@William said:

Hey Paul have you heard (and seen) "The Power" with Rosza's score? That is one of his best and a very weird one. .

I haven't seen The Power for many years Bill - a strange, almost psychedelic sixties film with unusual casting of George Hamilton. I recall Suzanne Pleshette and Yvonne de Carlo of course. Hehehe!

Qua Vardis is great fun and a great Rosza score - most memorable for Rosza and an immensely funny portrayal of Nero by Peter Ustinov. That takes me back to the 'way I see Nerrow' by the director to Ustinov - son of a bitch that plays with himself nights. Great music in that one.

Korngold said that Rosza was the best composer working in film. Hard to imagine a more authoritive source.

Rosza's scores have a directness and almost simplicity that serve the film perfectly without complicating things for the listener. At least that's what I always thought until I happen to watch Ben Hur with headphones one night. The detail and subtlety of moving parts astonished me - genius level writing everywhere.

Of course no one loved canon more than Rosza.

@dpcon said:

Korngold said that Rosza was the best composer working in film. Hard to imagine a more authoritive source.

Rosza's scores have a directness and almost simplicity that serve the film perfectly without complicating things for the listener. At least that's what I always thought until I happen to watch Ben Hur with headphones one night. The detail and subtlety of moving parts astonished me - genius level writing everywhere.

Of course no one loved canon more than Rosza.

Hello Dave,how are you? Long time no hear. Hope you're well and successful.

Rosza had that magic touch that gives me heart for a change from the current batch. Great writer, and not afraid to put the full weight of his aural symphonic education up against the images. For me, he's the undisputed master of epic writing, grand entrances (be they Caesar or otherwise), without being limited to that genre. And given the wide scope of style, sound, and nuance he employed, he must have had some imagination.

Regards,

Alex.

I think Miklos Rosza Taught Burt Bacharach also. I hope I'm talking about the right Composer. Bacharach said he composed a short sonatina learning from Rosza. And Rosza incouraged Bacharach not to be ashamed of his songwriting.

Bacharach and Roger nichols, Paul mcartney, are they the worlds best songwriters?

Roger Nichols used the best orchestrators , composers, arrangers, Producers to produce and perform the circle of friends with the Mcloeds brother & sister team. I think. My opinion is, this is the best songwriting production ever in the world. Was it because the skill of songwriting or the skill of Orchestrating, arranging, scoring ?

Most Likely all of the above ?

Alex you're on to something here. It all is intertwined somehow.

@hermitage59 said:

Hello Dave,how are you? Long time no hear. Hope you're well and successful.

Hello Alex! Well Let's just say that I'm well my friend. Actually did have a bit of (artistic) success lately.
Seems I've heard about the Bacharach - Rosza connection so you are right about that I think. Interesting how the debate has raged on about the value of musical study while no one would debate the impact it had on the composers we mention here.

Nice to see the intelligent writing of the usual suspects on this thread.

Oh, man. It does my heart well to hear folks chiming in about Rosza.

compsr2000-- sorry about the bad reference! I was typing fast, thinking too quickly, and over my three-score limit! You are correct.

only 3? damn, that's a tough one..

My choices:

- Adventures of Robin Hood (or The Sea Hawk...mmm..any Korngold) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold

- Vertigo - Bernard Herrmann

- Any major work by Max Steiner

In addition, some other GREAT GREAT works:

- The Red Shores - Brian Easdale (a personal favorite, from the 1947 Powell & Pressburger Film)

- Alexander Nevsky - Prokofiev

- Any Aflred Newman, have you heard his colaboration with Herrmann on "The Egyptian"? it's awesome

- Citizen Kane, Jayne Eyre, Psycho, Obsession, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Taxi Driver... - Bernard Herrmann

- Chinatown, Star Trek: Motion Picture, The Omen - Jerry Goldsmith

- Star Wars - Indiana Jones - John Williams

- Once Upon a Time in the West - Ennio Morricone (i saw him conducting last march here in chile)

- Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Howard Shore

- Edward Scissorhands - Danny Elfman

- Laura - David Raksin

- Lawrence of Arabia - Maurice Jarre

- The Incredibles - Michael Giachinno (one of my favorite "young" composers)

- Suspiria - Goblin (Dario Argento italian horror movie)

Miklos Rosza, Elmer Bernstein, Franz Waxman, Hugo Freidhoffer, etc etc etc

Good choices SvK.

Here are mine: Bullitt (Schifrin), The Untouchables (Morriconne), The Insider (Gerrard/Bourke).

But we need a thread for favorite cues also, dont we? I'll start it.