Cinema Serenade 2: The Golden Age

Following the success of "Cinema Serenade", it was inevitable that we would get a follow-up album. This album, "Cinema Serenade 2: The Golden Age" reteams composer John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra with acclaimed violin soloist Itzhak Perlman. Together they perform twelve tracks of music from some of Hollywoods most memorable films from the Golden Age of Hollywood (the 1930s and 1940s).

Beginning with David Raskin's very lyrical theme from Laura, the album immediately drew me in, and I sat quietly in my chair enjoying the beautiful music pouring from my speakers. Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times is performed excellently by the Pops Orchestra and Perlman, and has that lushness that one tends to associate with scores from this era. Things get a bit more boisterous with The Quiet Man, in which a traditional Irish jig, "St. Patrick's Day" has been arranged with quite a bit of energy by Angela Morley. One great cue is Williams' arrangement of "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca which is done with such emotion that I was immediately disappointed that this version wasn't in the actual film.

The album ends with arrangements of Gone with the Wind and Wuthering Heights, both of which are noteworthy again because of Angela Morely's arrangements, and the sheer emotion you can hear in Perlman's performances. The album runs around 47 minutes, and it is a shame - because it would have been great to hear more music from these performers. I suppose we will only have to wait for "Cinema Serenade 3". But in the meantime, I strongly suggest picking up "Cinema Serenade 2" to tide you over for now.