You may recall a previous post in which I highly recommended that collectors get a taste for the full score by purchasing Rózsa's Violin Concerto, Op. 24. Composed before he scored the movie, the concerto was the closest thing we had to the full recorded score other than the title music featured in Sherlock Holmes: Classic Themes From 221B Baker Street
.Now we have for the first time the definitive score, orchestrated by noted Rózsa expert Nic Raine, a noteworthy orchestrator and composer in his own right. I have previewed a copy and recommend it with my highest regard. Stick with me. This is a long, but worthwhile post to read.
While the "Classic Themes" version was at least representative of the theme, that orchestra was
tinny in comparison to what is now available from Tadlow Music. As well it should, since the music is performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra with the same orchestral line-up that Rózsa used: 26 violins, 10 violas, 10 celli, 5 basses, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, harp, piano, celesta and timpani plus 4 percussion. The original Rózsa sketches were obtained from Syracuse University, containing not only the complete music as heard in the film, but additional and alternate cues never used.With over 77 minutes of music, the richness and emotion of Rózsa's score is more evident than ever. Solo violinist Lucie Svehlova truly captures the depth of loneliness, melancholy and quirkiness of Holmes through her interpretation. One can almost feel him longing for a relationship other than the cerebral, never to find it. There are alternate cues for some of the Scottish music in the film, and the original version of the main titles.
The liner notes that accompany the CD are extensive - the booklet is 24 pages long and filled with information about the life of Rózsa, notes on the cues, and details about the production of this new recording. In it, Rózsa's daughter Juliet writes:
Father was extremely overjoyed at the prospect of scoring the life of Holmes. As he says in his autobiography Double LifeBilly Wilder had a grand vision for the 260-page shooting screenplay with a $10 million budget. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, "the script had the wit, the imagination and the charm of Wilder's best films and I was certain that this was going to be the best of them all...as to the music, I enjoyed adapting my Concerto."
was set to be three hours and twenty minutes with an intermission, but was drastically cut after studio executives demanded a shorter version. Wilder acquiesced, taking out what Rózsa considered some of the best material. According to the composer, what resulted was:...two episodes were cut and hacked about in an attempt to make one story out of two. The weakest story, about a submarine disguised as the Loch Ness Monster was left intact, but elsewhere all the best bits were eliminated. The truncated film as you see it today is a sorry travesty of the original and a great disappointment to all involved.
According to the liner notes, "Wilder was devastated by the callous emasculation of his work, and returned to the screen only infrequently after that. The restoration and preservation of Wilder's original cut remains one of the highest priorities of the American Film Institute." [emphasis mine]
In the meantime, Fitzpatrick has done a remarkable job of restoring and preserving this score for our pleasure. When you order the CD, be sure to take a look at the 5-minute video clip of the recording session.
And if you'd like to read a more professional review from a film score expert, take a look at Mike Beek's review on Music for the Movies. He captures everything much better than I could. I'm just here to tell you that, as a film score collector and a Sherlockian, this new CD is a must-have.
Ordering information is available on the Tadlow Music site. Please be sure to mention The Baker Street Blog when you check out.
