MovieChat Forums > Voyna i mir (1968) Discussion > War and Peace CD?

War and Peace CD?

posted 14 years ago by GregoriusInLA
2 replies | jump to latest

Happy New Year to all of you "Voyna i mir" fans!

Can anyone tell me if Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov's brilliant score for "War and Peace" was ever released on CD as an original soundtrack recording? I own the Melodiya/Capitol LP, and short of digitizing it, would love to know if a CD exists.

I know that Ovchinnikov composed much of the score for the film, but he also included original folk songs, as well as classical music selections. With that in mind, can anyone tell me if the grand Polonaise that is used at the ball for Alexander I's entrance was composed by Ovchinnikov, or is it by a "classical" composer? The piece sounds so typical, both thematically and harmonically, of polonaises written during the early-to-mid 19th century. If it is indeed Ovchinnikov, then he really captured the essence and quality of music from that era.

"The dogs may bark, but the caravan passes on."

[–] Xlegion 11 years ago

I've been looking for the complete soundtrack for years. No luck. I've got to the point where I'm actually going to try and make my own CD of it from the film itself. A compromise to be sure, but how else can you hear this thing?

[–] gayspiritwarrior 11 years ago

There was a single disc of highlights from the score, on vinyl, on a Russian label. I don't know if it was ever transferred to CD.

"The value of an idea has nothing to do with the honesty of the man expressing it."--Oscar Wilde