20,000 vinyl LP 219: Miklós Rózsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

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Miklos Rozsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

vinyl LP front cover  detail 
Paul Klee ~ Printed Sheet With Pictures - 1937

detail photo of album cover by Styrous®

Hungarian composer Miklos Rozsa (Miklós Rózsa) was born on April 18, 1907, in Budapest to Jewish parents. He was introduced to classical and folk music by his mother, Regina Berkovits, a pianist who had studied with pupils of Franz Liszt, and his father, Gyula, an industrialist and landowner who loved Hungarian folk music.

Miklos Rozsa

publicity photo - date unknown

   

Rózsa became one of the brilliant film score composers of his time, however, this album is not from a film. He was also a serious composer of Contemporary music. Rózsa achieved early success in Europe with his orchestral Theme, Variations, and Finale (Op. 13) of 1933.             

One of his works, the String Quartet No.1, Op.22 (1950) (link below), was written in honor of actor,  Peter Ustinov (link below), who portrayed the mad Emperor Nero (link below) of ancient Rome, in the film, Quo Vadis (link below).     

The Concerto for String Orchestra was written in 1943; this recording, which features Carlos Surinach conducting the M-G-M String Orchestra, was recorded in 1957. The orchestra was used in many M-G-M films. This is one of many albums whose cover snagged me into buying it unheard as I was familiar with his scores for films but especially the work of the cover artist.       

Miklos Rozsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

vinyl LP front cover
Paul Klee ~ Printed Sheet With Pictures - 1937

photo of album cover by Styrous®

The image on the cover of the album is the 1937 painting, Printed Sheet With Pictures by the Swiss artist, Paul Klee. It has influences of primitive cave painting, ancient textiles, African sculpture, and Surrealist art. Klee became interested in non-Western art in the 1920s, and, at an early age, visited the ethnographic collections of the Bernisches Historisches Museum in Switzerland. In this work, his hieroglyphic imagery presents mysterious and elusive forms like a moon woman in profile, a fish, and a black and red mask adorned with horns. In 1937, the year Printed Sheet with Picture was painted, Klee found his work vilified in the Degenerate Art exhibition; his art was also removed from German public collections because it seemed dangerous to Hitler (link below). The work of many Jewish artist and musicians, Kurt Weill (link below) one of them, were in this exhibition,     

There was a copy of the score of the Concerto for String Orchestra signed by Rozsa for sale on the Tamino website (link below).    

Concerto for String Orchestra

signed score 

Tamino Autographs

Miklos Rozsa died on July 27 1995, and is buried at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills. His wife, Margaret, died in 1999, she was 89 years old.             

 

Miklos Rozsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

vinyl LP back cover
photo by Styrous®

Miklos Rozsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

vinyl LP, side 1
photo by Styrous®

Miklos Rozsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

vinyl LP label, side 1
photo by Styrous®

Miklos Rozsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

vinyl LP, side 2
photo by Styrous®

Miklos Rozsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra

vinyl LP label, side 1
photo by Styrous®

        

        

Viewfinder links:      
   
Adolph Hitler          
Franz Liszt       
Emperor Nero       
Quo Vadis, Nero & Peter Ustinov        
Miklós Rózsa       

Peter Ustinov      

Kurt Weill          

         

Net links:      
         
Classical Net ~ Rózsa Conducts Rózsa (review)        

Gramophone ~ Rozsa Violin , etc. (review)         
Phillips Collection ~ Paul Klee: Printed Sheet with Picture      

Tamino Autographs ~ Rozsa - Signed Score Con. for String Orchestra 1945  

        

YouTube links:      

         
Miklós Rózsa  ~       
        
Concerto for String Orchestra, Op 17        

         Moderato, ma risoluto ed energico  

         Lento con gran espressione      

         Allegro giusto       

         

String Quartet No.1, Op.22 (1950) ~                       

         Andante con moto     

         Scherzo. In modo ongarese               

         Lento      

         Allegro feroce         

      

      

Styrous® ~ Saturday, April 18, 2020          
        

   

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20,000 vinyl LP 218: Quo Vadis, Nero & Peter Ustinov

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Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack
vinyl LP front cover  detail
detail photo by Styrous®

On April 16, 1921, Peter Ustinov, the English actor, voice actor, writer, dramatist, filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter was born in London, England. He served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and President of the World Federalist Movement. Wow! That's a lot of hats he wore in his lifetime!      

