Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick: Fiddler On The Roof (Movie Soundtrack) - Topol

Back in 1971, director Norman Jewison brought the Bock & Harnick musical "Fiddler On The Roof" to the big screen. The classic story focuses on poor milkman Tevye (Topol) and his family - and how they face the challenges confronting them in turn-of-the-century Tsarist Russia. Through the course of the film, Tevye's faith in his religion will be pushed to the limit - and possibly tear his family apart. Composer John Williams had recently done the television movie Jane Eyre, and hadn't even met (let alone heard of) Steven Spielberg when he was brought on board to adapt the music for the film version of the musical. His resulting efforts landed him his first Academy Award.

The lengthy pre-title sequence covers Tevye's faith in "Prologue and 'Tradition". Dialogue and music (with singing, of course) take us through a quick explanation of the Jewish faith as it existed in Russia at the time. But it's the Main Title that stops the show. This lengthy violin solo (performed by the legendary Isaac Stern) covers many of the secondary themes heard in the film - and when the full orchestra joins in, it's a wonderful experience. All of the classic songs are here: "Matchmaker", "If I Were A Rich Man", "To Life", and "Sunrise, Sunset", as well as some of the lesser known ones. The sound quality is good, if clearly a movie recording, and this remains one of the very best film adaptations ever made of a stage musical.