An Unusual Compilation Of Rarer Cinema Choral Tracks

Cinema Choral Themes From the Movies (BuySoundtrax GD0128) is a compilation from a variety of Buy Soundtrax/Dragon’s Domain releases. It serves as a sort of sampler. Rozsa selections from Ben-Hur and King of Kings are performances recorded with the Brigham Young University A Capella Choir from the label’s compilation of Rozsa choral music released in 2012. The Brian May (Thirst suite) and Tony Bremner (The Everlasting Secret Family) tracks are from an earlier Dragon’s Domain compilation release of Australian film music (DDR 694).

Apart perhaps from the opening suite from Young’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II, these are some rather unique pieces that are not part of other such collections as it honors many of the composers who grace the site’s releases. There is little performance information though for these tracks. The Young suite has what seems like audience/live concert background noise. “The Great Prayer” from Laurence Rosenthal’s 1979 score for Meetings With Remarkable Men is a rather austere piece. Next up is the main theme from Mark Snow’s work on the 1992 TV Movie A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story. The harp opening adds a sense of subtle mystery and interesting harmonic shape in a rather haunting cue. Richard Band’s “Cantos Profane” from Troll (1986) is a rather fine little surprise. Another is “Godzilla Under the Sea” from Ifukube’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters performed by the choral group Bukimisha. The quality is a strange, almost Eastern European-influenced style.

Overall a nice sampler of choral music that is outside the normal sort of pieces often appearing on releases of this kind. Worth checking out at the label’s website.