Danny Elfman has been the greatest film composer since Bernard Herrmann, not only for the number of significant movies he has scored but also his ability to bring the classic Hollywood soundtrack sensibility into the postmodern world. The latest survey of his music is an enjoyable cross section of themes from Pee-wee's BigAdventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands and many others, mostly performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic. Elfman's debts to late classical music are obvious; one can easily find Khachaturian, Grieg and Wagner on his palette, employed in service to the imagery whose emotional resonance is enhanced by the music.
