Cinema Serenade, Vol. 1

On this disc of themes and songs from famous movies, the playing's the thing that beguiles ear and heart. The music varies in quality, but it captures the national and emotional flavor of the films, sometimes aided, sometimes overwhelmed by the orchestration. André Previn's and John Williams's compositions and arrangements stand out. Except for one lively Irish dance, the basic mood is wistful, nostalgic, melancholy, and always sentimental, but Perlman can turn pure corn into pure gold. His tone is ravishingly, exquisitely beautiful. Focused and intense, it sings, shimmers, and glows, soaring into the highest register with radiant ecstasy. Equally remarkably, he brings no less seriousness, care, and expressiveness to this music than to his customary repertoire, yet projects a sense of having a wonderful time. The arrangements, especially those by Williams, seem tailor-made to his strengths, giving him plenty of chances to display his virtuosity, flair, gypsy abandon, improvisatory freedom, and infinite charm, and he uses them to the hilt. Listeners familiar with the films may find their favorite tunes freshly illuminated; the uninitiated could not wish for a more persuasive introduction to the style. --Edith Eisler