The Masque of the Red Death Original Soundtrack

Did you know the score to Roger Corman’s 1964 horror classic The Masque of the Red Death by British composer David Lee is available from Quartet Records. Here’s what they have to say…

Lee, a renowned jazz musician and songwriter for London’s West End, had already written music for a few British films, but The Masque of the Red Death was his most ambitious assignment. He wrote 50 minutes of score in less than three weeks, recording with a symphony orchestra at Pinewood Studios in London. The result was one of the most fascinatingly gothic and original scores ever composed for a horror film. It includes a lovely, lengthy waltz, perfectly synchronized with the film, in the crucial masquerade scene.

The masters containing the music recorded at Pinewood in 1964 were either lost or destroyed; thus, the score of The Masque of the Red Death, long demanded by fans, could not see the light of day – until now. This CD has been mastered from the film’s well-preserved music stem, courtesy of MGM. Unfortunately, of the 10 DME reels, only 9 have survived, so about eight minutes of music could not be included. Our sound engineer, José Luis Crespo, has done an amazing job of restoration, subjecting tracks to the most advanced CEDAR technique, and carefully adjusting the ups and downs in volume, now virtually undetectable. The final master was supervised and approved by Mr. David Lee, who is happy to see his work finally published!

The package includes a lavish 28-page full color booklet, with liner notes by the always-amazing Daniel Schweiger – including an exclusive interview with Roger Corman and David Lee.

Prelude / The Old Woman and the Red Death (1:49)
Prince Prospero (2:30)
The Red Death / The Fire (2:26)
Francesca (1:09)
Prospero’s Court (3:44)
Affront to Alfredo (0:43)
The Forbidden Room (0:49)
Night Castle (0:40)
The Falcon Training / Scarlatti / Francesca and Gino (2:33)
The Satan Mark / The Prison (5:44)
The Black Wood (0:46)
The Ape and the Dwarf (0:35)
Witchcraft (3:03)
Juliana’s Death (0:53)
Gino and the Red Death (1:19)
The Masque Ball (2:33)
Prospero and the Red Death (6:45)
Epilogue and End Titles (3:07)

Limited Collector’s Edition of 1000 units.