![The Red Violin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK]](../images/cover_corigl4.gif)
The
Red Violin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by
John Corigliano
Leave it to composer
John Corigliano and violinist Joshua Bell--two of biggest names in
classical music--to team up and create one of 1999's best
soundtracks. For many, the soundtrack to The Red Violin was
just as impressive as the film, a moving blend of gypsy, folk, and
classical compositions. --Jason Verlinde, Amazon.com's Best of
1999
Normally we think of a
musical instrument as a passive object in the service of a
performing artist. But what if that instrument is itself a work of
art, containing the secrets of the various owners through whose
hands it has passed over the centuries? That's the premise behind
this intriguing film by François Girard (director of 32
Short Films About Glenn Gould). It traces the story of a
legendary violin (thought to be possessed by an immortal soul)
from its birth in 17th-century Italy through Mozart's Vienna,
Victorian England, and revolutionary China to its present-day fate
on the auction block. The score, in suggesting the violin's unique
aura, therefore carries much of the burden of the story, and it
brings together some of the most outstanding talents in
contemporary classical music. Composer John
Corigliano's richly eclectic and poetic score -- encompassing
classical elegance, gypsy passion, and angst-ridden
harmonies--etches vivid portraits of the film's various epochs but
also gives an overarching sense of unity to the episodic character
of the script. It's essentially a set of remarkably imaginative
variations for violin and orchestra on a theme of haunting pathos
and is a substantial work of music in its own right. As the
soloist, Joshua Bell saturates the eponymous instrument with
personality. His combination of virtuoso bravura and soulful
phrasing almost seems to lead the violin to the brink of human
speech. Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen shapes the exchange between
orchestra and violin into tautly dramatic dialogue. The disc also
includes a powerful related work on the theme used in the score,
the Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra, which confirms Corigliano's
status as one of today's leading and most personally communicative
American composers. --Thomas May
Corigliano:
Of Rage and Remembrance, Symphony no 1
Corigliano's most famous piece of music is the
score to the film Altered States. Actually, all of his
music kind of sounds like that-- alternating moments of poignant
lyricism with explosions of rhythmic energy. The son of the former
concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Corigliano literally
grew up around the orchestra. So it's no surprise that his music
is orchestrated with almost preternatural skill and brilliance.
The First Symphony, inspired in part by the AIDS tragedy, is both
an angry and a moving work. Leonard Slatkin plays it with the kind
of manic energy the music demands, and the sound quality is
terrific. --David Hurwitz
Corigliano:
Creations
This is a wonderful recording. It is a good
introduction to the work of a marvelous American composer. The
recording is very well done. The works are expertly played under
the direction of Rudolf Werthen. -- Anonymous Review
Corigliano:
Piano Concerto
This cd pulls out a great recording work,
especially Postcard. Even in this arrangement, Ticheli still
maintains the uniqueness of the original Postcard for concert
band. But the orchestra version rises above it all. Excellent CD
and recommend to any music lover.
