UPDATE: After selling through its initial pressing of 2,000 in two weeks, Film Score Monthly has pressed another 2,000. As label head Lukas Kendall cheekily explained, "I NEED THE MONEY!"

Original post: One of Hollywood's greatest film scores and one of the catalogue world's greatest soundtrack labels have finally, excitedly joined forces to produce a definitive box set edition of the Oscar-winning soundtrack William Wyler's classic Ben-Hur.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Ben-Hur, released in 1959 (and recently released on Blu-Ray), was Hollywood's second adaptation (after a 1925 silent film) of the novel of the same name by Lew Wallace. Charlton Heston, no stranger to massive, timeless roles, plays the titular Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy prince and prominent Jewish merchant betrayed by his friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), the charismatic leader of a Roman garrison in Jerusalem. Having lost his fortune and his freedom, Ben-Hur must rely on his human strength and his faith in the divine to survive, culminating in an adventurous tale that travels from the galley of a Roman flagship to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Film Score Monthly's latest title - their 246th, leaving four to go before the label signs off - is an exhaustively thorough, five-disc edition of Miklós Rózsa's lush, romantic, heroic score, not only one of the best written for a Hollywood epic but the longest score ever penned for a film, with over three hours of music written. No stranger to sprawling epics like Ben-Hur, having scored The Four Feathers, The Thief of Baghdad andQuo Vadis? in the decade's before the film's 1959 release, Rózsa drew heavily on years of research of ancient Greco-Roman musical styles while retaining a modern, thematic feel. From the film's sweeping love themes to its boisterous chariot race fanfares, the score to Ben-Hur has more than earned its place in film music history.

This five-disc set includes all the music heard in the film, lovingly preserved from the original six-track master recordings, as well as bonus material well beyond Rhino's lavish box set presentation of the score in 1996. (Doug Schwartz, who participated in the mastering on that set, assisted assemblers Mike Matessino and Neil S. Bulk in the same capacity on this release.) As a special treat, all three of the official re-recording LPs, conducted by Carlos Savina and Erich Kloss and released on the MGM and Lion labels, are also included in the set, one of which makes its debut on CD. Liner notes by Jeff Bond and Frank K. DeWald, part of which are included in the set's 28-page booklet but are included in full online, extensively cover the making of the film and score in addition to providing track-by-track commentary and preserving the liner notes of the original LPs.

Ben-Hur, one of the crown jewels of Hollywood music and now one of the final crown jewels of Film Score Monthly's decades-long history, is limited to 2,000 copies and is yours to order after the jump.

Miklós Rózsa, Ben-Hur: Complete Soundtrack Collection (Film Score Monthly Vol. 15, No. 1, 2012 - original film released 1959)

Disc 1: Original score

1. Overture
2. Anno Domini
3. Star of Bethlehem/Adoration of the Magi
4. Shofar Call
5. Fanfare to Prelude/Prelude/Marcia Romana
6. Spirit and Sword
7. Salute for Messala
8. Friendship
9. The House of Hur
10. Conflict
11. Esther
12. The Unknown Future (Outtake)
13. Love Theme/Ring for Freedom
14. Salute for Gratus
15. Gratus' Entry to Jerusalem
16. Arrest (Outtake)
17. Reminiscences
18. Condemned (Outtake)
19. Escape (Outtake)
20. Vengeance
21. The Prison—Part One/The Prison—Part Two (Partial Outtake)
22. The Desert/Exhaustion/The Prince of Peace/Roman Galley
23. Salute for Arrius
24. Quintus Arrius
25. Roman Fleet (Partial Outtake)
26. The Galley
27. Rest
28. Battle Preparations/The Pirate Fleet/Attack!/Ramming Speed/Battle/Rescue
29. Roman Sails
30. The Rowers
31. Victory Parade
32. Victory Finale

Disc 2: Original score, continued

1. Fertility Dance
2. Arrius' Party
3. Nostalgia/Farewell to Rome
4. A Barren Coast (Outtake)
5. Judea/Balthazar
6. Balthazar's World
7. Homecoming
8. Memories/Hatred
9. Lepers
10. Return/Promise
11. Sorrow and Intermission
12. Entr'Acte
13. Panem et Circenses (Version I)
14. Circus Fanfares Nos. 1-4
15. Panem et Circenses (Version II)
16. New Fanfare for Circus Parade (Parade of the Charioteers)
17. Circus Fanfare No. 6 (Fanfare for Start of Race)
18. Panem et Circenses (Version III)
19. Circus Fanfare No. 7 (Ben-Hur Crowned)
20. Bitter Triumph
21. Aftermath
22. Valley of Lepers/The Search
23. The Uncleans
24. Road of Sorrow
25. The Mount/The Sermon
26. Frustration
27. Valley of the Dead/Tirzah Saved
28. The Procession to Calvary/The Bearing of the Cross/Recognition
29. Aftermath (Crucifixion)
30. Golgotha
31. Shadow of a Storm (Outtake)
32. The Miracle/Finale

