Chiller

这张名为《CHILLER》的唱片其实是曾经风靡一时的惊悚电影《鬼屋》的原声大碟，除了收录下电影中夸张而逼真的各类声音特效外，还有非常多与电影“魔鬼”主题有关的古典名曲、音乐剧序曲等。其中包括音乐剧大师安德鲁.劳伊德.韦伯的传世之作《歌剧媚影》的序曲、著名俄罗斯作曲家姆索尔斯基的交响诗《荒山之夜幻想曲》，法国作曲家圣桑所作的《骷髅之舞》以及柏辽兹、格里格等名家的作品片断。可以看到，无论作品的风格是古典还是现代，都围绕着唱片“魔鬼”的主题，所以营造出一种诡异、神秘的色彩。孔泽尔与辛辛纳提通俗管弦乐团在演艺古典作品的时候显然与其他国际级指挥家演绎的版本有一些差距，但是凭借着TELARC公司优秀的录音品质以及整张作品统一的风格，还是获得了很高的评价。 by Richard S. Ginell A campier beginning could not be conceived for this album of horror music than the one Telarc cooked up for Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops -- an opening sequence of thunder and frightened running in ear-splitting digital sound, followed by the hilarious haunted-house blast of an organ from The Phantom of the Opera. Yes, this is your worst nightmare come true, a symphonic Halloween album -- complete with sound effects -- that was evidently successful enough to spawn an SACD sequel, Scary Music, in 2002. In true "pops" concert fashion, Kunzel opens with classical selections with horror-related stories and eventually moves on to filmland for the rest of the package. Alas, Kunzel's relaxed way with the classics here isn't exactly calculated to raise the dead from their graves. Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" is a bit tame, made more palatable by the excellent sound; Berlioz's "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie Fantastique is downright sluggish. "Pandemonium" from Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust (an imaginative choice) and Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macabre" are sturdier, though still too laid-back. Only Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" delivers sufficient energy. Many of the film cues, particularly those by the classic Hollywood composers, are more compellingly presented and surprisingly potent in musical interest, like the short reconstructed suite from Franz Waxman's The Bride of Frankenstein that ends up in the air. In "Sleigh Ride" from The Devil and Daniel Webster, Bernard Herrmann does inventive things with a fiddle tune that Copland famously used in "Rodeo," and his music for Psycho has already earned lots of respect in many circles (watch out for the over-the-top sound effects in the notorious shower scene!). Even though the classical numbers could use more pep, it's an engaging idea for an album, executed with dignity and some cunning.