Music from the television production "Rich Man, Poor Man" that was based on a novel written by Irwin Shaw.Original music composed by Alex North.From 1976. Side One: 1,Main Title, Rich Man, Poor Man "Axel as the hard-working German emigre striving to fulfill "the American Dream" for his wife and two sons, is reflected in this slightly flavored Americana theme." 2,Julie "A thematic portrait of a lovely adolescent girl, her desires and sensual curiosity.As stated here, the music is both naive and, at times, richly textured." 3,Rudy "Rudy, as the Rich Man, with an insatiable hunger for success and the rewards of achievement, musically expressed by a rather sophisticated waltz." 4,Julie's First Affair "Rejection and disappointment in Rudy's puritanical behaviour, Julie finds momentary satisfaction as she is wooed and seduced by the wealthy Boylan.A bitter-sweet melody underscores this experience." 5,Axel And Tom "A tortured treatment of the German folk tune which is identified with Axel provides sharp contrast to Tom's bluesy, virile and jazz-oriented "carnal" music." 6,Tom And Clothilde "The thematic treatment here is intended to convey the tender, compassionate side of Tom in his first love-encounter with Clothilde, as opposed to the music used for his more earthy moments." 7,Rudy And Ginny "A light, somewhat elusive piece meant to underscore Rudy's zealous opportunism as he has a quasi-flirtation rendezvous with the daughter of his boss." Side Two: 1,Julie And Rudy "Having endured the frustations of her unhappy marriage to Walter, Julie finds a moment of contentment and the rekindling of her youthful crush on Rudy, whom she meets after a lapse of many years." 2,Rudy And Tom "Tom, unable to locate his father Axel to repay the "bail-out" money he advanced, insists on giving it to a reluctant Rudy-a partial reprise of Rudy's and Tom's musical motives." 3,Tom's Desperation "Rejected and restless after Teresa leaves him and takes their son, Wesley, Tom has a lustful escapade with the wife of a gangster-backed big-time boxer, Joey, who seeks revenge-Joey is beaten to a pulp and Tom escapes to sea as a longshoreman to avoid retaliation.The music here is heavy, forceful and dramatic." 4,Julie's Remorse "Ignored and at a low ebb, Julie has a bitter experience with Falconetti and returns to Rudy.The music in this sequence mirrors her guilt and refers in retrospect to former romantic moments they shared." 5,Tom, Dwyer And Falconetti "Bullied by Falconetti aboard ship who implies an abnormal relationship between Tom and his friend, Dwyer, Tom gives him a thorough beating.Again, the scene is underscored in vivid tones and strong orchestral colors." 6,Denouement "Rudy's humiliation after his defeat, his angry assault on one of the protesting students, a brief reflection of his romantic past, Falconetti's revenge in the stabbing of Tom and Rudy's farewell to Tom at his bedside just before his death-all of these forces are expressed in this statement by the full orchestra." 7,End Title, End Cast "Tom's ashes are thrown to the sea which he loved so much, as his beloved Kate, son Wesley, friend and partner, Dwyer, Rudy and Julie sorrowfully look on.I hope the music recreates this touching and final scene of the story." Commentary by Alex North

• published: 31 Aug 2013
• views: 1