Korngold: Another Dawn & Escape me Never - William T. Stromberg

Although it may be surprising, there are still enough hidden treasures in the not excessively long catalogue of Korngold's film music; some of them for sheer oblivion, some other for its difficulty to be found. We already mention on our review of the Rhino double CD The Warner Bros Years, the fact of the allegedly disappearance of Another Dawn (1937) original masters, what marked it the only unavailable title of the Korngold/Warner relationship. This gap is now covered thanks to the efforts of arranger and composer John W. Morgan, in a new demonstration of patience and love for a music; submitted to the avatars of fate, this forgotten score for the forgotten William Dieterle film includes, curiously, one of the more well-known themes of his author, the one he used later on the beginning of his famous Violin Concerto, op.35. Korngold's usual symphonic and thematic unfolding, still on his first steps inside the movie business, with some so personal musical gestures which more than mahlerian are unmistakable viennese, finds a nice complement on the programmatic ballet composed for Escape Me Never (1947), the last of his collaborations with the Warners which saw the public light -although, really, it was composed before Deception (1946)-, a colourful work yet to be uncovered on its whole, which after its naive and scarcely original plot includes the only popular song composed by Korngold (Love for Love), as well this terrific musical fantasy, nicely rounded by Morgan because on the film it was abruptly interrupted. As a counterpoint, and without losing value his work, once again there is the lack of a bit of passion on Stromberg's baton, as it happens on The Prince and the Pauper, but this is one of those cases on which the importance of the music is far above the rest.

Review by bs magazine

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 - 1957)

Escape Me Never: Ballet / Fantasy (arr., restor. and reconc. J. Morgan)
1. Escape Me Never: Ballet / Fantasy 07:42

Another Dawn (arr., restor. and reconc. J. Morgan)
2. Main Title - The Outpost 03:42
3. On the Ocean Liner 03:36
4. The Golf Course 01:37
5. Evening Scene 02:28
6. Afternoon Tea 01:34
7. The Cable 02:23
8. The Arrival / The Meeting 02:47
9. Talk in the Bedroom 02:01
10. The Ride - out 03:19
11. The Stars 01:34
12. The Arabian Love Song 02:51
13. The Cricket Game / The Bow Tie 01:01
14. Garden Love Scene 03:26
15. The Ride - out Confused 00:50
16. The Desert / The Battle / Radio Station 04:38
17. The Battlefield 02:43
18. The Sandstorm Starts 02:22
19. The Kiss 02:23
20. The Next Morning / The Order 04:39
21. Another Dawn "Finale" 03:42

Moscow Symphony Orchestra
William T. Stromberg, Conductor
Recording: Moscow, October 1995