Russian Film Music portrays some of the most moving and thrilling music. After a seemingly inexhaustible yield of beautiful classical music over the past 300 years, the 20^th century has accelerated the widening gap between serious music, usually the term for classical music, and popular music which is usually characterized by relatively shorter scores, simple harmonies and memorable melodies. However, isolated works of serious music have increasingly become “popular music” (so called “crossovers”) through simplification, arrangements and repeated exposure.  Russian Film Music of the 1930s to the 1980s, with its clear classical roots, has in some ways, bridged the gap, although the music composed for the films produced in the seventies clearly reflect an increasing “crossover” tendency.

The very first composer to write original film music was Camille Saint-Saens. In 1908, he wrote a suit for strings, piano and harmonium for the film, L’assassinat de Duc Guise. Similar efforts for composing music for cinema were ongoing in Germany and the USA and in 1928, a German composer, E. Majze, composed music for the Berlin premier of the world-famous Battleship Potemkin by S. Eisenstein. Lenin nationalised the Russian Film industry in 1919 and put it under control of the People’s Commissariat of Enlightenment who demanded the production of films intended to glorify the 1917 Revolution. In 1922, the government created Goskino, the State Cinema Enterprise, which centralized control of the film industry. Goskino was renamed Sovkino in 1926. The first original film music in the USSR was written by Shostakovich in 1929 for the film, New Babylon. In the course of history, one may not be blamed for assuming that V.I. Lenin had an eye for the obvious propaganda value of the 20’s fast developing film industry when he once said: “Cinematography is the most important of all the arts.”  We can surely add to Lenin’s quote that music is one of the most important elements in the art of making movies. 

In the 30s, Russian film music took its first steps towards independence from the films themselves and gradually moved from the decorative, inflexible propaganda role of the 20s into the emotional depth of the characters, awakening compassion and nostalgic feelings in the listeners’ hearts and bringing tears to their eyes. Even though propaganda and censure continued to play a major part in movie production during the “Iron Curtain” period, if one ask any Russian of that generation if he or she enjoyed those Russian movies, the answer would be an enthusiastic “yes”! During that difficult period there was an extraordinary need to be “carried away” - dreaming of wealth and romance- and in this sense, the film music fulfilled its role immaculately. While watching a movie enhanced by today’s exceptionally high quality sound production, it is possible we have come to take the music for granted. We hardly notice the music as though it is a shadow in the background. Yet, its ability to colour silent scenes, bridge pauses in conversation, or create atmospheres of high drama, tension and suspense should never be underestimated. The music is always there, playing a major part in creating the identity of the movie. Many movies are remembered and identified only because of their wonderful music. Although some films are forgotten, the music still lives on independently. We tend to forget that once recorded the music is forever.
 

...of the many alluring tracks we should single out just a few for mention here. Gavrilin’s Tarantella from "Anyuta" is full of fun and high spirited swagger. The Overture by Sviridov from “Time More Forward” is a very exciting mix of heroic brass fanfares and galloping rhythms with sardonic touches. Another Shostakovich score is prominent amongst these – the lovely lilting Waltz from “Pirogov” and the fascinating, mesmerising A Couple in a Cafe by Mikael Tariverdiev from “Seventeen Moments of Spring” – between these there are some dreamily romantic cues that spellbind”.The well known classical composer Aram Khachaturian is represented by two pieces from 1944’s
“Masquerade”, a gorgeously dramatic Waltz and a tender hearted Romance. Less familiar music such as Jan Frenkel’s Pursuit thrillingly melodramatic music from the "New Adventures of the Untouchables” (1968) and Vitaly Geviksman’s A Letter to a Soldier from “The Unknown War”.
 

Total Playing time 02:32:15


Russian Film Music I+II CD