Customer Reviews

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Signatures In Suspense (Film Score Anthology)

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What a wonderful selection of such great film music. Seven tracks are not found on any other CD. And what tracks! Waxman's Juke Box #6 from Rear Window is an absolute gem! (I hope someday they'll release the Rear Window original soundtrack!). The Prelude from Marnie is another fascinating work of art. ...And Vertigo! ...And Dial M for Murder! Most of these tracks are the best thing we'll ever hear in film music. A fine CD to have and treasure.

Unlike many compilations of famous film music, many of the tracks heard here represent the actual music heard in the films, not recreations done years later by an obscure orchestra. And the fact that much of this "actual film music" comes from movies where there isn't a corresponding soundtrack album available in stores makes this CD doubly exciting. Further, in the case of the tracks that ARE recreations or suites based on the original selections, the quality of the performances is high (I'm especially thinking of Bernard Herrmann conducting his "Psycho" suite). Audiophiles should be warned that some of the opening tracks, such as those conducted by the great Dimitri Tiomkin, have a smaller sound and a bit of a tinny quality, due to the age of these historic recordings. Don't worry, the sound quality gets better as the album progresses, becoming more spacious and powerful when the stereo selections kick in. It should be noted, however, that all of the pieces are worth hearing due to the quality of the performances. The CD is over an hour long, includes an informative booklet, and everything is housed in an attractive black embossed case that opens out to display several terrific studio publicity photographs of Hitchcock. I bought this CD with my fingers crossed, as soundtrack compilations can be a mixed bag. But I am happy to report that this eclectic collection of actual soundtrack selections, lush suites, and even music Hitchcock ultimately rejected, was a terrific treat.

A great selection where 7 out of 18 scores were previously unreleased. Hermann, Tiomkin and Waxman conducts their own works, plus others, in the original recordings with Paramount and Universal Orchestras, besides the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. Look for it!

Beside Silva Screen's and Varese's attempts to re-record the entire catalogue of Hitchcock movie music, this seems to be the most important Hitchcock release of the CD era. Included are several tracks, that make their audio debut.
The "Alfred Hitchcock presents..." theme is available on several other compilations, but most often in the more common concert version of Charles Gounod. Finally, this is the snippet, as presented in the television show. Track 2 and 3 are nostalgic treasures by Dimitri Tiomkin, "Dial M For Murder" and "I Confess" (without the chorus of the actual soundtrack). One can only hope, that Warner will come up with the original tracks some day.
Franz Waxman's score to "Rear Window" may be totally untypical for a Hitchock movie, but works perfectly with the accompanying 1950's style of the film. Collectors should notice, that a piano version of "That's Amore" can be directly taken from the end credits of the DVD (perhaps the best sign, that the masters are still intact!). "Scene D'Amour" appears here in its original recording under the direction of Muir Matthieson (taken from Varese Sarabande's soundtrack album) and is perhaps one of the best examples for the outstanding works Hitchcock and Herrmann created together. "The Wild Ride", the main theme from "North By Northwest", has been taken from Rhino's complete soundtrack issue, but unfortunately, due to the age of the recording, the energetic composition of Herrmann is very affected by tape distortion. This selection, however, can be found in superior sound quality on Warner's DVD issue of the movie. The "Psycho" concert suite compromises the most important excerpts from Herrmann's masterpiece, the energetic prelude, the fiddling murder and the famous finale. Unfortunately, this re-recording (done by the composer himself), often misses the tempos of the original recording. "Marnie" has been released in its entirety on the German label Tsunami. However, two excerpts of Herrmann's often highly romantic and energetic score haven been directly derived from the three-track masters for this release, "Prelude" and "Marnie" (miss-titled as "The Hotelroom" on the Tsunami CD), and sound much better than they ever did (also check out the DVD for additional music!). John Addison's "Main Title" for "Torn Curtain" has been derived from the Varese soundtrack album, but the sound quality has been improved by removing the reverb of the original issue. The following three selections are taken from Bernard Herrmann's rejected score for "Torn Curtain", which have never been released in their original recordings before (a re-recording of the complete score exists on Varese) and give you an insight how different the movie would have been, if Herrmann had done the job. Interestingly, the DVD issue includes some scenes underscored by these Herrmann originals. The "March" from "Topaz" and the "London Theme" from "Frenzy" have been taken from Silva's "Essential Alfred Hitchcock" album (by Paul Bateman and The City Of Prague Philharmonic), but perfectly capture the tempos of the original recording. The "Prelude" from "Wrong Man" is a very rhythmic recording taken from Elmer Bernstein's collection of Herrmann re-recordings. Fortunately, the CD also includes some previously unissued John Williams, the end title segment from "Family Plot". "A Portrait Of Hitch", a concert suite compromised of the main themes from the first Hitchcock-Herrmann movie "The Trouble With Harry" and conducted by the composer himself, concludes Universal's musical celebration of Alfred Hitchcock.
Personally, I think, that this item is an essential addition to any serious soundtrack or Hitchcock collection. Unfortunately, Universal seems not to have looked up their Hitchcock music vaults until they prepared the master's Universal movies on DVD. As this CD has been compiled in 1999, many selections do not appear in their original recordings. I hope, that Universal will someday fix this mistake and give us a complete collection of scores to Hitchcock movies. If your are looking for a complete representation of Hitchcock movie music, I would strongly recommend the Silva 2 CD set "Essential Alfred Hitchcock".

