The Egyptian has gone down in history as one of the more problematic 'sand and sandal' epics of the 1950s. Marlon Brando took a pass and the producers recast wooden Edmund Purdom in the lead. The film is stolen by Peter Ustinov (as the servant), with enjoyable support from Jean Simmons, the hammy Victor Mature, and Gene Tierney (on the edge of her nervous breakdown). But the restored music score on this CD shows the very best of the two collaborators: Alfred Newman and Bernard Herrmann. The mixture of their styles (Herrmann was brought on board to fill out the score) creates an intriguing musical narrative. Film buffs and classical music lovers should rejoice at this lushly-played and carefully re-constructed CD. Well supported with notes about the original score and their editing. I've had the disk since it came out and play it regularly. If you like either of the composers, you'll thoroughly enjoy.
March 29, 2004The Egyptian has gone down in history as one of the more problematic 'sand and sandal' epics of the 1950s. Marlon Brando took a pass and the producers recast wooden Edmund Purdom in the lead. The film is stolen by Peter Ustinov (as the servant), with enjoyable support from Jean Simmons, the hammy Victor Mature, and Gene Tierney (on the edge of her nervous breakdown). But the restored music score on this CD shows the very best of the two collaborators: Alfred Newman and Bernard Herrmann. The mixture of their styles (Herrmann was brought on board to fill out the score) creates an intriguing musical narrative. Film buffs and classical music lovers should rejoice at this lushly-played by the Moscow Philharmonic and carefully re-constructed CD. Well supported with notes about the original score and their editing. I've had the disk since it came out and play it regularly. If you like either of the composers, you'll thoroughly enjoy.
March 29, 2004Easily one of the best Golden Age scores. This remarkable CD is quite good, the Moscow performance is rather good although arguably performed without that extra bit of energy that made the original so memorable. This CD includes lots of info on the film and score, which is fun to read, and features a lot of the score.
However, if you really like this CD, I recommend checking out the FSM release of the original score. There are still many copies available, but it is a little more expensive. But for the completists out there (like me), that release is necessary.
February 23, 2003For me, this is an especially welcomed soundtrack. Having grown up with film version of "The Egyptian" to finally be able to have the music from the film was a happy event. The film stands apart from other so-called Swords and Sand epics from a real attempt to convey the characters of the story with more depth. The soundtrack itself had to be reconstructed from the conductor's score in some cases but was a labor of love, as the results attest. The music to "The Egyptian" marked the happy collaboration by Alfred Newman and Bernard Herrmann, both very respected composers of film music. Together they manage to evoke a world long past.
The recording by the Moscow Symphony conducted by William T Stromberg brings forth all of the passion and drama from the original score. Pains were taken to create the recording sound as per the indications of the composers. So in "Her Name Was Merit" the alto flute player sits 30 feet behind the oboe d'amore player. The results are stunning and a must have recording for anyone interested in the film or film music. The accompanying booklet has a great deal of information about the film as well as still photographs. October 9, 2002
 |  | Herrmann and Newman make a great team |  |
The Egyptian is one of those scores that's more well known for reasons beyond the actual music it contains. In this case, it's the only time Alfred Newman and Bernard Herrmann worked on a score together. This 1999 re-recording features about 70% of the score, reconstructed and preformed by the always-excellent team of Morgan and Stromberg
That it's more known for its history isn't to say that the music isn't good, because it is. The themes are all classic Newman lyrisism, and there are many wonderful Herrmann moments of...well....Herrmann-ness. Right from the start with the prelude, we get a great grand sweeping epic theme with full choir. Cues such as 'The Chariot Ride', 'The Pursuit' and 'Violence' are great bombastic trips,. And of special mention are the two longest cues -- 'Nefer Nefer Nefer' and 'Valley of Kings'. While the prior written by Herrmann and the latter by Newman, both are simply marvelous examples of grand romantisism the Golden Age is known for.
Beyond the above, there isn't much to say. If you like Herrmann, this is a great addition, and the Newman contribution is great too. It's not the best score in the world, but there are far far worse choices out there. December 23, 2001
More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(5 reviews)