Miklós Rózsa, composer of the music for Quo Vadis and of numerous concert works, dedicated his String Quartet No. 1, Op. 22 (1950) to Ustinov.    

I have loved the films he made but Quo Vadis is my very favorite. Perhaps it is because it's the first film of his I was aware of but I think not. His portrayal of the mad emperor Nero steals the show and is stunning! He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award for it and it made him a star. 

Peter Ustinov as Nero in Quo Vadis 

Also, it seems totally apropos to me to write about an ancient mad emperor in this modern time of a would be one.      
  

Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack
vinyl LP front cover
photo by Styrous®

     

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was the last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was born on December 15, 37 AD, in Antium, now known as Anzio, and became Emperor of the Roman Empire on October 13, 54 AD, when he was 16 years old; his tutor was Seneca the Younger (link below). His rule is usually associated with tyranny and extravagance. During his reign he burned Rome in 64 AD in order to build the Domus Aurea and blamed the event on the new religious cult, the Christians who were thrown to beasts, crucified and burned alive.

 

  tweet - March 8, 2020 

  

   
In 55 AD Nero murdered his stepbrother Britannicus and in 59 AD he executed his mother, Agrippina, who served as the de facto ruler of Rome during his reign. Her personality has been described as ruthless, ambitious, violent and domineering. In 64 AD, Nero married Pythagoras, a freedman, and became his "bride".

A bizarre twist in our modern day tale of madness is a chess set  REALLY?     
      
On June 9, 68 AD, Nero forced his private secretary, Epaphroditos, to kill him. Nero's final words were "Too late! This is fidelity!" With his death, the Julio-Claudian dynasty ended.

 

Bust of Nero
Capitoline Museum, Rome, Italy

        

This album, Quo Vadis, does not contain the score for the film but rather the dramatic highlights with narration by Walter Pidgeon from the soundtrack of the film. The cuts on the album with clips from the film are on YouTube (links below). I've written articles about other scores by him and that talk about his music (link below): I'll have many other articles on him.         

Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack
vinyl LP front cover  detail
detail photo by Styrous®

Quo Vadis (Latin for "Where are you going?") is a 1951 American epic historical drama film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Technicolor. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S.N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from the novel Quo Vadis (1896) by the Polish Nobel Laureate author Henryk Sienkiewicz. The score is by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography by Robert Surtees and William V. Skall. The title refers to an incident in the apocryphal Acts of Peter.  
  
The film starred Robert Taylor (link below) as General Marcus Vinicius, Deborah Kerr (link below), Leo Genn, and Peter Ustinov, and featured Patricia Laffan, Finlay Currie, Abraham Sofaer, Marina Berti, Buddy Baer and Felix Aylmer. Anthony Mann worked on the film for four weeks as an uncredited second-unit director. Sergio Leone was an uncredited assistant director of Italian extras. Future Italian stars Sophia Loren and Bud Spencer appeared as uncredited extras. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards (though it won none), and it was such a huge box-office success that it was credited with single-handedly rescuing MGM from the brink of bankruptcy. The epic film was a hit, grossing US$11 million in its first run.     
         

Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack 

vinyl LP back cover 

photo by Styrous®

Click on any image to enlarage

Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack 

vinyl LP back cover  details

detail photos by Styrous®

Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack 

vinyl LP back cover  detail

detail photo by Styrous®

Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack 

vinyl LP, side 1

photo by Styrous®

Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis soundtrack 

vinyl LP labels, side 1 & 2

photos by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1.a     Introduction: The Mght Of Rome, Voice – Walter Pidgeon
   
A1.b     Marcus Meets Lygia, Voice – Deborah Kerr, Robert Taylor (11)
   
A2.a     Paul's Arrival In Rome, Voice – Abraham Sofaer, Felix Alymer, Nora Swinburne
   
A2.b     Lygia Denounces Marcus, Voice – Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, Robert Taylor (11)
   
A3     Paul Introduces Peter And Peter's Message To The Christians (Part 1), Voice – Abraham Sofaer, Finlay Currie
   
A4     Paul Introduces Peter And Peter's Message To The Christians (Part 2), Voice – Abraham Sofaer, Finlay Currie
   
