Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman and the Theremin
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Category: Music CD
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CD Details
Composer: Harry RevelConductor: Billy May
Conductor: Leslie Baxter
Edition: Music CD
Format: Box set, Import
CD Release Date: 1999-05-04
Music Label: Basta Records
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Lunar Rhapsody
- Moon Moods
- Lunette
- Celestial Nocturne
- Mist O' The Moon
- Radar Blues
- Toujours Moi (Always Me)
- Tzigane (Gypsy)
- Possession
- L'ardente Nuit (Ardent Night)
- Jet
- Fame
- This Room Is My Castle Of Quiet
- The Darkness Gives Me You Again
- Remembering Your Lips
- My Troubles Float Away Like Fallen Leaves
- Your Soft Hand On My Brow
- I Dream Of A Past Love
Music reviews of Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman and the Theremin
Music Review: "Easy Listening " music for Martians
Rating: 4 Stars
For those of you who don't know what a Theremin is, I'll explain: Russian-born Leon Theremin (whose own life story was like something out of a 50s "scare" movie) invented this most unusual musical instrument. It operated on the principle of air waves, similar to the static produced when one brought their hands to adjust their radio. A box with a curved coil on one side, a vertical antenna on the other, it produced eerie, humming sounds, which were mistaken by listeners to be human voices. The instrument gained wide fame when utilized in Miklos Rosza's now-legendary score for Alfred Hitchcock's psychological mystery-thriller "Spellbound", as well as "The Lost Weekend", "The Spiral Staircase", and "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman, who was a chiropodist, was the most famous Theremin player of his day. And now, listeners can relax in their living rooms with this delightful boxed-set reissue of three albums featuring Dr. Hoffman, recorded in the mid 1940s thru the early 1950s. The best of the 3 discs is "Music for Peace of Mind", which opens with "This Room is My Castle of Quiet", a number which raises the hairs on the back of my neck. It's soothing in a very eerie way. I thought to myself when listening to this, "WHAT did people think when this was first released? Visions of a Martian Lucy and Ricky relaxing in their living room listening to this stuff flashed through my mind! The other 2 discs, "Perfume Set to Music" and "Music Out of the Moon", arranged by the great Les Baxter, are amusing and unusual. "Perfume", a preposterous concept,is more heavy on a chorus and strings, music one would imagine Lypsinka gliding around opening refrigerator doors to, and "Moon" is a sort of jivey, "hep cat" disc-when the vibraphones play, I had a picture in my mind of a silver-lame space suited Lionel Hampton. The packaging on this set is wonderful-the discs are packaged in reproductions of the original album art covers, and there is an extremely informative booklet with information on Leon Theremin, Dr. Hoffman, and even features a list of films in which he was featured in the musical score. For lovers of the off-beat, this one's for you!
Description of Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman and the Theremin
All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.Originally released as a series of 78 rpm recordings for Capitol in the late 1940s, this set collects the work of Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman, the leading theremin virtuoso of his age. After adding theremin to a number of successful films (most notably, Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, and The Day the Earth Stood Still), Hoffman (a podiatrist by profession) teamed with British composer Harry Revel. The result: three albums that introduced this oddly provocative instrument to the world. On Music Out of the Moon, the tone is optimistic futurism with Hoffman guiding his instrument through dramatic swoops across the universe while an enthusiastic chorus oohs and ahhs at the wonder of it all. With tracks like "Lunar Rhapsody", "Mist O' the Moon," and "Radar Blues", Moon may be the most unintentionally hilarious disc in the set. The second disc, Perfume Set to Music was, according to the liner notes, inspired by "world famous perfumes." The music, of course, is as ridiculous as the concept. The chorus remains on Perfume, but the mood is a bit more sedate, stepping away from futuristic jazz and utilizing more string arrangements. On Music for Peace of Mind, listeners are instructed that "This music has a message, if you will open your mind and heart to receive it. Turn down the lights, relax in an easy chair, and listen. Then, for a few stolen hours, perhaps you will warm to happy memories and blissful hopes." Oh, you will, all right, you will. --S. Duda
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