[Blaize]

For the longest time, I avoided Tiomkin as I too often found his music abrasive. Not nearly as abrasive as much of Albert Glasser’s works, but abrasive nonetheless. “Intrusive” and “In-your-face” would definitely describe Tiomkin and especially Glasser.

However, I decided to finally give Tiomkin a chance a couple of years ago. Before I knew it, I couldn’t get enough of him. I started grabbing whatever releases of his I could get my hands on. While there are a couple of scores I still haven’t warmed up to, particularly “Champion”, I found his music far more approachable despite the descriptions mentioned. I grew to appreciate his seemingly “In-your-face” approach. Needless to say, I definitely warmed up to him.

I’m glad you brought up “36 Hours”, as that one ended up being my favorite of his scores so far. It’s followed by “Cyrano de Bergerac” and “Land of the Pharaohs”, which constitute my current top three Tiomkin favorites.