22 tracks. THE RED SHOES is a 74 minute collection of rare original soundtrack recordings from the classic films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Archers), made between 1941 and 1951. Those featured include: 49th Parallel (1941) Ralph Vaughn Williams (aka the Invaders) Stairway to Heaven (1946) Allan Gray (aka a Matter of Life & Death) the Life & Death of Col Blimp (1943) Allan Gray a Canterbury Tale (1944) Allan Gray / JS Bach Black Narcissus (1947) Brian Easdale the Red Shoes (1948) Brian Easdale Gone to Earth (1950) Brian Easdale (aka the Wild Heart) the Small Back Room (1949) Brian Easdale Tales of Hoffman (1951) Jacques Offenbach. As well as digitally restored original soundtrack music by the undervalued Gray and Easdale, this carefully researched CD also features a number of rare associated recordings, including John Gielgud's reading of An Airman's Letter to his Mother (1941), the lively quickstep Commando Patrol from Col. Blimp and a Canterbury Tale, and a superlative rendering of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, recorded by Albert Schweitzer in London in 1935, also featured in a Canterbury Tale. The booklet features detailed notes on the films and their accompanying scores, and well as biographies of Allan Gray and Brian Easdale. The CD is a must for all with an interest in vintage film soundtracks and British light/orchestral music, as well as the dazzling vision of Michael Powell and his musical collaborators.
1. Archers Ident 2. 49th Parallel: Prelude 3. 49th Parallel: Epilogue 4. Matter of Life and Death: Prelude/This Is the Universe 5. Matter of Life and Death: The Waiting Room/Washed Ashore 6. Matter of Life and Death: Prelude/Stairway to Heaven 7. Airman's Letter to His Mother: Narrative By Sir John Gielgud 8. Life and Death of Colonel Blimp: Prelude 9. Life and Death of Colonel Blimp: War Starts at Midnight 10. Life and Death of Colonel Blimp: Commando Patrol 11. Canterbury Tales: Prelude 12. Canterbury Tales: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor 13. Red Shoes: Prelude 14. Red Shoes: Ballet Music 15. Black Narcissus: Prologue 16. Black Narcissus: Composed Sequence 17. Gone to Earth: Prelude 18. Gone to Earth: The Tryst 19. Gone to Earth: The Hunt 20. Small Back Room: Composed Sequence 21. Small Back Room: Epilogue 22. Tales of Hoffman: Orchestral Tuning