DESCRIPTION:
"Frontiers", the sci-fi music of Jerry Goldsmith
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Jerry Goldsmith

7. Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Enterprise

It was producer Robert Townson's idea to approach Jerry Goldsmith about the idea of conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's performances of the composer's wide variety of science fiction music. The September 1997 recordings offered, at the time, selections from several Goldsmith scores that were unreleased in their original form, and despite their later release on specialty labels (and in the hyperactive bootleg market), the vastly improved sound quality and precision of the recordings continues to impress. Among the ten scores represented over 47 minutes on "Frontiers," three come from the infamous world of Star Trek. Due to the recent success of both the film and its score, Star Trek: First Contact opens the album with its "End Title" arrangement to address both the franchise theme and the eighth film's own, majestic theme. The performance of this suite here seems to offer greater clarity in instrumental enunciation than the original recording... definitely an improvement.

The classically elegant cue "The Enterprise" from Star Trek: The Motion Picture is nestled in the middle of the product. The diversity in the thematic playfulness of this cue provides refreshing variations on a now-tired idea that are always welcome. The Emmy-Winning French horn salute to "Star Trek: Voyager" is given a robust stature here that eclipses all other performances of the theme. The non-Trek-related selections on the album are among the more enticing treats for film score collectors. The music from Twilight Zone: The Movie is arguably more interesting than any of the usual Star Trek material. The "Overture" presented here represents themes from three of the four distinct mini-scores that accompanied each portion of the film. These performances are more authentic than the much earlier-recorded Erich Kunzel version that had been available on the Telarc label for a number of years. The inclusion of the "Main Title" from Capricorn One is welcome on any compilation, and its performance here, especially in the gorgeously layered love theme interlude, is the highlight of the collection. What you hear on this album is far superior to the original, but not as immense as the performance on Silva's Space and Beyond release earlier in 1997. It's rare that a different conductor can beat the original in any re-recording, but the City of Prague Philharmonic did it there. Perhaps the most anticipated tracks on this release were those from the scarce Logan's Run. The score combines fantasy elements from Legend and Poltergeist, its playful moments counterbalanced by stern, brass themes. The second track, "End of the City," is one of the best finales of Goldsmith's career, and it was a key initial advertising point of this release.

The selection from The Illustrated Man may not impress many, with bland vocals and woodwind ramblings that promise more than they deliver. The opening of Damnation Alley is very suspenseful, with jarring brass themes that hint of Capricorn One; the "End Title" cue is more thematically pleasant and was, at the time, a target of many Goldsmith collectors. This performance of the unused finale cue from Alien was also available on Varèse's Alien-related compilation from the previous year. The only suspect performance on "Frontiers" (aside from The Illustrated Man, which isn't a strong score to begin with) comes with Total Recall, for which the lack of synthesizer accents in the rhythm and a brass flub on the second note of the theme cause problems. Goldsmith attempted to replace the electric bass rhythm with low strings, oboes, and drums, and it simply doesn't work. The concert ending of this piece differs from others. Overall, the album is an outstanding collection of Goldsmith themes ranging from the famous to the obscure. Only two notable omissions plague this collection. First, the lack of the suite from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier deprives the album of Goldsmith's popular, percussion-driven Klingon theme. Additionally, the finale cue from Outland would have been a welcomed inclusion; Townson originally intended for it to appear on this compilation, but the inability to find any copies of the original score (or its notations or sketches) prevented this desire. Aside from these minor problems, "Frontier" remains a fantastic album ten years after its release. -- taken from filmtracks.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/frontiers/id997502371