Welcome. Our goal is to promote all facets of the Tiomkin catalog, including performances of his work, soundtrack recordings, and scholarly articles, as well as general research and study.
This page will focus on items of current interest, including concert performances, newly recorded soundtracks or archival recordings, and other timely information.
Thanks to Olivia Tiomkin Douglas for her generous support of this venture.
Please visit often.
October 2003
Barbra Streisand records Wild Is the Wind
Barbra Streisand's latest CD, The Movie Album, features a diverse slate of songs written for films. One of the tracks, "Wild Is the Wind," was written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington for the 1957 Paramount film of the same name. Performed by Johnny Mathis, it is heard over the film's opening credits. The Academy Award-nominated song has since been covered by such artists and instrumentalists as Nina Simone, David Bowie, George Michael, and Kenny Burrell. Streisand's version, backed by a 75-piece orchestra, was recorded at the Sony Pictures scoring stage in Culver City, California, in spring 2003. A bonus DVD disc contains a video of Streisand recording the song. Reviews can be found at www.barbrastreisand.com. Samples are available at various Web sites, including Amazon.com.
www.sonymusicstore.com (item number 090742)
August 2003
The Big Sky soundtrack released by BYU Film Music Archives
Dimitri Tiomkin's score for The Big Sky has been released by Brigham Young University Film Music Archives. Howard Hawks directed this 1952 RKO adventure film starring Kirk Douglas. The original motion picture soundtrack was restored from disc recordings housed in the Dimitri Tiomkin Collection at the Cinema-Television Library at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Nearly eighty minutes of orchestral music is contained in the twenty-eight tracks. BYU's James D'Arc provides an essay on the film and Bill Whitaker supplied the music notes.
This limited edition compact disc, produced by James D'Arc and Ray Faiola, can be ordered from Screen Archives Entertainment (BYU FMADT111). All proceeds go toward the acquisition and preservation of film music elements at BYU's film music archive.
http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm?ID=3383&user=
June 2003
Warner Home Video releases Giant special edition DVD
A two-DVD set of Giant has been released by Warner Home Video in the United States and Canada. Dimitri Tiomkin composed and conducted the music for this Texas cattle ranching family drama. The 1956 Warner Bros. film was directed by George Stevens and starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean. "Behind-the-Cameras: A Visit with Dimitri Tiomkin," a filmed six-minute interview regarding the creation of the music score, is among the bonus material.
The DVD can be ordered from www.amazon.com.
May 2003
Apple iTunes releases Tiomkin songs
Songs written for film by Dimitri Tiomkin are available from Apple as online downloads at the iTunes Music Store. Among the selections are "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)," "Rawhide," "Wild Is the Wind," and three tracks from The Alamo. Performing artists include Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, and Tex Ritter.
At present, a Macintosh computer running Mac OS X (system 10) is needed to connect to iTunes. Individual songs may be purchased for US$0.99. Once purchased, the downloaded tracks are saved in your iTunes library and may be burned to a CD or transferred to an iPod and up to three Macs.
Songs may be purchased at www.apple.com/itunes.
Red River soundtrack released by Marco Polo Classic Film Score series
Dimitri Tiomkin's score for Red River has been released as part of Marco Polo's Classic Film Score series. Billed as the first complete digital recording of the score, it features performances by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by William Stromberg. Howard Hawks directed this 1948 United Artists Western starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. More than one hour of orchestral music is contained in the thirty-seven tracks.
The thirty-two page booklet includes a preface by Stromberg, liner notes by Jack Smith with the film's production history and cue-by-cue commentary, and music notes by composer-orchestrator John Morgan. Morgan reconstructed the score from the original orchestrations by Lucien Cailliet and Paul Marquardt which are housed in the Dimitri Tiomkin Collection at the Cinema-Television Library at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
"We felt, a new digital stereo recording would present this music in its best light, bringing out the timbre and subtleties that previously were only heard when Tiomkin was standing in front of the live orchestra conducting this music to picture," Morgan explains. The music was recorded at Mosfilm Studio in Moscow, Russia in February and March 2002.
The soundtrack (Marco Polo 8.225217) can be ordered from Naxos.
http://www.naxos.com/naxos/naxos_marco_polo.htm
April 2003
36 Hours soundtrack releasedby Film Score Monthly Golden Age Classics
Dimitri Tiomkin's score for 36 Hours has been released as part of Film Score Monthly's Golden Age Classics series. Available for the first time on CD, the complete score has been remixed and digitally remastered in stereo from the original three-track masters. George Seaton directed this 1964 MGM spy thriller starring James Garner, Rod Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint. In addition to nearly one hour of orchestral music, the disc contains three bonus tracks, including piano demos and a vocal version of the theme song, "A Heart Must Learn to Cry," and the main title, performed by a jazz trio. The liner notes describe the film's production history and give track-by-track commentary, with detailed information on the placement of unused cues. The music was originally recorded at the MGM scoring stage in Culver City, California, in August and September 1964.