The Thorn Birds (The Deluxe Encore Edition) + A Little Princess (The Deluxe Edition) CD Bundle
Thorn Birds Description:
The Thorn Birds became the second-highest rated miniseries of all time when it aired in March 1983, behind only Roots. Based on the 1977 book by Colleen McCullough, the four-part program told the multigenerational story of the Cleary family, settlers in the Australian Outback of the early to mid-20th century, and the forbidden love of matriarch Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward) and the family priest, Father Ralph de Briscassart (Richard Chamberlain). The all-star production won six Emmys, with a further ten nominations including Mancini’s score.
For a career full of landmark achievements in television—from Peter Gunn and Mr. Lucky to the miniseries The Moneychangers—The Thorn Birds is Mancini’s crown jewel. His score is as intimate as it is epic, with a lilting, Irish-flavored dulcimer theme for the Cleary family’s Irish roots and the beauty of the Australian countryside, as well as a bittersweet love theme, given lyrics by Will Jennings as “Anywhere the Heart Goes.” From the haunting moments of introspection to the large-scale setpieces, The Thorn Birds is as good as it gets.
Varèse Sarabande’s 2-CD Deluxe Encore Edition corrects the missing dulcimer melody of the main title from the original 2004 release, and is remastered for better sound and careful removal of sonic artifacts. Liner notes are by television music authority Jon Burlingame.
A Little Princess Description:
A Little Princess (1995) is a cinematic gem from the early career of Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men, Gravity). Based on a 1905 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the fantasy drama is about a young girl subjected to the cruelty of her school headmistress in New York City after learning her father has died. In Cuarón’s masterful hands, the film is a joyous tribute to the power of imagination and the individual spirit.
A Little Princess was the first of two films for Cuarón and Scottish composer Patrick Doyle (the second being Great Expectations). Cuarón and producer Mark Johnson had been impressed with Doyle’s symphonic and choral score for Henry V, his strong melodic sense and dramatic sensitivity.
Doyle provided A Little Princess with a gem of a score, full of heartfelt themes, lilting waltzes, Indian flourishes (the protagonist had been living in India) and a marvelous sense of period storytelling. Choral passages include songs performed by star Liesel Matthews and Doyle’s then-young daughter. Doyle stays true to the ideal of childhood innocence, and the protagonist’s indomitable spirit, while taking the symphonic drama to Shakespearean heights.
Varèse Sarabande’s 28-track 1995 soundtrack album is expanded in this Deluxe Edition with an 11-minute bonus section of unreleased cues and alternates with 7 tracks, including 3 suites. Daniel Schweiger provides new liner notes.