Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Jerry Goldsmith

Piano Madness Movie Music on WWFM

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then surely Hanon etudes are a ticket to the madhouse.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” get keyed-up with music from movies about madness and the piano.

Whenever he hears a loud, discordant sound, unhinged pianist-composer Laird Cregar is compelled to commit murder, in the 1945 film “Hangover Square.” Bernard Herrmann wrote the moody, romantic score, which includes a piano concerto, played by Cregar’s character during the film’s conflagration finale.

Peter Lorre is an unstable musicologist who is haunted by the disembodied hand of a murdered pianist with a penchant for Brahms’ arrangement of Bach’s Chaconne, in “The Beast with Five Fingers,” from 1946. Max Steiner was the composer. The piano is played on the film’s soundtrack by Victor Aller, the brother-in-law of Felix Slatkin – also Leonard Slatkin’s uncle.

Alan Alda plays a frustrated pianist who falls in with a ring of Satanists, in “The Mephisto Waltz” from 1971. This time, Jerry Goldsmith blends Franz Liszt with amplified instruments and electronics to memorably eerie effect. Five years later, Goldsmith would win his only Academy Award for his music to “The Omen.”

Finally, Hans Conried plays a dictatorial pedagogue in “The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T,” released in 1953. “5000 Fingers” holds the distinction of being the only feature ever written by Dr. Seuss. The film sports an outrageous production design (including a gargantuan keyboard for 500 enslaved boys) and whimsical songs.

The composer was Frederick Hollander. Born in London, Hollander attained fame in Germany as Friedrich Hollander. His best-known international success was “The Blue Angel,” starring Marlene Dietrich, who introduced his song, “Falling in Love Again.” With the rise of the Nazis, Hollander fled to the United States, where he worked on over 100 films.

That’s music from movies about madness and the piano this week, on “Picture Perfect.” Practice makes psychotic, THIS SATURDAY EVENING AT 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

October 9, 2020
Planet of the Apes & Patriotic Film Scores Tonight!

Get ready to chimp-out with another Classic Ross Amico double-feature.

First, at 6:00 EDT, I’ll be your host, as we assert our independence, with selections from “The Patriot” (John Williams), “George Washington Slept Here” (Adolph Deutsch), “Revolution” (John Corigliano), and “Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot” (Bernard Herrmann), on the tenth anniversary of “Picture Perfect,” on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Then, at 7:00 EDT, some apes may be more equal than others, but “Planet of the Apes” is far and away the best of the original film series. Join Roy Bjellquist and me as we hash over this nihilistic classic that begins with the tiniest of American flags and concludes with – well, you probably already know. So much for Liberty. “Planet of the Apes” will be the focus of the Facebook live-stream “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.”

As usual, I’ll be pouring on the love for composer Jerry Goldsmith (pictured, below, in an unusually light mood). We’ll also discuss the film’s evolution, its themes and social commentary, its accolades and influence, along with a banana boat full of behind-the-scenes trivia.

Better pour yourself a stiff one. Everything will be revolting – from Jack Benny to Jack Lord, to a bare-chested Heston and our scintillating simian conversation.

Happy Friday, and God bless America!

https://www.facebook.com/roytiediescificorner/

PHOTOS: Benny & Jerry

July 3, 2020
Ross Amico Double Feature Tonight

It’s another Classic Ross Amico double-feature tonight, presented across two media!

First, at 6:00 EDT, rediscover lost worlds and forgotten civilizations on “Picture Perfect,” with music from “King Solomon’s Mines” (Mischa Spoliansky), “She” (James Bernard), “The Man Who Would Be King” (Maurice Jarre), and “Lost Horizon” (Dimitri Tiomkin), on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Then, at 7:00 EDT, settle in for another deconstruction of a sci-fi classic from 1979, Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” with Roy Bjellquist, on “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.” Our bull session will be live-streamed on Facebook. Follow the link at 7 for a window-in – and to leave a question or a comment!

https://www.facebook.com/roytiediescificorner/

And yes, I will be talking about Jerry Goldsmith!

June 26, 2020
Remembering Freni Price Goldsmith on WWFM

There will be plenty of drama this afternoon on The Classical Network, as we remember operatic superstar Mirella Freni. Freni died yesterday at the age of 84. We’ll hear her in one of her most celebrated roles, as Mimi, with her childhood friend, Luciano Pavarotti, singing Rodolfo.

Then Freni will appear as Micaela, in Bizet’s “Carmen.” Today also happens to be the anniversary of the birth of Leontyne Price. Price will sing the title role on that very same recording.

We’ll even find time for mellifluous, dark-hued bass Cesare Siepi, also born on this date.

Not all of the drama will take place on the operatic stage, however. Today is also the birthday of the great Jerry Goldsmith. Expect a substantial medley of some of his most enduring film scores.

Along the way, we’ll head back to the Baroque with Johann Melchior Molter and hear music by the 20th century Canadian composer Jean Coulthard.

Drama is our middle name, from 4 to 7 p.m EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

PHOTOS: Jerry Goldsmith (top) with, left to right, Leontyne Price, Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti, and Price (again) with Cesare Siepi

February 10, 2020
Planet of the Apes Box Set Soundtrack Review

I was all set to crow to you guys when this set arrived in the mail the other week. All five scores for the original “Planet of the Apes” movies, newly restored and remastered, on CD!

But then I felt sick reading about and looking at images of the rainforest in flames, and under the circumstances I thought it would be a little crass.

Upon further reflection, however, I’ve come to realize that nothing could be more appropriate, as human civilization is playing out just as the “Apes” movies forecast. The “Apes” movies were all thinly veiled allegories about all the ways humans are idiots – violent, acquisitive, xenophobic, racist, and irredeemably destructive.

Our demise is inevitable – but at least for now, we have this lovingly restored, limited edition boxed set from La-La Land Records.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” I’ll share the bounty, as we sample music from “Planet of the Apes” (1968),” “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970), “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” (1971), “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” (1972), and “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” (1973). Composers will include Jerry Goldsmith, Leonard Rosenman, and Tom Scott.

Has there ever been a more nihilistic series pitched to a family audience? From the era of Flower Power, the Vietnam War, and the Nixon administration, “Planet of the Apes” was the ultimate bad trip. It’s easy to view these films as silly, escapist fare, but half a century later, the themes, subtexts and overarching message of “Planet of the Apes” remain disconcertingly relevant.

Keep your filthy paws off me, you damn dirty apes! Yes we have no bananas, on “Picture Perfect” – music for the movies – this Friday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

September 27, 2019

Tag Cloud

RECENT POSTS