The Stablegirl

FSM returns to the treasures of the Warner Bros. archives (The Omega Man, The Towering Inferno) with a masterpiece by Jerry Goldsmith: The Illustrated Man. The film stars Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom in an adaptation of several short stories by Ray Bradbury, affording Goldsmith the crowning achievement of his work in the anthology format (CBS Radio Workshop, The Twilight Zone), as well as one of his most memorable and original works in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres.

This double CD is the most comprehensive collection of Elkie's music yet released. The first CD is similar to previous compilations, focusing on hits and covers of other songs. Some covers (Nights in white satin (Moody Blues), Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac)) show that Elkie can take famous songs and keep them interesting. Others (such as Lilac wine) she plucked from obscurity and made her own. This CD contains much great music, most if not all previously released on CD. The second CD showcases Elkie's blues roots. It also includes covers, but of bluesy songs such as Hello stranger (Barbara Lewis), The way you do the things you do (Temptations), Rescue me (Fontella Bass), He's a rebel (Crystals) and Do right woman do right man. The first 13 tracks on this CD pre-dates Elkie's commercial breakthrough and some may be making their CD debut.

Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau ("The mermaid") is a three-movement symphonic fantasy based on the Hans Andersen story. It was first performed (under the composer's direction) in 1905, and is thus a good deal earlier than the works that have recently excited renewed interest in him—the oneact operas Eine florentinische TragOdie (1916) and Der Zwerg (1921), and the exquisite Lyric Symphony of 1922. In its masterly handling of a large orchestra, however, and of an episodic but firm structure, it is a far from immature piece. Zemlinsky was 34 when he wrote it, after all. If his list of works were not in such a terrible mess—many are unpublished; several, including the present work, were until recently thought to be lost—Die Seejungfrau would count as his Op. 30 or thereabouts.