Customer Reviews

Concerto Macabre: The Bernard Hermann Collection

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The performers on the disc are the New Zealand Symphony (James Sedares, conductor), Berliner Symphoniker (Isaiah Jackson, conductor), the Phoenix Symphony (James Sedares, conductor), and pianist David Buechner. The pieces: "Concerto Macabre for Piano and Orchestra" (from "Hangover Square"), a suite from "The Devil and Daniel Webster," "For the Fallen," Sinfonietta for String Orchestra," "Prelude for Piano," and the Finale of Herrmann's Symphony No. 1. The performances are well executed; the selections very rare. An essential compilation for Herrmann aficianados.

I first became aware of Bernard Herman's fabulouse music when I saw the Movie
Pysco. I was only 8 years old in 1960. My parents were already into Hitchcock's
tv show, so when the contraversal movie Pysco came out they took me and my brothers and sisters to a drive in theater to see it. Of coarse it was defintly
not a movie for kids. Like everyone else I was most terified by the shower scene.
I had a lot of nightmares and questions for my parents about what certain things ment, for instance the word transsexual. I wont even print what their respose
was as it is totally laughable for today's world. But I was covenced of one thing,
as terififing as the movie was it was the most unforgettable movie that i'v ever seen, especially the soundtrack. The music was so kool. Thats when I got into Bernard Herman, and decided that I must have as many of his soundtracks as possible.Not all of them are as interesting as others. there are a few tracks
here that display his infectouse sound, such as the opening tracks on the Daniel Webster suite. But alot of these collections are nothing more than poor imitations
and reworks of the masters work. It's best to stick with the cds that feature
Bernard Herman conducting the orchestra.