criterionforum.org

From those fine chaps at Finders Keepers who brought us the OSTs of Daisies and Valerie comes an edition of Liska's OST to Little Mermaid. (There some soundclips there too)

There you go Zedz and Michael B, some new ring-tones for your portables.

Did the widow kick the bucket or did someone bribe her with a job lot of Beatrice Welles handbags?

Thanks, nicely noted. I think that's an instant purchase. Hopefully this means more of Liska's work will follow.

Was amused to hear Witches Firewall - no wonder Finders Keepers like the soundtrack, it could be put in the middle of Demdike Stare's* Triptych without anybody noticing.

*a music group which is one half Finders Keepers management

Has his wife died? I heard she was the one who was preventing any of his music to be released, since she held the rights & felt that the music should only be part of the film, not separate from it.

His soundtracks that I'd most like to see get released are Marketa Lazarova & The Shop on Main Street. The latter was released on LP in the 60s & the former got a boot released on cd, but I think it was just taken from the movie's soundtrack with all the dialogue intact. It would be great to see the original recordings for these get released too. It seems criminal that his music so overlooked.

SamLowry wrote:Has his wife died? I heard she was the one who was preventing any of his music to be released, since she held the rights & felt that the music should only be part of the film, not separate from it.

She most certainly was the main obstacle, as a friend of mine found out when he doorstepped her in an attempt to get her to agree to let the Quay Brothers use Liška's music in The Phantom Museum - this was a last-ditch attempt to make sure that it was really her being obstructive and not some over-zealous agent. Apparently she not only said no to his face, but was quite unpleasant about it.

That was in the early 2000s, and I have no idea if she's still alive today - but Liška himself would have turned 90 next year, so if she's the same age there must be at least a possibility that she's passed on.

PRAGUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA play ZDENEK LISKA

MUSIC FOR THE SHAH OF PERSIA / ZDENEK LISKA AND CZECH FILM MUSIC

[18.3.2012, 16:00, Smetana Hall, Municipal House, Prague]

Music CD would be great!

Another CD including Liska's music LINK

Concert will be LIVE on a Vltava Radio.