Paul l Marino

Vladimir Cosma became a highly regarded and hugely prolific soundtrack composer for the French cinema in the 60s and 70s. Cosma is a stellar example of the rich traditon of French movie composers, from Auric to Delerue to Desplat. Like them, he seems to effortlessly breathe melodies. His music can be lush, it can be spritely. It shimmeres, cascades, and yes, sometimes, it kicks butt. This second box set of his scores, like the first, is a treasure chest for fans of rich, melodic film music.

The score for The Talented Mr Ripley has earned composer Gabriel Yared a nomination for a 1999 Oscar. However, of the five nominees his is the only score which has to share a CD with songs 'from' the film, fine though some of them may be. Eight of the cues (less than 30 mins in total) on the CD are by the composer and are supplemented by mostly jazz pieces that are central to the film's story. Unfortunately the score and the jazz pieces and the vocals are interlaced on the CD, which seems to detract from the listening pleasure of each element…