Disc 3: Savina LP and Act I Alternates

1. Prelude
2. Adoration of the Magi
3. Roman March
4. Friendship
5. Love Theme of Ben-Hur
6. The Burning Desert
7. The Rowing of the Galley Slaves
8. Naval Battle
9. Return to Judea
10. Victory Parade
11. The Mother's Love
12. The Lepers' Search for the Christ
13. The Procession to Calvary
14. The Miracle and Finale
15. Star of Bethlehem (Alternate Chorus)
16. Adoration of the Magi (Alternate Chorus)
17. Prelude (Alternate Take)
18. Spirit and Sword (Alternate I)
19. Revenge (Outtake)
20. The Desert/Exhaustion/The Prince of Peace/Roman Galley (Alternate Sequence)
21. Roman Fleet (Alternate)
22. The Galley (Alternate)
23. Rest (Alternate)
24. Battle Preparations—Part Two (Alternate)
25. Roman Sails (Alternate)
26. Victory Parade (Short Version)
27. Fertility Dance (Orchestra Only)
28. Arrius' Party (Long Version)
29. Judea (Alternate)
30. Homecoming (Alternate)
31. Sorrow (Alternate I)
32. Intermission (Alternate I)

Disc 4: First Kloss LP and Act II alternates

1. Prelude
2. The Adoration of the Magi
3. Roman March
4. Friendship
5. Love Theme of Ben-Hur
6. The Burning Desert
7. The Rowing of the Galley Slaves
8. Naval Battle
9. Return to Judea
10. Victory Parade
11. The Mother's Love
12. The Lepers' Search for the Christ
13. The Procession to Calvary
14. The Miracle and Finale
15. Entr'Acte (Alternate)
16. Panem et Circenses (Complete Version)
17. Circus Parade (Parade of the Charioteers) (Film Edit)
18. Aftermath (Alternate I)
19. The Search (Alternate)
20. Road of Sorrow (Alternate)
21. The Sermon (Alternate I)
22. Valley of the Dead/Tirzah Saved (Alternate)
23. The Procession to Calvary/The Bearing of the Cross/Recognition (Alternate Sequence)
24. Aftermath (Alternate II)
25. Golgotha (Alternate I)
26. The Miracle/Finale
27. Entr'Acte (Original Version)

Disc 5: Second Kloss LP and additional alternates and bonus tracks

1. Overture
2. Star of Bethlehem
3. Gratus' Entry Into Jerusalem
4. The House of Hur
5. Messala's Revenge
6. Fertility Dance
7. Farewell to Rome
8. Arrius' Party
9. Parade of the Charioteers
10. Bread and Circus March
11. Death of Messala
12. Memories
13. Sermon on the Mount
14. Valley of the Dead
15. Golgotha
16. The Christ Theme from Ben-Hur (Alleluia)
17. Star of Bethlehem/Adoration of the Magi (Orchestra Only)
18. Star of Bethlehem (Chorus Only—Alternate Version)
19. Adoration of the Magi (Chorus Only—Alternate II)
20. Adoration of the Magi (Chorus Only—Alternate III)
21. Spirit and Sword (Alternate II)
22. Gratus' Entry to Jerusalem (Long Version)
23. Revenge (Alternate)
24. Arrius' Party (Fragments)
25. Sorrow (Alternate II)
26. Intermission (Alternate II)
27. Entr'Acte (Original Version—Alternate Ttake)
28. Aftermath (Alternate III)
29. Aftermath (Alternate IV)
30. The Sermon (Alternate II)
31. The Sermon (Alternate III)
32. The Sermon (Alternate IV)
33. The Sermon (Alternate V)
34. Golgotha (Alternate II)
35. Miracle (Alternate II)
36. Finale (Chorus Only—Alternate I)
37. Finale (Chorus Only—Alternate I)
38. Finale (chorus only—alternate I)
39. Love Theme (Demo)
40. Harun al Rozsad
41. Quo Vadis Prelude (with Chimes)/Drums (Appian Way)

Portions of this set were previously released as Rhino R2 72197, 1996.
Disc 3, Tracks 1-14 released as MGM LP S1-E1, 1959. Recorded by Carlos Savina and The Symphony Orchestra of Rome and Singers of the Roman Basilicas.
Disc 4, Tracks 1-14 released as Lion LP S-70123, 1959. Recorded by Erich Kloss and The Frankenland State Orchestra. Previously unreleased on CD.
Disc 5, Tracks 1-16 released as MGM LP SE-3900, 1961. Recorded by Erich Kloss and The Frankenland State Orchestra.