After three volumes of Cinema Choral Classics, Silva have cobbled together the "greatest" bits onto this one double album. Predictably, this is not a collection for the avid collector, but makes for an enjoyable two hour aural blast. With almost depressing predictability, the first disc kicks off with everyone's favourite paean to deep sea fish, O Fortuna from Carmina Burana which, in common with most of the louder outings, is a little blustery and heavy. The overall tone is a bit monolithic and one longs for some lightness here and there. For all the previously released music on here, Silva are commendably up to date with the inevitable Battle of the Heroes from Revenge of the Sith which, again, is quite granitic in performance, although the more deliberate pace works in places - notably the opening - but where it should build momentum, it gets stodgy. On the other hand, the Kyrie for the Magdalene from The Da Vinci Code gets a lovely performance although I imagine Zimmer fans will be staggered that it's the Richard Harvey work and not Zimmer's own underscore here. However, fine though much of Zimmer's score is, this is a much better stand alone piece.

Other more recent entries include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Harry Gregson-Williams and the finale cue here certainly makes it sound like a better score than it actually is. Then again, even this tends to fade from the memory seconds after it concludes. A good chunk of the finale of Howard's King Kong gets a fine airing, although hearing Evenstar from Shore's Fellowship score, it still seems regretful that we'll not get to hear a Shore score for Skull Island. Of the remaining entries, there are plenty of standouts; the longer suites from The Omen, The Lion in Winter and The Last Valley are all from superb scores and given fine performances, particularly in the Barry. On the flip side to Goldsmith's most famous choral score is The Sum of All Fears, not generally remembered as one of his best, but the six minutes of The Mission are absolutely terrific stuff. An soprano aria, with chorus, that moves from a haunting beginning to a more optimistic mid section, but without any sense of crass patriotism.

Although they have appeared on several other Silva compilations, their rendition of The Abyss, in an expertly arranged suite not otherwise recorded, is well worth hearing, as is Non Nobis Domine from Doyle's powerhouse score to Branagh's Henry V, also Riders of Doom from Poledouris' full blooded Conan the Barbarian. Other more recent entries include Les Choristes by Bruno Coulais and Debney's Passion of the Christ, although curiously there's nothing from the historical epics of old. Only Alfred Newman's breezy Prelude from How the West Was Won represents the Golden Age. There's nothing especially obscure for the avid fan here and the performances are a bit variable to make it recommendable as an album of amazing new interpretations. Still, for the more casual fan or for anyone who fancies something sonically spectacular, worth a punt.

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The track listing can be found here at Silva Screen's Website as I'm hopelessly lazy, as you well know...