Miklos Rozsa - King of Kings (1961)

To call Hungarian-born film composer Miklós Rózsa the musical king of historical epics would hardly be hyperbole; Ben-Hur alone might have earned him the title. Recorded just two years after Hur, Rózsa's score to MGM's typically grand retelling of Christ's life was a worthy, sweeping orchestral bookend to the studio's previous Biblical-themed success. But its original soundtrack release was another matter: a vastly inferior European recording that crudely cut together but 40 minutes of Rózsa's musical cues. This richly annotated Turner Classic Movies/Rhino Records double-disc corrects that shortcoming (and an early '90s abridged version of the original score) and then some, collecting together for the first time Rózsa's complete MGM studio recordings for the film. Mastered from the studio's original multitracks, the sound is nothing short of spectacular, the sweeping scope of Rózsa's cues a tribute to what often seems a dying art form. Indeed, the melodic themes and dramatic, orchestral thunder here could power a half-dozen contemporary CGI-fueled actioners.

Disc 1
1. Overture
2. Prelude
3. Roman Legions
4. The Elders/Sanctuary
5. The Scrolls/Subjagation
6. Road To Bethlehem/The Nativity
7. The Slaughter Of Innocents
8. Joseph & Mary
9. Pontius Pilate's Arrival
10. John The Baptist
11. Revolt/Barabbas' Escape
12. Baptism Of Christ/Sadness And Joy
13. The Last Temptation Of Christ
14. The Chosen
15. Herod's Feast
16. Miracles
17. The Hovel
18. Parable Of The Seed
19. Mary Madalene/Answer From A Stone
20. The Blessing
21. Casting Out The Demon
22. Woman Of Sin
23. John's Message
24. Jugglers & Tumblers/Herod's Desire
25. Salome's Dances
26. Christ's Answer/The Beheading Of John
27. Salome's Dance #6 (deleted reprise)
28. Mount Galilee/Sermon On The Mount/Love Your Neighbor
29. The Law Of The Prophets
Disc 2
1. The Lord's Prayer
2. The Disciples
3. Barabbas' Plan
4. Entr'acte
5. Premonition
6. Jesus Enters Jerusalem/A Tempest In Judea/Defeat/Phalanx/False
7. Judas Sees Caiphas/Gethsemane
8. Agony In The Garden/Judas' Kiss
9. Herod's Castle Trumpet
10. Christ Before Herod
11. The Scourging Of Christ/Crown Of Thorns
12. Via Dolorosa/Christ Bearing His Cross
13. Last Words Of Christ/Golgotha/The Pieta/The Sepulcher/Resurrection
14. Epilogue

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Enjoy the music!