Saturday, September 27, 2014

The Last Butterfly (1990 Film) Original Soundtrack...music by Alex North and Milan Svoboda



"The Last Butterfly" is the final film score written by the great Alex North in a career that began nearly forty years earlier with the inestimable score he provided for Elia Kazan's "A Streetcar Named Desire". His work remained, to the end, as precious as a fine rare jewel. The title of this film could have been a tribute to the composer himself. The album consists of about 20 minutes of music written by the Maestro, interspersed with music by Milan Svoboda.

1. Main Title - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
2. Antonie's New Digs - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
3. Foxtrot In Cabaret - Stepan Konicek
4. Mr. Grondin Pantomime - Milan Svoboda
5. Antonie's Payoff Music - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
6. Michelle's Demise - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
7. The Flashback - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
8. The Nightmare Begins - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
9. The Gordian Knot - Stepan Konicek
10. Afternoon Coffee - Alex North/Jazzfonic Orchestra
11. Things Don't, People Do - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
12. Avinu Malkenu - Alex North/Jewish Chorus
13. Snow White Ballet - Stepan Konicek
14. Signs Of Spring - Hana Hegerova
15. The Hit - Alex North/Jazzfonic Orchestra
16. Butterfly - Ivan Zeaty
17. The Red Umbrella - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
18. Ocarina Yiddish Dance - Vaclav Sykora
19. Save Stella - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
20. The Last Preformance - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra
21. Hansel & Gretel Ballet - Stepan Konicek
22. Lulinka - Vida Skalska

23. End Title - Marlo Klemens/The Prague Film Symphony Orchestra

The musical landscape of this album drifts by seamlessly from one vignette to the other. North's more studious compositions dance a charming pas de duex with Svoboda's folk-inspired pieces, and the chamber pieces harmonized gracefully with the cafe waltzes. For Alex North this is a beautiful elegy derived from the soul of a man obviously at peace with himself and his years. In his own typically unique and self-effacing way, the Maestro, with this work, bid a final and affectionate farewell to us all. 






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