Korngold: Film music. CHAN 10336

'For Michael Curtiz's 1941 big-screen adaptation of Jack London's The Sea Wolf Korngold produced one of his most searching scores… anyone coming to this music after the playful, swashbuckling fireworks of, say, The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood or The Adventures of Robin Hood may well be caught unawares by its comparatively uncompromising demeanour. The ominous 'Main Title' immediately sets the tone and demonstrates Korngold's masterly handling of an extremely large orchestra, which originally included the now defunct Novachord (patented by Hammond as the world's first synthesizer). Perhaps the most striking piece of scoring occurs in the 'Love Music' (track 8), where a solo harmonica intones one of Korngold's most sweetly poignant melodies against a backcloth of strings It's a rare moment of tenderness in an otherwise predominantly moody 55-minute sequence. There's a bonus in the shape of the music for the trailer And the collection concludes with an irresistible four-movement concert suite from The Adventures of Robin Hood Needless to say, Rumon Gamba and the BBC Philharmonic are completely at home in this colourful repertoire (the superb brass section has a field day) and the sound is as spectacularly rich and detailed as one could possible wish. Recommended with enthusiasm.' Andrew Achenbach, original Gramophone review