Search - Leonard Pennario, Nino Rota, Michel Legrand :: Leonard Pennario: Film Themes and Variations

Just okay

06/21/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Pennario is just not in the ranks of the greats. Not Horowitz nor Richter. His best I`ve heard is his scorching performance as the dedicatee in the Spellbound Concerto conducted by Miklos Rozsa on the Capitol label. I wondered whether this Variations CD would be sort of lounge music. He disappoints if he is entertaining the film music buffs and the pop listener. Because simply it does not reach either. I was let down because he could not bring out the melody to the fore. Throughout, his accompaniments tend to dilute the melodic strength of these lovely film music themes. Of course, the originals are a class by themselves. Even the Romeo and Juliet themes could not achieve the festive air and tempo it should have.Kings Row could have been better. Korngold would not be pleased. Midnight on the Cliffs sounded more like waves breaking rather than a lovely music theme. Midnight Cowboy and the Sand Pebbles love theme fared no better. I think Pennario should have got Conrad Salinger to do the orchestrations and Alfred Newman the arrangements. If he had at least followed the Roger Miller or George Creely formula it would have turned out fine. Not a CD to recommend highly."