BY DARREN ALLISON
For anyone with a remote interest in
soundtrack music, they will probably have some knowledge of how difficult it is
to secure the rights to Stanley Kubrick’s film music. Permission has been basically
refused and the whole issue is generally tied up in a bundle of tightly wrapped
red tape.
Whilst there is still a great demand for
these scores, the slow and unsuccessful process has left the fan base both
frustrated and in limbo. It’s not that there hasn’t been a gallant effort;
fans/producers such as the respected and much admired Nick Redman have taken up
the challenge, but alas to no avail. As a result, the Kubrick soundtrack sagas
remain something of an impregnable and stubborn wall to penetrate.
I can’t therefore condemn entirely the
efforts of some labels and their attempts to try and fill the void and at least
try and provide something for the fans that is at least commendable. El Records
have attempted to provide just such a set with the release of a 4 disc box set
Kubrick’s Music: “Selections from the Films of Stanley Kubrick†(ACME338BOX).
It is important to point out that this is neither the definitive answer nor the
solution to the long- standing problem, and neither does it pretend to be. Moreover,
El’s presentation comprises of musical selections from Kubrick’s central
masterpieces, complimented by pieces which the director used as ‘temp tracks’ during
the production (and by varied accounts) with every intention of using these in
the final film, only to decide to replace them late on.
As the press release states:
“Stanley Kubrick’s audacious use of music was
one of the aspects that distinguished his films. He handled music with
sensitivity, invention and respect and it resulted in the creation of some of
the most indelible scenes in cinema history. Three that spring to mind… the use of Vera
Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ over a ninety-second montage of nuclear explosions
that closes “Dr. Strangeloveâ€; the deployment of Strauss waltzes to create an
elegant cosmic ballet during the docking sequence in “2001: A Space Odysseyâ€,
and the highly controversial use of Gene Kelly’s “Singin’ in the Rain†during
the attack on F. Alexander and his wife by Alex and his Droogs in “A Clockwork
Orangeâ€.
In “2001â€, the scherzo from Felix
Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream†(used for scenes of weightlessness) and
Vaughan Williams “Antarctica Suite†(for the Stargate effects and scenes on the
moon) were both used in preview showings of the film before being discarded.
While on “Eyes Wide Shutâ€, Wagner’s “Lieder Im Triebhaus†(“In the Greenhouseâ€)
from Wesendonck Lieder was a significant theme in the production for more than
a year before being replaced.
We have also assembled the complete vintage
ballroom music from “The Shiningâ€. The final movement from Berlioz’s “Symphonie
Fantastiqueâ€, with its epic use of the chant from the Roman Catholic Requiem
mass, the “Dies Iraeâ€, and a Sibelius piece, “Valse Tristeâ€. Both were
important to the evolution of the film. Finally, as a young man, Stanley Kubrick fell
in love with Sergi Prokofiev’s score for the Sergei Eisenstein’s first sound
film, “Alexander Nevskyâ€. He played it to death, and it would inspire him later
in his own use of dramatic music. From the scintillating recording by Fritz
Reiner with the Chicago SO, we include the movement, “Battle On the Iceâ€.’