I have many cd's with music from Alfred Hitchcock's movies, but this by far is the best compilation cd. The music sounds the most like the actual movie music, and also contains rarities like Jukebox #6 from Rear Window. (I sure hope someday they will come out with an official Rear Window soundtrack). If you are a real Hitchcock fan you need to get this cd. Not only is the cd great but the liner notes, and picture detail in the cd case is great. I highly recommend this cd!

Fans of the films of Hitchock will have little problem with this wonderful compilation CD. For film music fans the best of the rarities are the Tiomkin and Waxman tracks. Tracks 2 and 3 are in fact culled (most likely) from one of Tiomkin's few non-score pop albums of the 1950s (Coral label). The Dial M for Murder and I Confess renditions (although not identical to the score materials) are a delightful listen and they give music fans a chance to hear the lyrical (pop sound) of many of Tiomkin's melodies of the 1950s (such as the love themes from Giant, Wild is the Wind, and Friendly Persuasion). The other highlight is the Rear Window Jukebox track which gives us a chance to hear a dead-on, jazz sound that Waxman rarely had the opportunity to score (sadly the jazz influenced main title track from Rear Window was not included on this compilation). There is no question that this cd would suffice for anyone interested in having a Hitchcock music compilation, and it is worth the price for the rare Tiomkin and Waxman tracks. Those collectors who want lengthier retrospectives of individual Hitchcock composers may considered the Varese Saranbande CD: Alfred Hitchcock-Family Plot-Strangers on a Train-Suspicion-Notorious; which includes a 16' suite from Tiomkin's best Hitchcock score to Strangers on a Train.

Fans of the films of Hitchock will have little problem with this wonderful compilation CD. For film music fans the best of the rarities are the Tiomkin and Waxman tracks. Tracks 2 and 3 are in fact culled (most likely) from one of Tiomkin's few non-score pop albums of the 1950s (Coral label). The Dial M for Murder and I Confess renditions (although not identical to the score materials) are a delightful listen and they give music fans a chance to hear the lyrical (pop sound) of many of Tiomkin's melodies of the 1950s (such as the love themes from Giant, Wild is the Wind, and Friendly Persuasion). The other highlight is the Rear Window Jukebox track which gives us a chance to hear a dead-on, jazz sound that Waxman rarely had the opportunity to score (sadly the jazz influenced main title track from Rear Window was not included on this compilation). There is no question that this cd would suffice for anyone interested in having a Hitchcock music compilation, and it is worth the price for the rare Tiomkin and Waxman tracks. Those collectors who want lengthier retrospectives of individual Hitchcock composers may considered the Varese Saranbande CD: Alfred Hitchcock-Family Plot-Strangers on a Train-Suspicion-Notorious; which includes a 16' suite from Tiomkin's best Hitchcock score to Strangers on a Train.

Though I had read reviews of all the various CDs of Hitchcock's soundtracks and compilations of his several composer's works, this was the one that I settled on... and I was not disappointed.
The music, for the most part, is rich, lush and vibrant, as each movie theme stands out for itself... bringing a flood of memories and emotions.
I had purchased a vinyl copy of Bernard Herrman's film works with Hitchcock in the late 1970s and played it several times in my college dorm room. I was surprised back then to discover how long the Vertigo work was, and how moving all his theme's were. The portrait of Hitch from The Trouble with Harry seemed unusually incongruent with the rest of the work, but upon seeing the movie, it appears as brilliant as the rest. Now that my turntable is broken and my record collection silently stored in my parents' home, unavailable to me, HOW EXCITED I AM TO HEAR THESE WONDERFUL PIECES ONCE AGAIN.
Any technical glitches that may exist in the recordings are certainly foregivable, as I didn't notice any. (My CD skipped twice, but I assume it was dust on my lens.) The jacket, though cardboard printed with black and white photos of the master of suspense, was very entertaining with liner notes fully realized with everything I could possibly want to know to enhance my listening enjoyment.
BOY, THIS WOULD SEEM TO BE THE ONE TO ORDER... if you're looking for an overview of Hitchcock soundtracks, themes and movies, consider this collection NOW, before it becomes scarce. Enthusiasts, completists and Hitchcock/Herrman mavins may be critical of each product, but for the average man, this is the "must-have" CD tø sample it all!

Since writing this review, I have also ordered the Hitchcock/Herrmann CD from Amazon. And I must admit that I have a new favorite. It's shorter, has more popular film themes, and is very well done. So consider both.

Enjoy! (PS: As I write this, I still can't get the brilliant theme from "North by Northwest" out of my head! Did you know the piece was actually titled "The Wild Ride"? How appropriate! Excuse me, I have to go cue it up again and enjoy it all over again for the first/tenth time again....)

I love "Hitch's" films. and this music makes it even beter so that is why I say you should buy this. (play psycho theme on a dark nigh...alone.)

I was so excited when I received this soundtrack. I couldn't believe the music that was in it. Dimitri Tiomkin's music was simply beautiful, Franz Waxman has the right rhythm with jazz, and John Williams always is perfect for a witty suspenseful score. All the composers for this soundtrack had done a wonderful job on the music they wrote. There is one slight mistake the cd made though. The recording of Psycho was really performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I looked that one record that they mentioned in the booklet up and saw that Bernard Herrmann had just used that orchestra for his four pieces of music in the record. This cd is a collector's item. If you love to hear Hitchcock music, buy this cd.