Laurent Lafarge and Cyril Durand-Roger, founders of Paris-based film music record label Music Box Records, have been presented with International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best New Archival Release – Re-Release of an Existing Score, by IFMCA member Florent Groult, for their exemplary work re-releasing Bernard Herrmann’s classic 1976 score for Obsession.
They accepted the award on behalf of producer George Litto, liner note writer Daniel Schweiger, album art director David Marques, and restoration/mastering director Christophe Hénault.
The other nominees in the category were new presentations of John Williams’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, James Horner’s Braveheart and John Barry’s Dances With Wolves, all three by La-La Land Records, and Intrada’s re-release of John Williams’ Jaws.
Herrmann’s work for Brian de Palma’s psychological thriller was one of the composer’s very last efforts before his death, on December 24, 1975. In his overview about the Fathers of Film Music, IFMCA member Craig Lysy wrote that “Herrmann provided (with Obsession) what many believe to be his cinematic requiem. His score, which was infused with evocative choral beauty, focused and enhanced the film’s narrative of love haunted by death. Liturgical colors permeate the film from the opening frames and ultimately achieve a wondrous triumph during the film’s denouement. This score is enduring testimony to Herrmann’s mastery of his craft.” Music Box Records’ newly re-mastered release presents both the reconstructed and restored original film score from the best sources available to this day, and the re-mastered original 1976 soundtrack album, in a beautifully packaged 2-CD set.
“It’s a true pleasure for me to present this very first IFMCA award to my friends Laurent Lafarge and Cyril Durand-Roger,” explained Groult, who has collaborated with them on some of their earlier releases. “Music Box Records celebrated its fifth anniversary last February, and they not could have dreamt about a better gift than this international recognition”.
Since their very first album in 2011, the French label has grown year after year with a singular and eclectic editorial line, and has released nearly 90 titles including Roy Budd’s Mama Dracula, Philippe Rombi’s Ricky, Maurice Jarre’s Vendredi ou la Vie Sauvage, Carmine Coppola’s The Outsiders, Georges Delerue’s La Révolution Française, Danny Elfman’s Good Will Hunting, Lalo Schifrin’s Golden Needles, and more recently Alan Silvestri’s Reindeer Games, Laurent Eyquem’s Les Enragés, Serge Franklin’s A Tale of Two Cities and Claude Bolling’s Lucky Luke. “We are very honored to have won this IFMCA Award,” said Lafarge and Durand-Roger. “It’s such an important thing for our label, as it rewards five years of a constant and passionate work. We of course congratulate all our collaborators who made this special release possible.”
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