Epic Film Themes

Oberaargauer Brass Band
Conductors: Manfred Obrecht and Ueli Kipfer
Obrasso Recordings: CD910
Total Playing Time: 72.24

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This is the second CD of film themes to reach us in the last couple of months. The first, Fairey's at the Movies, was somewhat blighted despite the band's best efforts, by a recording level that shattered the ear drums and a number of arrangements which were quite frankly, not out of the top drawer.

Fortunately this Swiss release from Obrasso puts things right on both fronts. First off, the quality of the arrangements is beyond reproach. Unlike a number of Obrasso releases previously, this particular recording does not confine itself solely to arrangements drawn from the Obrasso publishing catalogue. Indeed the list of arrangers speaks for itself and includes Darrol Barry, Rodney Newton, Andy Duncan, Philip Harper and Alan Fernie (most of whose contributions are incidentally published by Obrasso) to name just a handful.

As far as the recording itself is concerned there is hardly anything to say other than excellent.

The band are captured in a natural, spacious acoustic that is clearly capable of taking the "big" moments in these arrangements, of which there are many. The results can be tremendously exciting in scores such as The Sand Volcano from Jerry Goldsmith's music for The Mummy, or warm and sonorous in John Barry's glorious main theme from Out of Africa.

It helps of course that the Oberaargauer Band are a classy sounding outfit and for lovers of meaty bass trombone lines and oft pedalling basses there are a plethora of great sounds to behold. Try and find out a little about the band and the music from the CD booklet however and you will be out of luck. The complete notes are in German with no English translation, a little odd perhaps given that a good percentage of the market for the disc must be in the UK.

John G. Mortimer's arrangement of highlights from The Rock that opens proceedings is the only exact duplication of the Fairey's disc; exact in that there are actually several musical duplications albeit in different arrangements. Arguably the highpoint of Hans Zimmer's score is the slower melody that Mortimer places centrally in his selection of highlights and gives initially to flugel horn, although there is plenty to engage the appetite in the action sequences that open and close the selection.

Zimmer's music figures twice more on the disc in the shape of the main theme from Crimson Tide and highlights from one of the greatest blockbuster flops of all time in Pearl Harbour. It doesn't take too much aural observation to recognise that these scores come from the pen of the same composer and whilst there are occasions when the word derivative comes to mind, the dramatic presence of the music is never in doubt. Crimson Tide is despatched effectively enough by the band although it is in Pearl Harbour that we get to hear the band in full flight with Frank Bernaerts' arrangement progressing from a calm opening to high drama wrapped up in the usual ample dose of American patriotism. Either way the final statement of the theme is brought home with impressive power by the Oberaargauer players.

Alan Fernie is the single biggest contributor to the disc in arrangement terms with the main theme from Mission Impossible being first up and drawing some great sounds from Oberaargauer's bass trombone player Roger Stöckli in particular. John Barry's John Dunbar theme from Dances with Wolves gets a sonorous treatment from the band (listen out for the direct lift from Resphigi in the basses during the opening bars) as does Barry's namesake Darrol Barry's transcription of the main theme from Out of Africa. John Barry's huge contribution to the oeuvre of modern film music is in many ways encapsulated in the powerfully moving principal themes of these two scores.

Back to Alan Fernie and if there is one arrangement that does not quite hit the mark it is The Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III. Once again the playing from the band abounds with exciting instrumental sounds and tight ensemble but in a score that is packed with rock music based syncopations there is no getting around the fact that the music comes across as rhythmically square. Fortunately there are no such concerns in Fernie's arrangement of the famous theme, Speak Softly Love, from The Godfather.

Highlights from Back to the Future III and Air Force One come in the form of arrangements by Rodney Newton, with the music of Alan Silvestri and Jerry Goldsmith respectively. Air Force One is possibly not Goldsmith's most memorable score although it's a gift for the brass band arranger that Rodney Newton takes full advantage of. Silvestri's Back to the Future III is packed with Wild West bravura and references to the theme of the original Back to the Future film (still the best!) with Rodney Newton once again given full reign. It's not all action though as the extended central lyrical section testifies.

Like John Barry, James Horner is rarely short of a good tune when he needs one and the love theme from the Mel Gibson epic Braveheart is instantly recognisable as the hand of the same composer who wrote the My Heart Will Go On for the blockbuster Titanic. It's the love theme from Braveheart that we get here and Andy Duncan turns in the goods with an arrangement, complete with wind machine, which finely captures the atmosphere of the film with evocative playing from the band.

Andy Duncan's skills also play their part in the overture from Maurice Jarre's score for Lawrence of Arabia with all of the principal themes (including Kenneth Alford style march) neatly brought together in an effective curtain raiser.

Elton John and Miklos Rozsa are singularly represented by their scores for The Lion King and Ben Hur (March of the Charioteers), the band getting gamely into the spirit of Philip Harper's request for various animal noises in The Lion King although we are pleased to say that Steve Sykes makes no such demands in his Rozsa arrangement. There are plenty of great band sounds on offer though.

Anyone who shares a mutual interest in movies and brass music will find no shortage of entertainment here. Under the direction of Manfred Obrecht and Ueli Kipfer, the Oberaargauer Band are an ensemble that sound entirely at home with the repertoire whilst clearly demonstrating that they possess instrumental strength in depth.

Christopher Thomas

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