Music Composed by Victor Young
Rating: ** 1/2

Despite a long list of Oscar nominations, timeless pop standards, and countless film score masterpieces, Victor Young rarely gets his due in the film music community. Even among Golden Age aficionados, he tends to get buried beneath the Rozsas, Herrmanns, Newmans, Tiomkins, and Steiners of the silver screen. Quite why his enduring popularity has run dry is a mystery, as many of the films he scored have been canonized as classics (For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Quiet Man, Shane, Around the World in 80 Days), more have spawned pop standards (”When I Fall in Love,” “La Vie En Rose”), and more importantly, he was damn good. Yet with a handful of exceptions, we have a complete dearth of Young scores on CD. With that in mind, I really wanted to consider this new Young compilation, Cinema Rhapsodies, a blessing. After all, it’s an album of Young’s greatest hits under the baton of the composer himself – what could be better? Well, for starters, an album that actually showcases Young’s talent as a serious composer and not a pop muzak machine – that’s what could be better (I guess that wasn’t actually a rhetorical question).

Victor Young

Unfortunately, the album holds about as much value for Young’s film music as all of those “Henry Mancini’s Greatest Hits” compilations hold for Mancinci’s film music. While all of the cues are all instrumentals and originate from films, this is decidedly not a film music album. This is an easy listening album, saturated with gushy arrangements of Young’s most popular songs and themes. I’ll not deny that there are some of the most memorable melodies ever written for the movies contained here, but for me, this is about the worst way to listen to them. Thought “When I Fall in Love” was a timeless classic? Wait until you hear it with the vocals replaced by shrill syrupy strings and faux-rhapsodic piano solos! With a few exceptions, that formula holds for just about every track on the album, rendering otherwise beautiful music trite and maudlin. And what’s worse is that he even occasionally ruins other composers’ music in the process. Leonard Rosenman’s theme from East of Eden is a beautiful pastoral piece of music, but the melodramatic string harmonies of Young’s arrangement transform the theme into a gooey piece of treacle (though I’ll admit that the comic value of seeing Rosenman’s name on a gooey piece of treacle almost makes the album worth it). It may look like film music, but this album is designed to sit next to Kenny G on your shelf and accompany your bubble baths and white wine sprizters.

I’ll be fair – there are a few gems hidden under the schmaltz. The album shines best when the attention is directed away from the “hits” and towards Young’s actual film scores. Around the World in 80 Days is probably Young’s most famous score, and with good reason – as the film is almost entirely comprised of exotic travelogue footage, the score is essentially three straight hours of gorgeous lyrical Young melodies. Two are featured here, the immortal title theme (ok, that one is actually probably Young’s biggest hit, but it’s still very pretty) and one of the film’s many gorgeous vignettes (”Indian Countryside”). A suite from the luscious Samson and Delilah is also a great addition, and we get one magnificent cue from the Spanish-flavored For Whom the Bell Tolls. The latter is arguably Young’s finest work, rich with passionate and sensitive music that ranks right up there with Herrmann’s Snows of Kilimanjaro and Goldsmith’s Islands in the Stream as the cinema’s finest music for a Hemmingway adaptation.

But that’s, what, four worthwhile tracks? Not quite enough, especially as they tended to get buried in the overall wash of sappiness. I feel bad for coming down so harshly on Cinema Rhapsodies, because I really like Victor Young as a film composer, and so precious few of his scores are available on CD. Unfortunately, I can easily see this album turning new listeners off the composer, which would be very unfortunate. Recommended, I suppose, to a Young enthusiast or anyone who actually enjoys these easy-listening albums. However, if you’re looking to start a collection of this hugely underrated composer, start with Scaramouche, Three Coins in the Fountain, or best of all, track down out of print copies of The Left Hand of God and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Music Composed and Arranged by Victor Young, Performed by Victor Young & His Orchestra, Album Produced by Bill Buster, Label: Hit Parade Records, Availability: In-print, U.S. Release Date: April 18, 2006.

01. Around The World (2′37)
02. India Country Side (3′55)
03. The High And The Mighty (2′46)
04. Written On The Wind (2′39)
05. Alone At Last (3′09)
06. Moonlight Serenade (3′10)
07. La Vie En Rose (3′14)
08. Change Of Heart (2′25)
09. When I Fall In Love (3′15)
Perf. by Richard Hayman & His Orchestra
10. Samson And Delilah (4′24)
11. The Call Of The Far-Away Hills (2′59)
12. My Mother (2′45)
13. My Foolish Heart (3′15)
14. Everything I Do (2′52)
15. Love Letters (3′04)
Perf. by Richard Hayman & His Orchestra
16. East Of Eden (3′14)
17. For Whom The Bell Tolls (3′05)
18. Golden Earrings (3′05)
19. Ruby (2′49)
20. Autumn Leaves (2′43)
21. The Medic (Blue Star) (3′01)
22. Stella By Starlight (3′00)
Perf. by Richard Hayman & His Orchestra

Total Playing Time: 67′26