Movie Adagios gathers two discs' worth of adagios, by composers such as
Barber,
Mozart, and
Bach, that have appeared in films ranging from Platoon to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The selections range from pieces that played a large part in the movies in which they were used, such as the Adagio Sostenuto from
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, which appeared in the biopic Immortal Beloved, to pieces from a specially commissioned score, such as "Gabriel's Oboe" from
Ennio Morricone's music for The Mission, to evocative choices like
Debussy's Clair de Lune, which appeared in Frankie and Johnny. Since the selections, composers, and performers -- which include
the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields,
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
Renata Tebaldi,
Kiri Te Kanawa, and
the London Symphony Orchestra -- are first-rate,
Movie Adagios could also work well as a classical music primer in addition to a worthwhile compilation for movie music fans. ~ Heather Phares