Film music is almost always identified with American composers, thanks to the steady stream of European emigres who took advantage of the growing Hollywood film industry to flee their troubled home countries in the 1930s. Name artists in the European sphere are rarer, and for that reason alone,
The Film Music of Gerard Schurmann
, is well worth a listen.
Schurmann
was a Dutch composer born in what is now Indonesia. Even after the American example was set, European film scores were often written by general composers of orchestral music (
Vaughan Williams
and
Shostakovich
are two famous examples).
was one of the first true film composers in Britain, and his career began when
Alan Rawsthorne
gave it a boost.
Rawsthorne
had been commissioned to write a film score, he turned part of it over to
, asked the producers what they thought of his work, and revealed the true composer when they expressed approval. Most of the films here remain obscure, at least outside Britain, and aside from
The Gambler
(1997), all are from the 1950s and 1960s. Stars include
Patrick McGoohan
(of
The Prisoner
) in
Dr. Syn, alias The Scarecrow
.
is no
Bernard Herrmann
, but the strength of his scores lies in his imaginative orchestration; outside of film music he sometimes worked as an orchestrator. Sample the second movement of the suite from
The Ceremony
, a slowly moving kaleidoscope of unusual instrumental sounds including those of treble and bass recorders. The pieces are all suites, presumably made by the composer, and any of them would enliven an orchestral concert. They get a spirited performance here from the
BBC Philharmonic
under
Rumon Gamba
, and impressive sound from
Chandos
, who are to be commended for the ongoing originality of their "
Movies" series. ~ James Manheim