V1 Space And Beyond Space And Beyond Soundtrack CD

All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.
A highly entertaining two-disc set that mixes newly-created sound effects with newly recorded excerpts from motion picture scores. As you might expect from a title such as this, the references are there to 2001: A Space Odyssey -- however, as a delightful change of pace, we are treated to two excerpts from Alex North's unused score for the film, as well as the usual excerpt from Also Sprach Zarathustra... The City of Prague Philharmonic, under the able baton of Nic Raine, works its way through cues from Apollo 13, The Right Stuff, Species, Lifeforce, Alien, Capricorn One, Cocoon, The Black Hole (a suite that demonstrates very well why the album of this John Barry score has been in high demand since its release), The Empire Strikes Back, Heavy Metal (an excellent reading of Elmer Bernstein's Taarna's Theme, complete with Theremin voice), Enemy Mine, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (although "The Conversation" stops after the opening sally, to be followed by the end titles, an idea that falls flat on its keister), Star Wars and the entire history of Star Trek.
Star Trek, in fact, is the focus of the second disc -- North's 2001 cues and an enthusiastic reading of the Star Wars main title open the disc, but after that it's Star Trek all the way, with arrangements of main titles from TV shows, TV cues, film overtures, film end titles and assorted suites. The overall selection of music is excellent, though Jerry Goldsmith's ST:TMP main title music does recur a little too often, while the renditions of his Klingon theme tend to be a little limp, thanks to weakness in the use of percussion. Overall, a wonderful-sounding release, given additional depth and power by the use of Dolby Surround in the mixing stage. ~ Steven McDonald