Herrmann;Film Music [SACD]

This album of Bernard Herrmann film scores, performed by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Philharmonic, is truly astounding in the SACD format. Selections range from The Man Who Knew Too Much, to Psycho, from Marnie to Vertigo and from Fahrenheit 451 to Taxi Driver. Listening to this music you discover a power that few composers have been able to inject into their compositions. If you've seen any of the films from which these selections are taken, close your eyes, the movie plays in your mind and you'll realize the extent to which Herrmann was a cinematic musical genius. His music perfectly captured the mood, ambience, story and characters of the movies he scored. This recording is a true delight. Highly Recommended.

I have known Bernard Hermann's music since my father took me to see 'Mysterious Island' at the age of nine at the local fleapit. I took memories of the score home rather than the flawed movie, witb its tacky special effects. This magnificent CD gives us some of the best of Hermann, played in the enormous orchestral gestures that he demands from his orchestras and fabulously recorded for all fans. Play 'Psycho' and you realise those enormous tensions that had you squirming in your seat were as much Hermann as Hitchcock, Leigh or Perkins. The depiction of the brooding house, the sad shape standing alone, the famous stabbing strokes and those huge jarring chords, falling back in terror, make watching the film almost an optional extra. I read somewhere that Hermann composed orchestrally in his head at first instance, not needing to sort things out on instruments, etc. after he had composed something on piano like most composers. Hearing 'Marnie' with its yearning theme depicting her psychological strain you can believe this. Hermann's music is the biggest sound you can get with the modern symphony orchestra. He composed for 120 pieces, 8 horns, triple woodwind, large battery of percussion, divided massed strings...the whole works and his coloration with this large body is unique. My personal favorie is his use of the brass which he does with more versatility to my mind than any other composer. His melodic gift is of the highest order and his large structures create immense blocks of sound which transport the listener into a mood that is totally different to where they started out at. For me the disc will enable any stranger to the work of this composer of the first magnitude to really appreciate this genius who helped entertain whole populations rather than stick with a cultural elite in the concert hall. His music made rather than supported the action in these movies. I do not believe he compromised his art in any way as every bar seems as authentic as Debussy. Over a hour of joy for the purchaser, nothing more to say!

The CD that I really want does not exist. The best way, in my humble opinion, to hear the masterfully-composed film scores of Bernard Herrmann, short of watching the magnificent films in which they appear, is to hear the original soundtrack recordings. If somebody would get around to taking the best excerpts from all the films represented on this disc, plus Citizen Kane (of course!) and The Twilight Zone, and rerelease their original versions, now THAT would be the CD to get.

But here is our predicament. You'd have to buy 10 or so CDs to get the original recordings of all this wonderful music. When that is considered, this CD sounds like a great bargain, and in that respect, it is.

The excerpts represented on this disc are the best excerpts, and the playing is accurate and precise. The engineering also receives high marks for having completely clear sound and firmness of bass where the original recordings would not.

The Vertigo represented here is wonderful in its range and the depth of its tenderness, something the original soundtrack aspired to but did not achieve. It reminds me in the best way of Tristan and Isolde, but that's another conversation. The excerpts of Fahrenheit 451 and Taxi Driver are also very well played, especially the latter. The interpretations are in the spirit of the originals, and Salonen is to be commended.

Unfortunately, sometimes he just takes the wrong tempo. The overture to North by Northwest may sound better played faster, louder, and more obstreperously, but the original was smaller, quirkier, full of understated irascible ticks and obsessive weaving. I'm not sure which I like better. The rerecording is not bad, just different. (At high volume, though, it's better!)

The suite that really hit me the wrong way was Psycho. The quieter passages are perfect, but the violently urgent parts, like the overture and The Murder, seem to be played with an ounce of reserve. I realize that's not much, but any reserve can sink what should be complete terror. The players on the original recording sound like they are physically hurting their instruments. Here, they sound like they're only annoying them. However, this may be the result of my eccentric preference for original recordings. I'm used to hearing the Psycho score with scratches and pops and overplaying and mistakes. Maybe Salonen has improved on the original by refining it, but it will take me a while to forget the originals and appreciate these.

Bottom line: the engineering is much better, the playing is more accurate, the selections are superb, and the price is preferable. These benefits outweigh any of my insignificant bickering about the originals, because out of all the CDs you can buy of Bernard Herrmann, this may not be definitive, but it probably is the best we have.