5/5 "Essential Music of Hans Zimmer ... City of Prague ... Silva Screen Records"
  by J. Lovins (Missouri-USA)
Silva America brings to the table another music maker with "FILM MUSIC OF HANS ZIMMER", all the splendor of this composer on 2 CD's --- An excellent opportunity to discover ZIMMER for those who still don't know his scores, moreover in orchestro/synthetical arrangements which will certainly arouse his fans' curiosity --- to have a first comprehensive approach of the composer's work --- recreated with all the gusto by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Crouch End Festival Chorus, under the ever ready batons of Nic Raine and James Fitzpatrick --- all individually wrapped-up into one neat package --- just the way "film-score-buffs" like 'em!

A list of the selections from the Hans Zimmer Film Score Book (in the order in which they appear)

Disc One:

1. Gladiator - Gladiator Suite
2. Gladiator - Now We Are Free (vocal)
3. The Thin Red Line - The Village
4. Thelma & Louise - Main Theme
5. The Da Vinci Code - Chevaliers De Sangreal
6. The Da Vinci Code - Kyrie For The Magdalene
7. Rain Man - Las Vegas
8. Rain Man - Main Theme
9. Days Of Thunder - Days Of Thunder
10.Pearl Harbor - Heart Of The Volunteer
11.The Last Samurai - The Last Samurai

Disc Two:

1. Crimson Tide - Roll Tide
2. Crimson Tide - Eternal Father, Strong To Slave
3. Green Card - Restless Elephants
4. Regarding Henry - Walking, Talking Man
5. Batman Begins - Eptesicus
6. Hannibal - Vide Cor Meum
7. True Romance - You're So Cool
8. Driving Miss Daisy - End Credits
9. The Rock - The Rock
10.Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - The Kraken
11.Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl - Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Bonus Track:
12.Gladiator - Now We Are Free (Instrumental version)

Arrangements & Orchestrations :

1. Nic Raine (Gladiator, Now We Are Free (with Gareth Williams)
2. Matt Hohensee (The Thin Red Line)
3. Gareth Williams (Now We Are Free (with Nick Raine), Thelma & Louise, Green Card, Driving Miss Daisy
4. Christopher Tin (The Da Vinci Code, Chevaliers De Sangreal, The Last Samurai, Pirates Of The Carribean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl
5. Richard Harvey : The Da Vinci Code & Kyrie For The Magdalene
6. Mark Ayres (arranger & performer) : Rain Man, Days Of Thunder, Regarding Henry, The Rock (arranger with Nic Raine)
7. Dominic Nunns : Crimson Tide, Pirates of The Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest
8. Adam Saunders : Batman Begins
9. Patrick Cassidy : Hannibal
10.Dan Head : True Romance

Additional Keyboards & Percussion on "Now We Are Free", "Thelma & Louise", "Chevalier de Sangreal", "Crimson Tide", "Green Card", "Driving Miss Daisy" & "The Kraken" by Gareth Williams

Silva Screen Records has brought film music to another level in soundtracks, flawless from the very first note to the last, pure perfection --- There is no other label I know of today that could come close to what they have done in film score/soundtrack albums --- All in all, this outstanding, fantastic and moving release with awesome material will have film music collectors crying for more!

Must ask the following to take a bow ~ James Fitzpatrick (compilation producer), always in their pitching, Reynold da Silva (executive producer), Rick Clark and Gareth Williams (associate producers) a tremendous asset to every project they undertake --- and the label which made it all possible ... Silva America --- and of course HANS ZIMMER our featured composer.

Total Time: 107 mins on 2 CD's ~ SILCD 1238 ~ (6/26/2007)

5/5 All the Silva Zimmer tracks under one roof
  by tjguitar
Silva's newest composer compilation is a great addition to it's "Essential" line of CD releases.

There are plenty of new tracks here conducted by producer James Fitzpatrick (Crimson Tide, The Thin Red Line, Thelma & Louise, The Da Vinci Code, Green Card, Driving Miss Daisy, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.)

Recycled tracks from previous Silva Screen CDs are:
Gladiator - Symphonic Suite - 2002's The Fantasy Album and 2005's EPICS
Gladitor - Now We Are Free (Vocal) - 2005's Epics
The Da Vinci Code - Kyrie for the Magdelene - 2006's Greatest Cinema Choral Classics
Rain Man - 1994's Music from the Films of Tom Cruise
Days of Thunder - 1994's Music from the Films of Tom Cruise
Pearl Harbor - 2004's Longest Day: Ultimate World War Themes
The Last Samurai - 2005's EPICS
Batman Begins - 2006's Comic Strip Heroes
Hannibal - 2001's Cinema Choral Classics III
The Rock - 1998's Hollywood Stars: Music from the Films of Sean Connery
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl - 2005's EPICS
Gladitor - Now We Are Free (Instrumental) - 2004's Reel Chill


Highly recommended for fans who are not familiar with Hans Zimmer's music, or those who want to hear a different take on it.

Producer James Fitzpatrick states in the informative liner notes that "the orchestrators, arrangers and myself decided to go for a totally symphonic approach and treatment of the music : as if the music has been arranged for the concert hall....Other tracks are all essentially orchestral but with a few subtle synthetic additives, mostly in the "bottom end" and the percussion department."

Definitely worth a spin, and a welcome release to put all the Silva Zimmer tracks in one fine collection.

Edited to add: Mark Ayres provides (uncredited) additional keyboards and percussion on "The Rock".

2/5 Just get the albums
  by Mr. N. J. Sherring (Birmingham, UK)
I am a big fan of Zimmer in general, he has done some of my favourite scores. however i don't think this double CD is really worth buying unless you are new to Zimmer and want a brief overview of some of his work. There's seems a couple of odd choices on here when there is so much classic stuff to choose from, and i would thoroughly recommend getting the scores seperately to any film you may have seen which caught your ear.I don't think the arrangments here particularly add anything to the experience either, and if like me yuo enjoy the scores partyl as a memory of the film, i think you're better off with the original tracks and arrangments.
Shame, could have been better.

5/5 fabulous!
  by Tracy McCallon (Oxnard, CA. USA)
CD arrived very quickly and in perfect condition. I would recommend this seller to all my friends. Regards, Tracy

5/5 GREAT MUSIC FROM HANS ZIMMER
  by RosieJ (Irondale, Al USA)
GREAT MUSIC FROM THIS CD,HANS ZIMMER IS ALWAYS GREAT BUT THIS CD BEATS THEM ALL