Program Notes

“From the day I plunged you in the river to give you life, I loved you as I loved the steppes. You were my pride! I gave you life. It is onme to take it away from you.”’

These are the words of the Cossack chief, Taras Bulba (Yul Brynner with a scalp lock), to his son, Andrei (Tony Curtis) in Taras Bulba (United Artists, 1962). The film is based on the story by author Nikolai Gogol and set on the steppes (flatlands) of 16th Century Russia. Bulbas has vowed to fight to the death to regain these lands from Polish invaders. However, another problem develops when the headstrong Andrei falls in love with a Polish noblewoman, (Christine Kaufmann). Directed by J. Lee Thompson, with Argentina doubling for the Russian steppes, the movie’s love story between Curtis and Kaufmann turned into a real one. (On February 8, 1963, she became his second wife, after his divorce from Janet Leigh.)

Waxman has provided a wide variety of moods for this story of treachery, revenge, victory and death. He called the music an “ unusually challenging assignment, not only from the standpoint of composition, but also as far as orchestration and rhythmical invention is concerned. [It] demanded the flavor of [a] proud and unconquerable spirit, combined with the harmonic and rhythmical palette of contemporary music.” Fortunately, just before writing the score, Waxman was invited by the Soviet government to conduct, in concert, six major orchestras of the USSR. The historic tour lasted two months and included Kiev, in the heart of the Ukraine. While there he had the opportunity to study the folk music of the Ukrainian people and apply it to his Taras Bulba score.

The Ride of the Cossacks is, simply put, one of the great pieces of 20th century film music. Taras and his sons have left the farm, and are on their way to Dubno for battle. En route, as more and more Cossack brothers join the hard riding Bulba, and become a sabre-wielding horde, the music increases in volume and orchestral effects. Originally titled The Ride to Dubno, it is a brass section tour de force. According to Waxman’s son, John, Ride has been played as a freestanding concert piece in halls throughout the world. Composer Bernard Herrmann, no slouch in the film-composing department himself, called Waxman’s complete work, “the score of a lifetime.” Waxman was 56 years old when he wrote the score, but film music historian Christopher Palmer points out that, “ it is a young man’s music in its exuberance, dashing colors and whiplash energy.”

The beguiling and haunting love theme Waxman wrote for Natalia (Kaufmann) and called The Wishing Star, was introduced in the cue for a sleigh ride, followed later in the film in a dance sequence and love scene, where a chorus is heard singing, The Wishing Star, with lyrics by Mack David. (Other Waxman movie themes given words, include the title songs from Beloved Infidel [1959] and Cimarron [1960], both with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.)

Taras Bulba was Waxman’s twelfth and last Oscar nomination. He lost to Maurice Jarre’s music for Lawrence of Arabia (1962). But it was a great year! In addition to Waxman and Jarre, the other Best Original Score nominees included Elmer Bernstein’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Bronislau Kaper’s Mutiny On The Bounty and Jerry Goldsmith’s Freud. Kaper had been originally set to write the music for Taras Bulba, but was scoring Mutiny and recommend Waxman. Both men wrote scores worthy of nominations and both wrote scores which outshone the films themselves.

– Jim Brown

Franz Waxman wrote for the soundtrack re-recording liner notes:

To compose the music for Taras Bulba was an unusually challenging assignment. Not only from the standpoint of composition, but also as far as orchestration and rhythmical invention is concerned. Here was a subject that demanded the flavor of the proud and unconquerable spirit of Ukrainian Cossacks of the sixteenth century combined with the harmonic and rhythmical palette of contemporary music. Fortunately, just before writing the Taras Bulba music, I was invited by the Soviet government to conduct the major orchestras of the U.S.S.R. in 6 symphony concerts. This took me to Kiev, one of the oldest Russian cities situated in the heart of the Ukraine. This gave me added opportunity to study the folk music of the Ukrainian people…

He went on to describe “The Ride of the Cossacks”:

Taras (Yul Brynner) and his sons leave their farm to meet with other Cossack tribes on their way to Dubno. As more and more Cossack brothers join the hard riding Taras, the music increases in volume and
orchestral effects.

The first CD recording is by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic, as part of a compact disc Sunset Boulevard: The Classic Film Scores by Franz Waxman (RCA/SONY). This music has also been recorded by Erich Kunzel with the Cincinnati Pops on the “Vintage Hollywood” CD (Telarc). The complete soundtrack for Taras Bulba (including The Ride of the Cossacks) was finally recorded in 2011 by Nic Raine with the City of Prague Philharmonic (Tadlow).

– John Waxman