Track Listing

1. G�n�rique
2. Felicidade
3. Frevo
4. O Nosso Amor
5. O Nosso Amor [Tambourine and Accordian]
6. Manha de Carnaval (Morning of the Carnival) [From Black Orpheus]
7. Scene du Lever du Soleil
8. Manha de Carnaval (Morning of the Carnival) [From Black Orpheus]
9. Scenes de la Macumbe
10. O Nosso Amor
11. Manha de Carnaval (Morning of the Carnival) [From Black Orpheus]
12. Samba de Orfeu
13. Batterie de Cappela
14. Bola Sete Medley: Manha de Carnaval/A Felicidade/Samba de Orfeo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124980 in Music
• Released on: 1990-01-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: Portuguese

Amazon.com
This impressionistic score from Marcel Camus's 1958 cinematic retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus was most Americans' introduction to the Brazilian musical style called bossa nova. As it became a nationwide craze that featured both Brazilian samba and U.S. cool-jazz participants, the names of Black Orpheus composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa became familiar far beyond the hi-fi set. Along with the haunting theme song, "Manha de Carnaval," and several Jobim compositions are the vibrant street sounds of the pre-Lenten festival Carnaval, which provides the backdrop to the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. The score is awash with percussive samba rhythms and the laughter and chanting of the annual festival melee. This is a great disc to play when the day needs a parade. --Lois Maffeo

Customer Reviews

some of the greatest music in the world
The scene in the movie when the village boys sing "Samba de Orfeo" is a transcendently beautiful religious moment. If the boys don't sing, the sun might not rise! Bonfa's samba lives up to the burden of the occasion -- joyous, passionate, unstoppable. The rest of the soundtrack, if you can believe it, lives up to THAT. Bonfa's lovely "Morning of the Carnival"; several of Jobim's lovely, sophisticated compositions in sparkling, minimal arrangements; and the awesome street Carnival percussion and singing.

The album that started it all
This is the album that helped launch bossa nova as an international phenomenon. If you haven't seen the movie yet, it's a truly moving experience. The soundtrack has some inconsistent points, and the recording quality isn't terribly great, but the beauty of Jobim and Bonfa's compositions overcomes it all. Best tracks: "Manha de Carnaval," "O Nosso Amor," and of course "A Felicidade."

Symphony of the Jungle
This "soundtrack recording" is a work of art in its own right. There are many details here that I don't remember from the movie. For instance, Manha de Carnaval begins with a long instrumental with tropical bird songs - very beautiful (like a jungle orchestra), but the birdsong wasn't that noticeable in the movie. Likewise, there is a reprise of it sung by Euridyce, something I certainly don't remember.

No matter, it works very beautifully this way, And it's useful to hear the music presented for its own sake - so you should have both the movie and the soundtrack. Forget about this thing stating the bossa nova fad, it's gorgeous just for itself.

If you enjoy this, you'll probably enjoy Forest of the Amazon (by Villa-Lobos).