For fans of the film music of
Alfred Newman, this 2007 Naxos reissue of Marco Polo's 1996 recording of three of his scores will be very welcome. With the brief but evocative Suite from All About Eve, eight cues from the heroic Beau Geste, and 17 cues from the extravagant Hunchback of Notre Dame, three sides of
Newman's many-sided musical personality are revealed. There's the sophisticated, slinky, and sincere in All About Eve; the funny, affectionate, and courageous in Beau Geste; and the sensual, spiritual, and spectacular in The Hunchback. As usual in the Marco Polo/Naxos series of film music classics, the performances by the
Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Choir are professional, the conducting by
William Stromberg is passionate, the recording by Betta International is bold and brassy, and the liner notes by Bill Whitaker are extensive and interesting. If you have heard
Newman's brilliant score for Wuthering Heights and wanted to know what else he has done, this is the disc to hear.