Even if you've never before encountered John Addison's name, you've probably heard his film and television scores. Many of his title themes flaunt stylistic pastiche yet manage to hit the nail on the head in terms of character, mood, and story line. No matter how jaunty and uplifting the tunes, Addison always adds a twist of irony, such as the bent notes in I Was Monty's Double, or the allusions to Wagner's Liebestod in the middle of Sleuth, or the dry, chattery wind and brass counterpoint in Brandy for the Parson. Perhaps Addison's best-known score is the miniature piano concerto underneath the credits in Murder, She Wrote--and you could hardly imagine a more appropriate score. The spooky, sparse dissonances that begin the selection from Torn Curtain evolve into a sweeping, richly scored tune. In addition to short title themes, there are four extended pieces drawn from Addison's scores to Swashbuckler, A Bridge Too Far, Strange Invaders, and The Charge of the Light Brigade. While the performances by Rumon Gamba and the BBC Concert Orchestra are all that anyone could wish, the cavernous sound sometimes blurs details in extremely rapid or thickly orchestrated passages.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com