Amazon.co.uk Review
Fahrenheit 451 (1966) was François Truffaut's highly stylised adaptation of Ray Bradbury's dystopian
science fiction classic, a vision of a future in which firemen burn books. Herrmann wrote music for strings, harp and percussion, a gracefully chill, urgently rhythmic portrait of a sterile world. The finale, "The Road", blossoms into one of Herrmann's finest melodies, a heartbreakingly lovely homage to the indominability of the human spirit. The expanded suite of 10 selections was specially realised for this album.
The Man In The Grey Flannel Suit (1956) and
Tender Is The Night (1962) are rare Herrmann gems, achingly lovely melodies aptly presented beside the more famous and utterly captivating "Andante Cantabile" from
The Ghost And Mrs Muir (1947). The suite from
Anna And The King Of Siam (1946) marks one of Hollywood's earliest ventures into world music, with Herrmann extensively researching Siamese music before composing this glittering, majestic and deeply imaginative work.
The only real criticism of this lovingly produced album is the 34 minute-running time: Esa-Pekka Salonen's Herrmann anthology, also features a recording of the Fahrenheit 451 suite, and may serve as a more extensive introduction to Herrmann's music, though serious Herrmann fans will adore the rarities also available here. --Gary S. Dalkin
