One of our most requested soundtracks makes its CD debut at last! Universal Pictures released Silent Running to sci-fi audiences in 1972. What viewers saw was a brilliant story of environmental concern before it was part of our vernacular, robotic drones long before they were popular and high-tech visuals by the very artist behind the ground-breaking look of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Douglas Trumbull directs, Bruce Dern stars, and Peter Schickele provides the stunning score. Using a full orchestra, Schickele creates a soundscape of beauty and intimacy unlike any other sci-fi score before - or since. Standing out is his use of very exposed ''high-end'' instruments: harp, flute, glockenspiel, crotales (tiny antique cymbals), left-hand piano, pizzicato violins, orchestra bells, triangle, high electric piano and other delicate colors. Haunting cello solos, chordal brass passages, trio passages for flutes all add to the very sensitive, intimate palette of sound. Deserving special spotlight: Three incredibly beautiful songs by Schickele, voiced by the incomparable Joan Baez. In fact, the theme song ''Rejoice In The Sun'' remains one of the most memorable and moving ballads in all of film history. In contrast, Schickele also creates moments of suspense and even probing dissonance for the film's more dramatic moments. Yet it remains the quiet, introspective moments of the score that linger. Intrada presents the original 1972 Decca stereo album program intact, a very-well produced album that covered all of the highpoints of the economical score. Sadly, no master tapes have surfaced from any previous source, including the Decca vaults, Varese Sarabande (who reissued an LP back in their early days), the composer… not even the director himself. As such, Intrada mastered the CD from a virgin copy of the vinyl release, courtesy both UMG and Universal. While we addressed the noises inherent in the LP-to-digital process using state-of-the-art Sonic Solutions ''NoNoise'', because of the plethora of afore-mentioned high-end colors, soft pings and gentle tinkles from the orchestra, we applied only the amount of noise reduction processing necessary to remove the most egregious noises without interfering with the incredible array of delicate overtones and other nuances heard way up ''above-the-staff''. For listeners largely familiar with Peter Schickele's musical genius only through P.D.Q. Bach, this soundtrack will be a welcome discovery! Kay Marshall designs the flipper-style booklet art, Jeff Bond writes the informative notes. Peter Schickele composes, conducts. Intrada Special Collection CD available while supplies and interest remain!
Track listing
01. Rejoice In The Sun (Sung by Joan Baez) (2:11)
02. The Space Fleet (3:29)
03. Rejoice In The Sun (Instrumental) (2:00)
04. No Turning Back (2:49)
05. Driving Crazy (2:28)
06. Drifting (2:07)
07. Silent Running (Sung by Joan Baez) (2:04)
08. The Dying Forest (2:30)
09. Tending To Huey (2:57)
10. Saturn (4:11)
11. Getting Ready (1:50)
12. Rejoice In The Sun (Sung by Joan Baez) (1:31) |
