About the Soundtrack: I've recently had the good fortune of connecting with the folks over at Naxos Records to review their line of classic film and symphonic scores. The first release I've received is Dmitry Shostakovich's score for, The Girlfriends. Also included on the CD are his works, Salute to Spain, Rule Brittania!, and his Symphonic Movement from 1945. The content on the disc is separated by individual tracks, which number up to 39 altogether, and features highly informative details in the liner notes about how the score and movements came to be. This is a rare case where the insert of the CD is nearly as entertaining (and educational) as the content on the disc!

What You Need to Know:  To grasp onto the music from Shostakovich's, The Girlfriends, one must adjust their modern listening tendencies and be able to accept this score is from the classical music generation. This release is by no means an attempt to move in on the current field of film scores as this soundtrack dates all the way back to 1934. Much like Sergei Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky, this is a listening engagement that will prove to be satisfying if you are willing to accept the terms in which it arrives -- which is purely classical, technically excellent, and thematically rich. The score was expertly reconstructed from various original sources, including the soundtrack from 1934 and a number of recently discovered preludes.

The Girlfriends makes up much of the soundtrack, offering 23 tracks from the classic Russian movie, and serves as an interesting peak at the strategies behind the early techniques of film scoring. I paid a close attention to the pacing, the recurring themes and the overall structure of how this music must have sounded in the context of the movie. I then also imagined the "what if" scenario of Shostakovich (or any of the other greats) being around today to write film music and how it would have sounded. The liner notes do a far better job than I ever could at breaking down the technical makeup of the score, but on an entertainment level, Shostakovich provides an experience that is easy to get swept away in. Always known for his strong cultural themes, The Girlfriends provides many nice touches of Russian motifs, both by its quietly calibrated underscore and by the choral segments but you won't hear any aggressive military marches or rousing, patriotic fanfare (even though the time frame of the movie takes place during the Russian Civil War). This is, by and large, more of a refined, dramatic offering from the maestro and takes its cues from the various stages in the film.

The treasure trove of material on the disc is further complimented by Rule, Britannia!, Salute to Spain, and the unfinished Symphonic Movement (1945). The Britannia segment is regal while the Salute to Spain is a bit more culturally infused (with an obvious Russian influence in the choral sections). The 6+ plus minutes of the Symphonic Movement makes for a worthwhile study and is a nice touch to add to the collection. In all, these three "bonus" segments make for a sturdy companion to The Girlfriends. I must also note that the retail price of the CD is quite affordable, thus I would recommend a physical purchase and not a download (seriously, the liner notes are worth the purchase alone).

Final Score: Let's go old school with Mr. Dmitry Shostakovich! Take a break from the electronic aggression of today's synth-based soundtracks with this excellent classical film music score. At the very least, it will provide an interesting window to the past when theatrical films were in their infancy and the great maestros were first getting their hands on them.