MORTIMER WILSON (1876-1932): Film Score The Thief of Bagdad (reconstr. Mark Fitz-Gerald [b.1954]).

Description: Written almost 100 years ago, The Thief of Bagdad is one of the greatest ever film scores and incredibly, has never been recorded until now – FHR are honored to be able to release the first recording of this wonderful score. Recorded in 2019, this recording features one of greatest European orchestras with a conductor who has an unparalleled reputation for performing the very specialized task of accompanying silent films live with orchestra. The score was written by the American composer Mortimer Wilson at the specific request of the film’s main star actor Douglas Fairbanks. The Thief of Bagdad is now widely considered one of the great silent films and Fairbanks’s greatest work. For the first time, Fairbanks recognized the composer as a creative collaborator from the start in the overall composition of his film (Wilson spent many hours in the projection room working out precise timings for every scene). Wilson was essentially a classical composer. Indeed, you can hear influences of Puccini’s aria Vissi d’arte from Tosca, hints of Wagner’s Walküre, along with moments of Alban Berg. Frankfurt Radio Symphony; Mark Fitz-Gerald.