"Three Chorale Suites"
Score Composed by Miklos Rozsa
Conducted by Erich Kunzel
Audio Clips: Suite of Bethlehem | Ave Caesar March

When one talks about epic film scores, one does not need to look further than the works from the great Miklos Rosza. With "Three Choral Suites", we have some of his best work represented by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, accompanied by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The selections of these three suites were being made by Rosza up to the time of his death, but alas he was never able to see it through to completion. The gauntlet was picked up by his colleagues, and thus, we're treated to a fantastic re-recording of selections from "Ben Hur", "Quo Vadis", and "King of Kings." Each of these scores are broken up into individual suites, naturally, which makes for a superb pacing.

The album begins with selections chosen from "Ben Hur" which really stand out when compared to the original masters from the late 50s. The performances breathe a new life into the music and modernizes the sound quality. When listening to it, I really marveled at the proficient writing from Rosza, with so many themes working together to form a singular, stunning canvas.

While most of the key "Ben Hur" moments are accounted for, including "The Parade of the Charioteers", the elusive track from the original entitled "A Mother's Love" is still absent. While not a glaring omission to most, this musical piece continues to be overlooked on the various re-recordings of this score. I must say that excluding that track put a slight damper on the proceedings because I deem it to be one of the finest pieces of music of all time.

Still, though, I won't sob over it for too long. There's enough excellence to go around as the suite from "Quo Vadis" soon proves. The choral music within the first track is simply epic, and the fanciful march which follows it is quite enjoyable as well. The entire suite presents a familiar yet original sounding blend of 'Roman' music that was enjoyed during the previous suite for "Ben Hur."

"King of Kings" rounds out the musical trilogy on this disc with music of equal value. The voices of the choir coupled with the skill set of The Cincinnati Pops conclude this disc with high enjoyment as "King of Kings" never sounded better. Fans of the original will certainly be impressed with this.

If you've ever been curious about where John Williams may have found his inspiration, you'll be able to hear it through Rosza's work. The leitmotif, the fanfare, the melodies -- it's all there.

Highly recommended.

Audio Clips: Suite of Bethlehem | Ave Caesar March