Alexander Ilyinsky (1859-1920), Russian composer

Started by Christopher, Friday 04 June 2010, 10:05

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Christopher

Quote from: Christopher on Friday 04 June 2010, 10:05
There is known to be another recording of one of Ilyinsky's works: "Orgy of the Spirits" (which is another part of the Noure et Anitra Suite) was recorded by Universal Studios for use in some of their 1930s films, as I found on the following 2 websites:

http://flashgordon.homestead.com/files/fgnarratives.html  -

"One music selection used eight times in Mars was tracked directly from East of Java (1935). It is a rapid, turbulent and exciting bacchanal entitled Orgy of the Spirits. It was composed by the little-known Russian composer, Alexandre Iljinsky (1859-1920). He wrote it for his fourteen-part Oriental suite entitled, Noure et Anitra (Op. 13). Charles J. Roberts of Carl Fischer Music in New York published this arrangement that was recorded by a theater orchestra at Universal for the 1935 film. In East of Java, this brief bacchanal underscores a typhoon, but was rendered inaudible by the sound effects. This classical piece was later tracked in the Universal serial, Tim Tyler's Luck (1937). It bears a striking resemblance to the classic, A Night on Bald Mountain, that was written by Russian composer, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881)."

http://www.dilettantemusic.com/artist/3022 -

None of Ilyinsky's compositions retained popularity after his death -- not even enough to be recorded by the Soviet government-run Melodiya label) -- and none was extant in the repertory at the midpoint of the twentieth century. Through pure happenstance, however, a fragment of his Orgy of the Spirits became part of the Universal Studios music library during the mid-'30s; a minute-long musical excerpt from it was heard dozens of times throughout the background score of the 1937 jungle adventure serial Tim Tyler's Luck, and also two minutes before the end of Chapter 7 of Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938).
...In chapter two of the Mars, one section of it can be heard at the 8:57 mark as Flash gets into a fight with the Martian soldiers, and another section is used at the 9:16 mark in the serial. In chapter three at the 19:27 mark, another section is heard as the support beams that hold up the landing tower are being destroyed by Tarnak and Ming. This foils Flash and Zarkov from escaping with Azura. It is heard later at the 19:34 mark in chapter seven, as Flash engages in a savage fight with one of the tree-men, while trying to get into the Temple of Kalu.

The relevant Flash Gordon episodes with this music would appear to be these ones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnOg6Kc-zz8 - Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars - 07 The Prisoner of Mongo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3fmFzOe3RA - Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars - 02 The Living Dead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpsDzBSjHoY - Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars - 03 Queen of Magic