's next achievement, but in this case I was rather disappointed. The orchestration was very average and presented no addition to the John William's version. I have been so impressed by Kunzel's "Epics" CD and on another CD his rendition of William's "Lost World" that I expect the same from all of his efforts. I am hoping that with the next release, the same innovation and creativity dominates."