Wendy Carlos (formerly known as Walter) was largely responsible for bringing the singular sound of the Moog synthesizer into the music mainstream of the 1970s. Beginning with Switched on Bach, released in 1968, Carlos enjoyed a level of critical success that must have come as something of a surprise, given the general stodginess exhibited by the Classical music community in response to non-traditional approaches to musical interpretation. Among the many admirers of Carlos' work was film director Stanley Kubrick, who had decided to film an adaptation of the Anthony Burgess novel A Clockwork Orange. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was to be featured prominently in the storyline as well as the soundtrack, and quite fortuitously, Kubrick commissioned Carlos to create Moog renditions of a number of classical pieces as well as to create some original Moog compositions for the film. The results are nothing less than ground-breaking. In particular, "Title Music from A Clockwork Orange," an adaptation of Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, seems to sonically encapsulate the entire film in just over two minutes, a simply stunning display of the Moog synthesizer's expressive capabilities. Also of note is Carlos' innovative use of the vocoder in her interpretation of "The Fourth Movement" of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which gives the piece an eerie mechanistic feel that matches the aesthetic mood of the film perfectly. Easily one of the most essential film scores ever recorded.
Clockwork Orange: Complete Original Score (2000 Remastered Edition)
1. Timesteps (13:50)
2. March from A Clockwork Orange (7:00)
3. Title Music from A Clockwork Orange (2:21)
4. La Gazza Ladra ("The Thieving Magpie") (5:50)
5. Theme from A Clockwork Orange (Beethoviana) (1:44)
6. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony: Second Movement (Scherzo) (4:52)
7. William Tell Overture (1:17)
8. Orange Minuet (2:35)
9. Biblical Daydreams (2:06)
10. Country Lane (4:43)
Bravo bravo! Wonderful CD generously shared. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCan you still buy this new? I've been meaning to check for years...
Anon. I believe this is out of print right now, so the price for a used copy is pretty steep. I bought my copy ten years ago.
ReplyDeleteI've got the LP version by Walter :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I played it, so thanks.
Anyone of the other ones around like Sonic Seasonings, that seems pretty hard to get now.
trendle, I was thinking of posting more Carlos. I used to have "Sonic Seasonings" on vinyl. I'll see if I can track it down in digital form
ReplyDeleteThank you--great cd--much appreciated!
ReplyDeletezippy, my pleasure!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post - Thank you very much indeed!
ReplyDeleteAnon., I have several more Carlos posts I will get up eventually, including "Sonic Seasonings." I'm a huge fan of the moog
ReplyDeleteOh, please please please re-post a little of the old Wendy Carlos, will you?
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