INTRADA Announces:
LAST EMBRACE
Composed and Conducted by MIKLOS ROZSA
INTRADA Special Collection Volume 104
This week, Intrada announces the long over-due release of Miklos Rozsa's complete, original tracks from the 1979 Jonathan Demme film Last Embrace. Featuring Roy Scheider as government agent Harry Hannan, Last Embrace is a thriller about an agent who, tortured by guilt over the recent death of his beloved wife, becomes convinced someone is trying kill him. The plot twists and turns as Hannan suspects his own agency. Or perhaps it's his angry brother-in-law. Or the strange but alluring woman who seems to be living in his apartment. Or even the author of a bizarre message he receives, written in Aramaic. Then again, perhaps he's just been driven so mad by grief that he’s imagining the whole thing. Five murders occur along Hannan's path to discover the truth.
Rozsa offers a score that, from its opening notes, is pure Rózsa. With its rising, circular repetition of a five-note figure (a Rosza signature), it creates a cinematic universe fraught with tension. While this theme will dominate the score, serving mainly to intensify the suspense, Rózsa cleverly turns this same jumpy figure into a profoundly tender love theme that still retains an uneasy edge. Last Embrace even features a second love theme, first heard in the solo violin featuring an almost painful poignancy. It's all tied to together with a spectacular end title that draws the score to a close with a powerful, definite ending.
While approximately 25 minutes were re-recorded for the Varese Sarabande label, Intrada presents complete score, featuring a considerable number of aggressive action cues, especially surrounding the Niagara Falls climax. No stereo elements have survived (the film itself is in mono), but fortunately MGM retained clean, excellent condition first-generation mono mixes of entire score including a pair of Rozsa-scored source pieces. The recording is wonderfully crisp and vibrant, showcasing that “golden age” sound Miklós Rózsa managed to keep alive for nearly half a century!
This release is limited to 2000 copies.
INTRADA Special Collection - Volume 104
Retail Price: 19.99
AVAILABLE NOW
For track listing and sound samples, please visit
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6273/.f
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