A5     First Love Scene: Marcus And Lygia (Part 1), Voice – Abraham Sofaer, Deborah Kerr, Robert Taylor (11)
   
A6     First Love Scene: Marcus And Lygia (Part 2), Voice – Abraham Sofaer, Deborah Kerr, Robert Taylor (11)

Side :

B1     Seduction Scene: Empress Poppaea And Marcus, Voice – Patricia Laffan, Robert Taylor (11)

B2     Nero's Vision Of A New Rome, Voice – Leo Genn, Peter Ustinov
   
B3     Nero Condemns The Christians And Petronius' Plea, Voice – Leo Genn, Patricia Laffan, Peter Ustinov
   
B4     Petronius' Death And Letter To Nero, Voice – Leo Genn
   
B5     Peter's Vision Of Christ, Voice – Finlay Currie, Peter Miles (8)
   
B6     Peter's Speech In The Ampitheatre / Peter Sustains The Imprisoned Christians, Voice – Deborah Kerr, Finlay Currie, Robert Taylor (11)
   
B7     Marriage Of Marcus And Lygia, Voice – Deborah Kerr, Finlay Currie, Robert Taylor (11)
   
B8.a     Plautius On The Cross Accuses Nero, Voice – Felix Aylmer
   
B8.b     Finale: Marcus And Lygia Leave Rome, Voice – Deborah Kerr, Peter Miles (8), Robert Taylor (11)
   
Credits:

    Composed By, Conductor – Miklos Rozsa*

Notes:

Yellow label with black print and deep groove. 12-inch LP edition.

Miklós Rózsa ‎– Dramatic Highlights From Quo Vadis
Label: MGM Records ‎– E3524 ST
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released:  1951
Genre: Non-Music, Stage & Screen 

Viewfinder links:        
      
Deborah Kerr        
Emperor Nero         
Miklós Rózsa
Seneca @ the Gray Loft Gallery         

Peter Ustinov         
   
Net links:        
 
ABC News ~ Critics compare Trump meme during coronavirus crisis to Nero fiddling while Rome burned              
Alchetron ~ Robert Taylor       
Old Hollywood Films ~ Nero in Quo Vadis     
Patheos ~ Quo Vadis: Forgotten Classic of the Sword-and-Sandal Genre   
Peter Ustinov Filmography       
Variety ~ Quo Vadis
Wikipedia ~ The Emperor Has No Balls        
      
YouTube links:        

Quo Vadis ~
          
The Dialogue:    
      
Quo Vadis Opening Scene
Marcus Meets Lygia
About the way to conquer the world 
Marcus, Petronias and Eunice
First Love Scene: Marcus And Lygia
Petronias and Eunice
Scene from Quo Vadis
Supreme Artist: Nero's Speech
Crucifixion of St. Peter
Quo Vadis, Domine?
Nero's Vision Of A New RomeNero Sings as Rome Burns
Nero blames Christians for burning of Rome
Nero punishes the Christians
Stier vs. Mann - Mann gewinnt (Bull vs. Man - Man Wins) (German)  
Quo Vadis Death of Nero & Finale (Spanish)
Quo Vadis Official Trailer #1
          
The Music:    
      
Miklos Rozsa ~ Quo Vadis Soundtrack Suite (14 mins., 55 secs.)     
Ave Caesar March
Dance of the Vestal Virgins         

 

 

        
          

Styrous® ~ Thursday, April 16, 2020          
        

   

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20,000 vinyl LPs 213: Miklós Rózsa ~ The Lost Weekend & Ray Milland

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photos by Styrous®

 













Until I started working on this particular entry, it never occurred to me that my mother took me to some pretty weird movies when I was a kid. They were strange in some way, Snakepit with Olivia de Havilland is a good example (link below), but never sexy in any way, as with The Outlaw (link below)  

On March 7, 1946,  Joan Crawford, Ray Milland and Miklós Rózsa won an Academy Award; Crawford, Best Actress went to Crawford for her incredible role in the film Mildred Pierce. Milland won Best Actor for his stunning portrayal of an alcoholic in The Lost Weekend. Best Film Score went to Rózsa for his electrifying, pun intended, score for the soundtrack of Weekend. The film and director Billy Wilder received awards as well.    

