Star Trek: Symphonic Suites from the Original Series

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Order this CDReleased around the 20th anniversary of Star Trek, these two CDs contained new recordings of the original Trek’s music, this time in the form of long suites in which the entirety of particular episode’s score is performed in the form of a long, interconnected orchestral piece. The arrangements are faithful, but you have to have a stomach for 15 or more minutes of music in the classic Trek vein; remember, compared to the almost atonal sophisticated stuff that passes for music on the current Star Trek shows, the old Trek’s scores were pretty wildly bombastic. Both discs were performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Tony Bremner. Volume 1 features the music of the third-season episodes Is There In Truth No Beauty? and The Paradise Syndrome, composed by, respectively, George Duning and Gerald Fried, while Volume 2’s more diverse selection includes Joseph Mullendore’s The Conscience Of The King and Sol Kaplan’s The Enemy Within from the first season, the whimsical I, Mudd score by Samuel Matlovsky from the second year, and the third year’s Spectre Of The Gun, composed by Jerry Fielding. The shortcomings of these discs are some very irritating synthesized approximations of the organ tones used in the very 1960s original 3 out of 4renditions. On the other hand, these are the only available copies of these specific episodes’ music, and a lot of it is very good indeed, particularly since, unlike the GNP Crescendo releases, much of the music comes from the third season, and therefore was not reused over and over again as often as the earlier music from the first and second seasons.

    Volume One

  1. Is There In Truth No Beauty? by George Duning:
    Enter Miranda / Ambassador Arrival / McCoy’s Toast / Quite a Woman / Marvick Pleads / Marvick Mad / Marvick Berserk / Marvick Dies / Sentimental Jim /Blind Miranda / No Chane / Miranda Mad / Miranda’s Farewell
    (19:58)
  2. The Paradise Syndrome by Gerald Fried:
    Pine Trees / The Amerinds / Tahiti Syndrome / The Brain Wash / Miramanee / Breath of Life / The New God / Dilithium Problem / Wash Day / Salish Fluffed / Potter Kirk / Naming the God / Joining Day / Challenge / The Ceremony / Birth Announcement / False God / Death of Miramanee (19:54)
    Volume Two

  1. The Conscience Of The King by Joseph Mullendore:
    Spaceship Titles / Lenore / Lenore’s Kiss / Everything Is Later / Ophelia Mania / Last Cue
    (8:43)
  2. Spectre Of The Gun by Jerry Fielding:
    Melkot’s Warning / Tomstone / Teeth Pulling / My Name: Doc Holliday / Love Scene in the Old West / Chekov Gets Killed / Ten Minutes / We’re Trapped / Final Curtain
    (15:15)
  3. The Enemy Within by Sol Kaplan:
    The Rock Slide / The Tired Captain / Bruised Knuckles / An Imposter / Undecisive / Alter Ego / Another Brandy / Double Dog Death / Help Me / Thank You, Yeoman
    (13:14)
  4. I, Mudd by Samuel Matlovsky:
    Alice In Wonderland / Mudd’s Series / Tired of Happiness / Stella / The Last Straw / Stella 500
    (8:38)

Released by: Label X
Release date: 1986
Volume One total running time: 39:52
Volume Two total running time: 45:53

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