In conjunction with the publication of the Dimitri Tiomkin Anthology by Hal Leonard Corporation, more than a dozen Tiomkin songs have been reinterpreted in brand new recordings by vocalists Whitney Claire Kaufman and Darice Richman Cooper. In addition, pianist Leah Parker has recorded a number of selections for solo piano. The recording sessions commenced in October 2007, with Olivia Tiomkin Douglas in attendance.
Whitney Kaufman
Whitney Kaufman’s sessions took place at Entourage Studios in North Hollywood in October 2008. In the business for twenty-plus years, Entourage is the choice of many production companies. Films and television shows from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to That Thing You Do! have recorded there. Kaufman recorded a number of songs, including “The First Christmas,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Land of the Pharaohs,” and “The Prince and Princess Wedding Waltz (Grace Kelly Wedding Waltz).” An experienced performer in live theater, Kaufman brings her singing and acting technique to two of Tiomkin’s stage songs, the “Rockette Song” from The Big Revue and “Sweet Surrender” from the musical of the same name. These gems will certainly spotlight Tiomkin’s less well known song oeuvre. Providing piano accompaniment at the Entourage session was Alan Steinberger, a studio musician well versed in a variety of mediums, including film, television, video games, commercials, and albums. He was notably featured on Alex Wurman’s score for March of the Penguins. A highly versatile performer, Steinberger brings together classical, jazz, and other genres.
Darice Richman Cooper
Darice Richman Cooper lent her vocal talent to some of the best-known Tiomkin songs, including “Wild Is the Wind.” Her recording sessions were held at world-famous Capitol Studios, housed in the iconic Capitol Records tower in Hollywood, California. Tiomkin himself recorded songs at Capitol, including the song from The Adventures of Hajji Baba with Nat “King” Cole. Richman Cooper recorded in Capitol Studio A in October 2007 and July 2008.
The vocalist performs the French-language love theme “Quand Je Reve” (When I Dream), from The Big Sky (1952). The plaintive song’s simple harmonies evoke the film’s Western frontier theme. Accompanying Richman Cooper was the inimitable pianist John Eidsvoog. Though known primarily by L.A. industry veterans for the premier film-score music copying service he operates with his wife, Julie, Eidsvoog is also a gifted pianist. He mastered in jazz composition at the New England Conservatory, and his piano stylings often boast jazz characteristics and voicings.
Leah Parker
Like Whitney Kaufman, pianist Leah Parker’s solo sessions were at Entourage Studios in March 2009. Parker’s renditions are taken verbatim from the music as published in the Anthology and arranged by Tiomkin himself. The acoustics at Entourage, with its high vaulted ceilings, are perfectly suited to chamber music, and the studio’s in-house Yamaha grand piano records magnificently in the space. Playing with remarkable precision, the gifted young pianist recorded each piece in only a few takes.
The three solos recorded by Parker were selected to showcase the range of Tiomkin’s talent. The “Adieux” from Lost Horizon (1937) is classically structured in nineteenth-century harmony. The “Nostalgia” from Angel Face (1953) highlights Tiomkin’s modernistic leanings, with chromatic harmony more reminiscent of Gabriel Fauré or other, modern (at that time) composers. By the time of “The Fall of Love” from The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), the music is rendered in his signature style. One of Tiomkin’s earliest solo piano works, the virtuosic “Quasi Jazz,” was also recently recorded by Parker.
The sound mastering for the nearly forty minutes of music was carried out by engineer John Polito at Audio Mechanics. Orchestrator Patrick Russ, who edited the Anthology with Paul Henning and Warren Sherk, oversaw the recording sessions. Olivia Tiomkin Douglas hopes that hearing these songs recast in new interpretations will inspire other singers and performers to record songs from the Dimitri Tiomkin Anthology. To that end, “The First Christmas” is seeing an increase in performances and “The Prince and Princess Wedding Waltz,” written by Tiomkin for Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco, could easily become a standard vocal or instrumental at weddings.
“Experiencing Dimitri’s music in new settings has been an exciting and rewarding process,” says Russ. “We hope to continue bringing gems that haven’t been heard in many years the attention they deserve.” Decide for yourself: listen to an excerpt from Whitney Kaufman’s fine rendition of “Land of the Pharaohs” or from any of the other eleven tracks. Purchase the Anthology print volume and you will receive a password to download exclusive recordings of new renditions of twelve selections from the Anthology.
Performer biographies
Whitney Claire Kaufman has been heard as both a singer and voice-over performer in various television productions, notably The Secret of NIMH 2 and the MGM animated series All Dogs Go to Heaven. An honors graduate of Chapman University with a degree in theater performance, she has appeared in numerous stage productions in Southern California. In March 2007 she joined the North American tour of the musical Mamma Mia! as a member of the ensemble, understudying the part of Sophie in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and other cities. 2009 has been a busy year for this rising star. In March Kaufman traveled to Kuala Lumpur for an appearance with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in a program of Academy Award-winning songs. In April she sang the national anthem prior to a Southern California Australian Football League charity match in Santa Monica to raise funds for victims of the Australian wildfires. This July, she performs with Orange County’s Pacific Symphony in “Disney in Concert—Magical Music from the Movies.”
Darice Richman Cooper is a singer and actress. As a character actress, her most notable appearance was in the film Primary Colors (1998) starring John Travolta. As a singer, she has recorded a number of Christmas albums, made television appearances with the Jimmy Joyce Singers, and sung background vocals on the Grammy-nominated album Frank Sinatra Trilogy: Past, Present & Future. Her vocals can be heard on such cast and studio recordings as Goys and Dolls; Say Oy Vey, a parody of the musical Cabaret; and the novelty album Kosher Christmas Carols. Richman Cooper is a respected political activist and fundraiser for various political and social causes. She is active with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Society of Singers, and the Young Musicians Foundation, for which she serves on the Business Advisory Council. She is a Life Member of Professional Musicians Local 47 in Los Angeles. Her husband is entertainment attorney and erstwhile musician Jay Cooper.
Leah Parker earned a master of arts in music in piano performance and ethnomusicology from the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC), specializing in keyboard works by composers throughout history that were written for or against the wars of their eras, such as Amy Beach’s Balkan Variations (1903), on the 1902 bombings in the Macedonia region. She currently serves as music director at Mount Madonna middle and high schools in Watsonville, California, both performing arts schools for music and theater arts. She gives private piano instruction to students of all ages and skill levels, teaching styles ranging from classical to the blues. Parker also performs with her group Duets on Broadway, in smaller chamber ensembles, and as a soloist. The Southern California native has been playing piano since the age of four and began accompanying singers and others when she was in elementary school. She is currently accompanist to the Cabrillo College chorus. When Parker is not performing or composing, she enjoys riding and caring for her horses.