Franz Waxman 1906-67

[vandermolen]

Worth consideration beyond his great movie scores I think (Rebecca, Bride of Frankenstein etc etc). I have been listening to his biblical Oratorio 'Joshua' (in memory of his first wife, 1959. At first I found it moving but rather heavy going in places but I like it more and more (complete with melodramatic narration by Maximilian Schell). It opens with a wonderfully evocative section and the performance (Prague Philharmonia, Sedares on DGG) is excellent. Well worth exploring if you fancy something different. Like Georges Auric I feel that he was a great composer as well as a fine conductor (giving the West Coast premiere of Shostakovich's 11th Symphony and much else besides). One of his movie scores seems to quote directly from the Shostakovich - until you realised that it was composed before the Shostakovich 11th Symphony!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/nov06/Waxman_Joshua_4775724.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/nov06/Waxman_Joshua_4775724.htm&usg=__FJhikkEP0bXTJEGdoIzT535qfu8=&h=286&w=300&sz=10&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=fy0tZQ5h8GKtSM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwaxman%2Bjoshua%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ie%3DUTF-8

http://www.franzwaxman.com/

[Dundonnell]

I tend to agree when you say that you found 'Joshua' heavy going in places. For me the work dragged a bit and I could have done without the narration which I found off-putting. I was also a mite disappointed with the tumbling down of the Walls of Jericho which I thought would have been more tumultuous

Waxman was obviously a serious and sincere composer though! Interesting about the Shostakovich 11th. Nor there is a work which creates an atmosphere!! The opening of the symphony conjures up such a vivid picture of the frozen expanse of the huge square in front of the Winter Palace and a mood of such ominous dread. I never fail to shiver when I listen to it

[vandermolen]

Thanks Colin,

I just checked. It is  Waxman's score for 'Place in the Sun' which seems to quote directly from the Shostakovich, but was written several years before. The film was not shown in the USSR and Waxman was apparently amused by the coincidence.

[tjguitar]

Waxman is great. I love his scores to PRINCE VALIANT and TARAS BULBA.

[vandermolen]

Waxman is great. I love his scores to PRINCE VALIANT and TARAS BULBA.

Rebecca, The Bride of Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are amongst my favourites.

[Tapkaara]

Being a classic horror fan, I had known of his score for The Bride of Frankenstein since my youth. On my first trip to France back in 94, I think it was, I found the score on CD in Paris. I was SHOCKED to see that this score was available all by itself on disc. Had to have it!

A terrific score: humorous, tuneful and dramatic. The roughly 10-minute cue called The Creation (where the bride comes to life) can be thought of a self-contained tone poem.

Now I want to listen to it!

I've contemplated getting Joshua and I still may do so.