Arthur Bliss has passed to the history of the film music thanks to his pioneer score for Things To Come (1935), an exceptional work, but the rest of his film work has suffered an unwarranted forgetfulness, due perhaps to the scarce echo outside of the British frontiers of the films in those he participated. The most known of all is Christopher Columbus (1949), a laughable and aged version of the America discovery only recalled by the performance of Fredric March, and that it has its only strong point in the excellent music of Bliss, whose attempt of offering a balance among a purely Hispanic touch and the universal adventure in the one which is straddled, as well as his vibrant orchestration, can be corroborated in the extense suite here included. Of the others two movies it emphasizes their serious and classic tone, especially in Men of Two Worlds (1945), whose history of an African composer/pianist that returns to his land permits him to create a short Concerto for Piano, Baraza, that deserved the honor of be recorded in its time, though the rest of the music here included will be absolutely westernly.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (Suite) (1949) - 24:06
SEVEN WAVES AWAY (3 Orchestral Pieces) (1956) - 8:17
MEN OF TWO WORLDS (Piano Concerto 'Baraza') (1945) - 6:57
MEN OF TWO WORLDS (Excerpts) (1945) - 9:34
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava) - Conductor: Adriano
MARCO POLO 8.223315 / 50'

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