Orchestral Score to THE MERRY WIDOW. Where did it come from?

Gagman 66 · Post by **Gagman 66** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:05 pm

A couple weeks ago a person I had literally just met sent me a complete recording in MP-3 file format of a Full-Orchestral score to Von Stroheim's THE MERRY WIDOW. I have no idea where this recording originated. Has anyone here heard a recording of an Orchestral score to this film before? My best guess is it is probably an arrangement by either Jillian Anderson, or Robert Israel.

TCM only shows the film with a Theater Organ score recorded back in the early to Mid-90's. At least so far that has been the version that they are running. It is on the January schedule too.

DShepFilm · Post by **DShepFilm** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:25 pm

I'm not aware it was recorded, at least openly so; but the likely suspect is a beautiful score by Maud Nielssen which used the Lehar music as well as her own, and was performed as the opening night event earlier this month at Pordenone.

The film is superb anyway, but this music lifted it even higher.

David Shepard

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:31 pm

David, glad to see you like The Merry Widow, which seems to always get ignored or underrated. It's a terrific, florid piece of filmmaking with great performances by John Gilbert and the erratic Mae Murray (in her best film performance).

Gagman 66 · Post by **Gagman 66** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:43 pm

David,

I thought of that. But It is not the Maud Nielssen score. Because this is taken from a German VHS of THE MERRY WIDOW (or at least that is what the guy told me, have no reason to doubt him), so it was recorded sometime ago. There is no audience noise in the background. The recording has been cleaned up and sounds fantastic. No credits were given. It appears to be derived from the actual Operetta itself, and is probably a live performance of the 1925 score, or pretty darn close to it.

Would love to hear Maud's score to THE PATSY. I know that it does exist someplace. Photoplay having the rights. So it never runs on TCM.

A surprisingly enchanting portrait of a younger Mae Murray