Cliff Eidelman's
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery beautifully captures the pioneer spirit and seafaring adventure of the search for the New World. It's the kind of big, bold work that virtually demands a full-scale orchestral rendition but suffers from an undersized performance by the
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, its impact further diluted by a botched mixing job that mutes the music even more.
Eidelman's lyrical fanfares evoke the heroism long associated with Columbus before the history books began acknowledging his mass slaughter of native peoples. This is old-school Hollywood music and myth-making, and even its toothless performance can't diminish the grandeur of
Eidelman's melodies. ~ Jason Ankeny