One of the most engaging aspects is musical spectacle to accompany the thrill and beauty of flight, which is an extremely fetching contrast to the action sequences themselves. Sometimes the two sides to flight are juxtaposed, notably at the outset of The Attack where a moment of abandon is suddenly trumped by a brutal assault of percussion. The Attack, together with First Blood, The Bridge and Retreat are the score's centrepiece cues, all thrilling in their own way, although the complexity and energy of Retreat just about edges out the strong competition and is seven and a half minutes of Goldsmith action as only he could. Perhaps the most notable passages, outside of the action high spots, are those featuring the Love Theme which is surprisingly tender and intimate; a strong contrast to the bravado elsewhere.
The final few score cues are surprisingly introspective and solemn, bringing the listen down from the thrilling high of Retreat. A few pieces of source music close out the album which are of most interest from a completist point of view and after Goldsmith's score, a little redundant. Almost every Goldsmith concert used to feature either the suite from Planet of the Apes or The Blue Max as its centrepiece and having been lucky enough to hear both live, The Blue Max is the one that perhaps benefits from a fine symphony orchestra firing on all cylinders. Naturally, a score from 1966 isn't going to sound pristine and the power of the live experience is a touch difficult to shake off. When layers of brass, percussion and high end strings are piled on top of one another, it does leave one longing for the full range of modern digital stereo, but the performance of the National Philharmonic Orchestra is still a marvel and Goldsmith's music is still a thrilling and sublime achievement.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 62:41