Dimitri Tiomkin

Dimitri Tiomkin's original soundtrack recording of his music for Fall of the Roman Empire -- originally released by Columbia Records in 1964 -- does show its age, and perhaps that of the composer a bit. The various incarnations of the album sound good enough for a soundtrack recording of the early 1960s, though even the recent CDs are lacking some of the rich fidelity that one would hope for in a CD reissue of a full orchestral score. But the main flaw, assuming it is one, lies in the composer's approach, with its emphasis on big, profound moments in the music, as distinct from forward momentum and flow. This is obviously what the composer had in mind with and for his music, but he may have pushed those attributed one notch too far, at least in terms of presenting this score as pure music. In the movie it works fine, but separated from its source and accompaniment, the music needs a little more subtlety and finesse. It's still a good epic score, and a great listening experience, but other interpreters have done a bit more with various parts of it over the decades since. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide