Showing posts with label Miklos Rozsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miklos Rozsa. Show all posts

April 19, 2025

20,000 vinyl LPs 383: Miklos Rozsa ~ The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

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vinyl LP front cover detail
 cover design by Alan Warner
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®


Yesterday was the birthday of Hungarian-American composer, Miklos Rozsa, who was born in Los Angeles, California,  He trained in Germany from 1925 to 1931, was active in France from 1931 to 1935, the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with projects in Italy from 1953 onward. He is primarily known for his nearly one hundred film scores.        
 

vinyl LP front cover
 cover design by Alan Warner
photo of album cover by Styrous®


I have been fascinated with the The Golden Voyage of Sinbad film since I first saw it in the early seventies. It was one of many films by Ray Harryhausen in which he used stop motion editing; his earlier works were Mighty Joe Young (link below), The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The Animal World, and others. 
 
 
 
vinyl LP front cover detail
 cover design by Alan Warner
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad starred John Phillip Law, who had appeared earlier as the blind angel Pygar in the science fiction film Barbarella with Jane Fonda.                
       
 
 
vinyl LP back cover
 liner notes by Alan Warner
photo of album back cover by Styrous®
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

vinyl LP back cover detail
photographer unknown
detail photo of album back cover by Styrous®




The Golden Voyage of Sinbad poster





vinyl LP back cover details
detail photos of album back cover by Styrous®






 
vinyl LP  side 1 & 2 labels
photos by Styrous®


   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - Prelude - 1:31
A2 - Arrival Of The Homunculus - 2:41
A3 - The Dream - 1:14
A4 - The Storm - 1:56
A5 - Marabia Beach - 1:23
A6 - Koura's Pursuit - 1:47
A7 - The Destiny - 2:46
A8 - Night Time - 2:57
A9 - The Siren - 3:22
A10 - The Chart - 4:42
A11 - Making Of The Homunculus - 2:45
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Temple Of The Oracle - 3:15
B2 - Escape From The Temple - 2:43
B3 - Sinbad Discovers Koura - 0:51
B4 - Sinbad Fights Kali - 3:24
B5 - Fountain Of Destiny - 2:26
B6 - The Centaur And The Gryphon - 3:55
B7 - Death Of The Centaur - 1:34
B8 - Koura's End - 3:05
B9 - Sinbad's Decision - 3:44
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Record Company – United Artists Records, Inc.
    Manufactured By – United Artists Records, Inc.
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – United Artists Records, Inc.
    Copyright © – United Artists Records, Inc.
    Published By – Colgems Music Corp.
       
Credits:
       
    Composed By, Directed By – Miklos Rozsa*
    Liner Notes – Alan Warner
    Orchestra – The Rome Symphony Orchestra*
       
Notes:
       
Taken from the 1974 movie "The golden voyage of Sinbad / directed by Gordon Hessler.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
  
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A variant 1): UA-LA308-G-1X
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B variant 1): UA-LA308-G-2X
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A variant 2): UA-LA308-G-1 Eck 22
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B variant 2): UA-LA308-G-2 Eck 22
    Rights Society: ASCAP
     
Miklos Rozsa*, The Rome Symphony Orchestra* – The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Label: United Artists Records – UA-LA308-G
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1974
Genre: Pop, Classical, Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Modern, Neo-Classical, Contemporary
         
Viewfinder links:        
         
Jane Fonda             
Ray Harryhausen          
John Phillip Law              
Mighty Joe Young           
Miklós Rózsa        
        
Net links:        
         
Blood & Porridge ~ A happy one hundredth to Harryhausen       
        
YouTube links:        
        
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (full movie)         
    Battle with Kali        
    Centaur vs. Griffin                  
    Goddess Kali       
    Quasit-Homunculus          
    Wooden Siren Head Attacks Ship        
    The End        
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) Review            
        
        
        
       
Styrous® ~ Saturday, April 19, 2025       
       
 
 















December 18, 2022

Paul Klee articles/mentions

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mentions:         
Miklós Rózsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra        





Paul Klee - 1892 
photographer unknown
     
     
     
     
    
        














April 19, 2020

The Styrous Viewfinder ~ 700,000 Pageviews

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Today the Viewfinder hit 700,000 Pageviews! 




 Once more, thank you to those who read my blog!
       
       
     
Viewfinder links:   
   
     
   
   
    
Styrous® ~ Sunday April 19, 2020  
    


       
       
          










April 18, 2020

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.


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 
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        
         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          
        
   

      
  


     

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus articles/mentions

 ~         
           
     
        
mentions:      
Miklós Rózsa ~ Concerto for String Orchestra   

       
        
        
        
        
Emperor Nero - 1st century AD  
Statue of Nero as a boy   
sculptor unknown  
        
           
    












April 16, 2020

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.
 

        

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