Music For Film & Theatre | Steven Brown

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Steven Brown \ Music For Film & Theatre [TWI 8722 CD]

Music for Film & Theatre is a 2xCD anthology of instrumental soundtrack music by Steven Brown, the Chicago-born composer and founder member of avant-garde music group Tuxedomoon.

Written and recorded between 1983 and 2009, the double CD set includes the full soundtracks to Zoo Story, Jean-Gina B. and La Grace du Tombeur, as well as extracts from the scores for La Vie est Belle, Modern Times, La Valise de Flora, De Doute et de Grace, Croatian Variations and El Informe Toledo.

Guest musicians include Tuxedomoon cohorts Blaine L. Reininger, Peter Principle, Luc van Lieshout, Ivan Georgiev and Paul Zahl. The booklet contains liner notes by Steven and others, as well as archive images from the various productions.

Disc 1:

1. The Apartment/Jerry's Theme
2. Chinatown
3. Alone on the Bridge
4. 42nd Street
5. All Night Long
6. Central Park
7. Jerry's Theme/The Zoo
8. Samba on the Subway
9. Death of Jerry
10. A Spirit Ditty
11. Jean-Gina B. (Main Theme)
12. Voiture Jean-Gina B.
13. The Harbour
14. Cage Muzak
15. The Garden
16. Piano Trilogy
17. Life Gone By
18. Cocktails
19. Jean-Gina B. (Finale)
20. La Vie est Belle
21. Modern Times
22. La Valise de Flora

Disc 2:

1. The Lorelei/Overture
2. Ombres Chinoise
3. Istmo (El Informe Toledo)
4. Sangemar Mar
5. The Labyrinth
6. The Flight
7. The Fall
8. L'Arrivée dans le Jour (live)
9. Souffle Coupé (live)
10. Prunelles d'Ailleurs (live)
11. Golems Grisatres (live)

Available on 2xCD and digital (MP3 or FLAC). Mailorder copies of the CD ordered from LDDC are slipcased. To order CD please select correct shipping option (UK, Europe or Rest of World) and click on Add To Cart button below cover image. Digital copies are supplied by link via email.

Or, you can order with the option of tracked shipping from our friends at Burning Shed (click here to order)

Reviews:

"Comprising 33 tracks, Music For Film and Theatre builds on the set originally issued on Crépuscule in 1989. That album is represented here in its entirety, plus there are selections from one-act play Zoo Story, a ballet entitled La Grace du Tombeur, a documentary, an intimate biography, a film and a dance-piece. As with the composer's choice of subjects, Brown's musical style cannot be pinned down to one genre. On Zoo Story he brings his US homeland influences to the table, of TVs blaring in tenements, of busy downtown sidewalks, of dank deserted subways and metros, an uneasy twilight and strangers in the night. For La Grace du Tombeur, he explores percussion, music-hall, big-band jazz and smoky blues to capture the myth of Icarus.

"But it's the second half of disc one that holds sway musically. Simplistic little vignettes performed with minimal electronics and atmospheric treatments, accompanied by Brown's sweet sax and sweeping string arrangements (produced by Gilles Martin), you could be excused for thinking that The Harbour was recorded by The The or Ennio Morricone, or that Modern Times was originally scored by Erik Satie for a musical box. Tuxedomoon's own music has been adapted for the pretty Cage Muzak, while La Vie est Belle could soundtrack the end credits to a swish French drama. With the exception of the latter, most of this poignant music was used for a biographical film on the life of Jean-Gina B, a male Belgian naval-officer who spent his final two decades living as a woman.

"Clearly talented beyond the realms of merely writing music for soundtracks on a whim, Music For Film and Theatre showcases one of new wave's most underrated artists and musicians of our time. Cinematic, empathic and unique" (Flipside), 04/2016