The Lost Weekend movie poster

It is one of the rare times I've totally concurred with the choice of a winner and have always treasured the score for the soundtrack of the film on this limited edition vinyl LP I have.   

One of the scenes I will never forget is when the character, Don Birnam (Milland), is in the depths of having the DT's and sees a bat fly through the window to the wall across from him where a rat is crawling through a crack in it. The bat pounces on the rat and blood runs down the wall.      

       

It is a good thing the film is in black and white. As it is, it really makes your skin crawl! The only film to ever match up to Weekend on the subject of alcoholism and its destruction of lives is Days of Wine and Roses, which starred Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, directed by Blake Edwards. Although both films end on a positive note, they are very depressing.   

Miklós Rózsa ~ The Lost Weekend

vinyl LP front cover
image: film still
photo of album cover by Styrous®

For its time, it was ground breaking and it was the first of what I think of as the "Modern-day" film scores, if for nothing else, for the use, for the first time, of the theremin.

OH, MA GOSH! 

I still get shivers up and down my spine when I listen to it! It was the first time I'd heard the instrument; I was captivated and wanted to know more about it, what it was, how the sound was made. As it was decades before the Internet, it was years before I found anything about it.    

 

 

Rózsa used the theremin for two other film scores: later that year for Spellbound, which starred Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, then in 1947 for The Red House, starring Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson, with Julie London in a minor role. It was directed by Delmer Daves.        

         

Miklós Rózsa ~ The Lost Weekend

vinyl LP back cover
image: film still
photo of album cover by Styrous®

Marty Manning & His Orchestra does a VERY strange lounge cover of the main theme from Weekend (link below).          

 

Miklós Rózsa was born on April 18, 1907, in Budapest, and was introduced to classical and folk music by his mother, Regina Berkovits, a pianist who had studied with pupils of Franz Liszt, and his father, Gyula, a well-to-do industrialist and landowner who loved Hungarian folk music.              

Ray Milland was born on January 3, 1905, in Neath, Wales, in the UK. Beside the film, The Lost Weekend, his other major films were Reap the Wild Wind, Dial M for Murder, in which he plays a villainous husband out to kill wife Grace Kelly. I found this film not in the slightest bit believable as who in the would would want to kill Grace? Then there was Love Story in which once again he is up to no good. 

        

Ray Milland died of lung cancer at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, California, on March 10, 1986. He was 79 years old. In line with his instructions, no funeral was held. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Redondo Beach, California.   

Miklós Rózsa died on July 27, 1995, of myasthenia gravis, a nerve and muscle disorder, and is buried at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills.      

Miklós Rózsa ~ The Lost Weekend

vinyl LP labels
photo details by Styrous®

       

Tracklist:

Side 1: The Lost Weekend (Part One)     16:32
Side 2: The Lost Weekend (Part Two)     16:28

Credits:

    Conductor, Composed By – Miklós Rózsa
    Liner Notes, Producer – Tony Thomas (5)

Notes:

This is a limited edition recording, produced for the promotional purposes of the composer and is not licensed for public sale. The music was transferred to tape from the original acetate masters.

A custom product of Tony Thomas Production, P.O. Box 1662, Burbank, CA 91507

One of the first film scores to feature a theremin.
          

Miklós Rózsa ‎– The Lost Weekend (The Classic Film Score)
Label: Tony Thomas Productions ‎– TT-MR-2
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released:
Genre: Electronic, Classical, Stage & Screen
Style: Score, Soundtrack
         

       

         

        

Viewfinder links:         

       
Ingrid Bergman         
Joan Crawford          

Alfred Hitchcock           

Olivia de Havilland      
Jack Lemmon      
Franz Liszt     
Julie London           
Ray Milland            

The Outlaw       
Gregory Peck        

Miklós Rózsa         
Snake Pit    
Spellbound           

      

YouTube links:                             

28th Academy Awards 21 March 1956 Newsreel (7 mins. 30 secs.) 
Academy Awards 1945           

The Lost Weekend (original trailer)        

The Lost Weekend (love theme)      

The Lost Weekend (main theme)      
Marty Manning & His Orchestra ~ The Lost Weekend (love theme)   

           

           

     

Ray Milland ~ The Lost Weekend

      
      

           

            

Styrous® ~ Saturday, March 7, 2020       
        

        

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