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Also includes "Flight Of The Bumble Bee", excerpts form "Tristan & Isolde", "Qigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs)", and "Carmen Fantasy".

A great one from Franz Waxman – a score penned for a lesser-known movie, but done with all the vibrant colors we've always loved in his work! There's a definite jazz current to the music, but there's also some sentimentality mixed in as well – the same sort of balance that you'd find in an Elmer Bernstein score of the time – with a very evocative, very seductive mix of modes that lives extremely well away from the images on the screen! Titles include "Detroit Theater", "Two Up On Me", "Sharon/Sharon Proposes", "The Surprise", "Man & Wife", and "Korea War" – and the CD also features some rare bonus tracks, including the great Sammy Cahn number "Love Is A Career".

A mix of dramatic moments and slight exotic themes from Franz Waxman – penned for an early 60s film that starred Yul Brynner as Taras Bulba and Tony Curtis as his son! Waxman's music has a gloriously full sort of sound – every bit the best Hollywood mode for an action epic like this – with enough ancient themes to trump some of the similar efforts coming out of the European film scene at the time. Instrumentation is heavy on strings and woodwinds, often arranged with great complexity amidst the drama – and titles include "The Black Plague", "Tara's Pledge", "No Retreat", "Leaving Home", "Chase At Night", "The Sleigh Ride", "The Birth Of Andrei", and "The Ride To Dubno".

Performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra with Richard Mills conducting.

Shirley MacLaine as a geisha? Weirder things have certainly happened on screen – but the film still definitely stands out as one of the odder 60s cinematic moments! Fortunately, Franz Waxman scores the whole thing with enough of a serious air to offset the silliness – and actually, his soundtrack here almost stands perfectly well enough on its own – even without the story on the screen! There's a nice mix of sprightly and exotic to the music – although Waxman often gives things enough of a blue tinge to keep the score away from any comedy cliches, too – a surprisingly great balance that really makes the whole thing a delight throughout. Titles include "Goodbye Lover", "Arrival In Tokyo", "Koto Theme", "Call Me Paul", "Lucy's Arrival", and "One Fine Day". Also features a few bonus tracks too!

Although the title of the film (and book, and TV series) soon became a synonym for sex and sin, the largely orchestral score to the movie is far less sexy than you'd expect. Franz Waxman handled the scoring of the film in pretty much the same way as he'd handled a lot of his other classic Hollywood work – with poise and sophistication. The orchestrations for the soundtrack are very complex, with many romantic and dramatic themes running through the entire album – and the overall effect is strong, but very traditional. Titles include "The Rape", "Chase In The Woods", "After The Party", "Rossi's Visit", and "Swimming Scene".