I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody – instead of a bum, which is what I am. “Picture Perfect” has been moved to a new time, SATURDAY AT 6 PM.
This Labor Day weekend, hear original cues for “On the Waterfront” (1954). “On the Waterfront” was the only original film score by Leonard Bernstein. (The screen adaptations of his stage musicals were done by other hands.) Narrative film, of course, is a collaborative effort, in which music is usually the last to the table and the first to go. Bernstein’s score was edited and dialed down to suit the overall needs of the film.
Unused to such rough treatment, Bernstein found his brush with Hollywood to be dispiriting, to say the least. He arranged his music into a concert suite, over which he had complete control, and the work has gone on to become one of his better-known pieces. That said, what can be heard in the film remains a powerful statement, and one of the great film scores.
The original recordings, as they appear in the film, were long believed to have been lost. However, in the course of restoration of “On the Waterfront” for its release on BluRay, it was discovered that audio had been preserved on acetate discs used for playback during the original recording sessions. Material from these were issued for the first time in 2014, on the Intrada label.
Bernstein’s music would be nominated for an Academy Award, one of “On the Waterfront”s twelve total nominations. The film would be recognized with wins in eight categories, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), and Best Director (Elia Kazan). Bernstein may have lost out to Dimitri Tiomkin for his work on “The High and the Mighty.” However, like Brando’s Terry Malloy, his score to “On the Waterfront” proves itself a champion.
We’ll hear selections, alongside Aaron Copland’s original recordings for “The Red Pony” (1949), some dances from Virgil Thomson’s “Louisiana Story” (1948) – so far, the only film score to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music – and Elie Siegmeister’s “They Came to Cordura” (1959), which provides the now-familiar “Picture Perfect” signature tune.
You may want to swear like a longshoreman, but do consider joining me at my new time – New York composers go to Hollywood on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies – this SATURDAY EVENING AT 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
REMEMBER, if this time doesn’t work for you, shows are archived at the station website shortly after broadcast. Select a show, click on “listen,” and enjoy!
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