Spoliansky: Film Music [Soundtrack]

Mischa Spoliansky was born in Byalistok in what was then part of Russia but is now part of Poland. As a protege of theatre director Max Reinhardt he made a name for himself in the Berlin of the 1920s but being a Jew he was was ejected almost as soon as the Nazis came to power and made his way to England where he soon attracted the attention of the Hungarian-born film producer Alexander Korda. Korda had just founded London Films with the aim of producing lavish big-budget movies to rival those of the Hollywood studios and Spoliansky wrote the music for three of these productions: The Ghost Goes West, Sanders Of The River and The Man Who Could Work Miracles all made during 1935-6. He continued composing occasional film scores for the British cinema until the 1950s and although he cannot be ranked among the greater luminaries of film music he nevertheless composed some delightful and memorable scores.

When I was a kid the Korda movies cropped up on the TV pretty much all the time although nowadays only the technicolor Thief of Bagdad makes a regular appearance. One of my favourites from the Korda canon is The Man Who Could Work Miracles, based on a short story by H.G. Welles about a humble store clerk on whom the gods bestow the ability to work miracles. I've always enjoyed the final scenes in which the crazed little fellow builds a vast palace for himself, fills it with all the grandees of the world so that he can give them a good dressing down and then, without realising the consequences, stops the rotation of the earth, the sudden inertia sweeping everything on the planet into space. Spolianky's jaunty march music, reminiscent of the Sorcerer's Apprentice, is the perfect accompaniment to the kaleidoscopic action and spectacular special effects.

Sanders Of The River is a movie that fares less well in our modern age, being the tale of a noble colonial official's attempts in Africa to control the unruly natives. It made an impact at the time because it starred the great American black singer Paul Robeson who got to sing four songs by Spoliansky, one of which - the canoe song - along with Ol' Man River, is indissolubly associated with his name. Robeson had one of the great God-given voices of the 20th century, and for me the one relative disappointment in this release is the singing of Mark Coles whose bass voice, fine though it is, lacks the depth and resonance of Robeson's. His singing of three of the songs might have made a greater impact had he been recorded more forwardly or more intimately {the recording venue - the Watford Colosseum - creates a rather cavernous acoustic for this kind of film music.) Mr Coles also indulges in a sudden change of register in the beautiful lullaby and for a moment is almost inaudible. Still, if you've never heard Robeson singing these numbers, you're unlikely to share my reservations.

There are compensations. I'm a sucker for those cinematic piano concertos in the lush style style of Rachmaninov such as the Warsaw Concerto, the Glass Mountain, and the Dream of Olwen, and on this release we get two such splendid examples, one entitled "Voice In The Night" from a minor thriller called Wanted For Murder (1946); and another entitled "Dedication" from the movie Idol Of Paris (1948; I don't remember ever seeig either of them.) Spoliansky was earlier given the chance to compose the Warsaw Concerto for the film Dangerous Moonlight and turned it down but he must have noted the huge success Richard Adinsell enjoyed with his Rachmaninov pastiche and didn't forego the next opportunity. Apparently both of these mini-concertos were released commercially on 78s so I guess the original recordings must be knocking around somewhere.

Other music featured on this release come from the Ghost Goes West (1935), King Solomon's Mines from 1937(which also gave Paul Robeson another chance to exercise his splendid vocal chords), the Happiest Days Of Your Life (1950), Saint Joan (1957) and Northwest Frontier (1959). I'm pleased to say Mr. Cole made a more favourable impact on me in the songs from King Solomon's Mines and altogether I found this a most enjoyable release. Recommended.