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| Musicians from several of their city’s five symphony orchestras gather at Prague’s Barrandov Studio to record soundtracks
for films – including a rerecording of the score from the 1961 movie ‘El Cid’, with Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. courtesy of tadlow music limited |
Prague's soundtrack factory
Skilled musicians – and favorable economics – lure filmmakers to this ad hoc symphony for new scores.
from the May 16, 2008 edition
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While Mr. Hron declines to say how much he makes at the symphony, the average Czech salary has risen rapidly in recent years to about $1,000 per month.
"This is 'plus' money," Hron says. "Obviously the orchestra is more prestigious, but this is good, too."
Many of the players in the room also feel close to Fitzpatrick because of the opportunities he has given them, says Andre Addeh, who moved here eight years ago after playing with an orchestra in Brno, the Czech Republic's No. 2 city.
"We're doing a German tour now with James [Fitzpatrick]," says Mr. Addeh, who is headed to Hamburg for a performance. "It's not only the money, but this is more interesting."
Barrandov Studio's sound stage feels a bit like something you remember from high school – walls buffered with retro- looking soundproofing and microphones scattered around the room. But here, a translator stands next to the conductor, shouting out directions in Czech and conferring with individual musicians.
Copyright is seldom an issue on the pieces the orchestra performs, Fitzpatrick says, adding that he gets most "cleared over the phone" with a record company, depending on licensing arrangements.
In the case of "El Cid," Fitzpatrick and Raine made an agreement with the family of the late Miklós Rózsa, a friend of Raine's. The two hope the rerecording, with more romantic scoring arrangements, will be a hit with old-movie-score buffs.
"With soundtrack albums, if they re-record it, they don't necessarily need to worry about copyright," says Steve Gordon, an entertainment lawyer in New York. "You need the composer's permission and often you have to get the record company."
More money to musicians
But the biggest reason to record in Prague is to save on future royalty fees.
"You pay the musicians," says Mr. Gordon, "so you don't have to pay the record company."
The comparatively low cost of hiring Czech musicians could soon rise, however, as the dollar continues to fall against the Czech crown. Both music and movie industry heads are already lamenting the drop in American business in Prague.
"El Cid" is a personal project in which Fitzpatrick says he has invested an estimated $80,000, hoping that enthusiasts will snap up copies.
For now, the price difference still makes it profitable for him to fly back and forth between Prague and London to record.
"If Beethoven or Mozart were alive now," Fitzpatrick says, "they would be doing film scores."
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