SOUNDTRACK : ‘Oz’: The Wizardry of Good Film Music

“The Wizard of Oz,” Turner/Rhino . ****

This music from one of the most beloved films would be welcome at any time, but it’s especially prized in an era when the term soundtrack is more synonymous with marketing than with creative composition.

The latest CD from the Turner Classic Movies Music partnership with Rhino Movie Music, which is setting the standard of excellence in soundtrack repackaging, this enchanting two-disc set includes Herbert Stothart’s entire, Oscar-winning score from the film as well as numerous extended or alternative versions and rehearsal demos. (There’s a storage shed of even more musical extras on the MGM/UA Home Video laser disc titled “The Ultimate Oz.”)

The score and the Harold Arlen-E.Y. Harburg songs (notably “Over the Rainbow”) are a model of how music works in a film. Even if it has been years since you’ve seen the movie, the colorful music brings alive the characters and the story of Judy Garland’s journey (as young Dorothy) through a magical land.

The accompanying 52-page booklet is superb, crammed with John Fricke’s highly informative production notes about the film and the music.

One surprise for anyone who can’t picture “Wizard” without “Over the Rainbow” is that Arlen and Harburg weren’t the first choices to write the songs for the film.

The only reason composer Jerome Kern didn’t get the assignment (with lyrics to come from either Ira Gershwin or Dorothy Fields), reportedly, was that Kern was recovering from a heart attack and didn’t feel strong enough to accept the assignment. A delightful package.

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