Spartacus
Music composed & conducted by ALEX NORTH plus interpretations on the Love Theme by various artists
40 reflections on personal favourite CDs by GARY KESTER in celebration of four decades of VARÈSE SARABANDE
It was always the plan of Varese producer Robert Townson and composer Jerry Goldsmith to add Alex North’s magnificent score to Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 epic Spartacus to their growing list of new recordings of the legendary composer’s works. Sadly, the untimely death of Goldsmith in 2004 prevented this from ever happening. However, to mark his 1000th album for Varese, Robert put together the ultimate love-letter to this masterwork. In 2010 he released an elaborate 6 CD and 1 DVD set, presented in a beautifully designed box with a lavish 168 page book. Box sets are nothing new of course, but they are normally compilations or collections. Spartacus was, and will perhaps remain, the most comprehensive and detailed release ever of a single film score. The film was a tale of struggle, both on and behind the screen. Spartacus’ troubled production is well-documented, but its daring homoerotic references, socio-political undertones and realistic violence set it apart from other historical films of the time. It was a perfect storm of exceptional writing, acting and art direction, and remains a benchmark for other films tackling similar subjects, such as Gladiator. A groundbreaking film demanded a groundbreaking score, one that supported properly its mix of epic scale, turbulent drama, heroic optimism and tender intimacy.
Box Set VCL 0610 1109
Alex North delivered in spades, his blaring main title setting out his stall as he delivered music for a Rome outwardly mighty but inwardly corrupt and decaying (as literally portrayed by Saul Bass’ incredible main title design). There are no missteps - this is musical perfection. His love theme is sweet and heartfelt, his martial music exciting and brutal. Some believe Alex North to be the greatest film composer who ever lived. Jerry Goldsmith was one of them, saying “Of all of us, he’s the master.” And who would dare to argue with Jerry Goldsmith about film music? The first CD in the set presents the surviving stereo mixes of the score, some 72 minutes worth. While there are notable omissions, this is the disc I suspect gets played most by fans because of its richness and depth. CDs two and three present the full score, but in mono. Before you pass judgement, IT’S THE FRICKIN’ COMPLETE SCORE TO SPARTACUS – and the sound is actually excellent. Disc four is 43 minutes of alternative takes, preliminaries and demos etc., a fascinating tour of North’s process and creativity. Discs five and six take the set above and beyond the call of duty, devoted as they are to brand new interpretations of North’s beautiful love theme no less than 22 times by some of the world’s finest musicians and arrangers. For all of its outward delicacy, this exercise demonstrates exactly how robust and flexible this theme actually was.
Finally, John Williams, Christopher Young, David Newman and many others appear in a special 95 minute talkingheads style documentary on the impact of the score. Spartacus is a simply magnificent set, and still available. You really do need this if you’re serious about film music. So, selection one down, 39 steps to go (see what I did there!?) I hope you enjoyed this first one, I’ll be back again tomorrow with a release that, while nowhere near as elaborate physically, was no less as important and excellent a score and our first of several visits to the work of Jerry Goldsmith.