Laurence Rosenthal

Such a beautiful reunion this project has given Laurence Rosenthal and myself. Larry and I have a friendship that goes back to 1992, when we first worked together on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Larry had, of course, become a legendary composer decades before he and I met. I came to Young Indy as a young enthusiastic fan who had first fallen in love with his music in scores like The Return of a Man Called Horse and Clash of the Titans. When I heard he was going to be scoring Young Indy, I could not have been more excited to make the soundtrack deal for Varèse Sarabande Records, where I was then producing.

To this day, I consider the resulting four Young Indy volumes, with music by Laurence Rosenthal and Joel McNeely, to be among my very best releases and the show to be one of the best-scored series in television history. Assembling each of those CDs meant long hours in the mastering studio with each composer. I remember long days turning into very late nights. They were marathon sessions, which also gave us long hours to talk, bond and become friends.

Later years would see me release further soundtracks of Larry’s, including, in 2003, a Deluxe Edition of The Return of a Man Called Horse, which was a particularly exciting release as we were adding approximately 22 minutes of previously unreleased music to the original LP’s running time. In 2005 I released his musical adaption of The Man of La Mancha, where Rosenthal was music director for the likes of Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren. Prior to this new recording, my most recent Rosenthal release was the Brass Target CD debut in 2014.

Larry turned out to be one of the very last people I saw before the pandemic shut down our world in early 2020 at a dinner party in Los Angeles. I was so happy to see Larry looking so well and being full of such energy all these years later. This was such a fortuitous occasion because it firmly put into my mind the idea that I could not think of anyone more deserving of the World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award. At the WSA Advisory Board meeting that followed the 2022 World Soundtrack Awards ceremony and concert, I had the opportunity to propose Laurence Rosenthal for consideration for the 2023 edition, to which Board President Dirk Brossé and everyone present were very responsive.
When plans were fully underway for the next WSA concert, the Film Fest Gent team sent out an invitation and asked me to reach out to Larry. His own enthusiasm and acceptance of the award were immediate. Shortly after that, we received a surprise second invitation. In addition to the award, the festival wanted to dedicate its annual recording to celebrate the music and career of the great Laurence Rosenthal.

It felt like being in a time warp, where, in 2023, I was helping to prepare – along with Thomas Van Parys – a new album recording with my dear composer friend, including suites from scores going all the way back to the very beginning of his career. Thankfully we were reaping the benefits of Larry always taking meticulous care of his musical archives, so we were able to locate every cue from every score that we wanted to include.

What a truly historic occasion this is, for all of us! Scores like The Miracle Worker, Requiem for a Heavyweight, A Raisin in the Sun and Becket were performed by the Brussels Philharmonic sixty years after they were composed – with the composer in attendance. Also represented on this album are the blockbusters, like Clash of the Titans, The Return of a Man Called Horse and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, the composer’s first Emmy Award win, Michelangelo: The Last Giant, and so many more.

I know that listeners are all in for an extraordinary treat. Laurence Rosenthal is a master composer from an era when his legendary colleagues included the likes of Leonard Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, and Elmer Bernstein. Rosenthal’s early memories include attending a piano recital by Sergei Rachmaninoff and having lunch with Dimitri Tiomkin! I am excited for Larry himself to hear so many highlights from his life’s work performed for him live by the Brussels Philharmonic, magnificently conducted by my longtime friend Dirk. I am excited for the musicians of the orchestra to be able to both record and perform this music live as part of the WSA ceremony in the presence of the composer! I am excited for music lovers all over the world who, if they should be less familiar with Rosenthal’s work, maybe in for quite a discovery. And I am particularly excited for all the Laurence Rosenthal fans who will be able to hear this wonderful and glorious new recording and celebrate with us. My jaw was absolutely on the floor when I first heard the orchestra strings play A Raisin in the Sun. It was as though I was hearing it for the very first time.

When the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at the 2023 World Soundtrack Awards ceremony, we will be a few weeks shy of Larry’s 97th birthday on November 4. These last six months have offered a new and miraculous adventure for Larry and I to share and to each add to the cherished musical memories or our lives.

– Robert Townson