When we speak of Anton Karas’ score to Carol Reed’s 1949 classic of dodgy penicillin and cuckoo clocks, we speak of the zither. Most of us couldn’t describe a zither if the lives of the Swiss nation depended on it, but the Harry Lime theme is nonchalance personified. Karas?the chap with the zither?was discovered by Reed playing in a Viennese tavern and had no experience, but proved to be an inspired choice. The Prague Philharmonic and Gertrud Huber pluck out the pieces here, and the dialogue excerpts include Orson Welles’ rumbling ruminations on art, death and “what fools we are”. Glamour in shadows.
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