The Henry Mancini Thread

Lets hear it for Hank.



Great news, everyone. Intrada is releasing the complete score for CHARADE. I've long waited for this, since I'm a big fan of Mancini's often neglected dramatic writing (see WAIT UNTIL DARK, ARABESQUE, EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, LIFEFORCE, NIGHTWING etc.).

Quote :

CHARADE

Label: Intrada MAF 7121
Date: 1963
Tracks: 28
Time = 77:53



In celebration of Universal's 100th Anniversary, Intrada proudly presents world premiere release of famous Henry Mancini soundtrack to legendary Stanley Donen romantic thriller in Hitchcock vein, starring handsome Cary Grant, vulnerable Audrey Hepburn, would-be agent Walter Matthau plus baddies George Kennedy and James Coburn. Mancini anchors with justifiably famous rhythmic main theme in triple meter, then follows with haunting variants, romantic ideas, splendid source cues, jazz and - in particular - early examples of trademark dramatic writing with sliding string figures, sustained suspense lines and dissonant brass clusters for effect. Musical highlights are many: grim hook fight scene on rooftops, exciting Metro chase sequences, tuneful opening ski run source numbers for France locales. Special nod to tender, saddened piano & string version of main theme when Hepburn returns from identifiying her slain husband, then finds her room completely empty. Scene sets stage for one of the most sophisticated thrillers of the sixties, Mancini punctuates it all the way to final twist! Complete 77-minute soundtrack presented from original scoring session elements made in London, all courtesy of both Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures. Mancini re-recorded brief highlights for RCA label in 1963, sadly left off all tender & haunting variants of main theme plus - incredibly - virtually all dramatic scoring. Now, alongside that admittedly famous album, enjoy at last the complete 77-minute soundtrack. Alongside new release of Hatari, this Intrada CD is important debut of an original soundtrack from Mancini's most famous era (Breakfast At Tiffany's, Hatari, Charade, Experiment In Terror, The Pink Panther) as all Mancini albums from the period were re-arranged and re-recorded 30-minute programs with emphasis on dance mood. Intrada is happy to remedy oversight on one of Mancini's greatest! Henry Mancini conducts.

600x600 Cover

Play all clips

01. Charade Logo 0:25
02. Main Title 2:25
03. Mégève 3:14
04. Latin Snowfall 2:13
05. Positive Identification 2:09
06. Empty Room 2:35
07. Bye Bye Charlie 3:49
08. Punch And Judy 2:00
09. Mambo Parisienne 2:15
10. Orange Tamouré 1:30
11. Mean Cat 2:42
12. Confide In Me 3:35
13. Don't Trust Him 3:35
14. Bistro 3:24
15. Street (Bistro #2) 2:07
16. Hook Fight 5:26
17. Fatherly Talk 1:48
18. Poor Dead Herman 2:33
19. Notre Dame and Drip-Dry Waltz 4:33
20. Bateau Mouche 3:02
21. Charade 2:09
22. Gideon Goes Down 1:21
23. Carousel Medly 5:17
24. Stamps 1:17
25. Metro Chase 2:25
26. Son Of Metro Chase 3:04
27. Game Over 1:37
28. True Identity and Finale 3:54

http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.7576/.f

Hell yes.

Interesting tidbit. John Williams was the pianist on this score.

"Because the albums were made up of the most melodic material from each film, a lot of the dramatic music, which is what I really loved to do and really thought I had a feeling for, was left out. ... It may have hurt my reputation as a writer of serious film music. To this day I would love to have an album of some of those scores as they were heard in the films. The albums gave me a reputation, even among producers, as a writer of light comedy and light suspense, and at that time it was not easy for them to think of me for the more dramatic assignments. I did that to myself." - Henry Mancini on his RCA film score albums.