Customer Reviews

Herrmann / Hitchcock: A Partnership In Terror (Film Score Anthology)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Amazon needs to rewrite this page to indicate next to the song titles all the different Hitchcock films this CD covers. It is an excellent collection, masterfully performed at a bargain price. The best parts of the famous 'Psycho,' 'Vertigo,' 'North by Northwest,' scores are included alongside more choice stuff from less popular Hichtcock films like 'The Trouble with Harry' and 'Marnie.' I have no complaints except the shower scene in Psycho is a little tame compared to the movie version.

i love hitchcock, and i ADORE bernard herrmann - his string writing is truly amazing. i've been studying a lot of string music this past year or so, of course no one in academia much talks about him, my interest in him is all extracurricular, but he continues to be a favorite of mine. this cd is mostly orchestral, with the exception of the pieces from psycho, and the prague orchestra is out of tune! i didn't read the fine print and was expecting these to be the original recordings, and they are definitely not! the strings do ok, not great, but the winds and brass are really disappointing. the selection on the cd is great, the artistic direction is good, but i am really distracted by the intonation.

Wow, this is the one I put on over and over.
If you're even considering this CD, you already know who Bernard Herrmann was... his contribution to Hitchcock's movies... and his genius... So I won't belabor the value of his music. It moves me... over and over....

I must say there are one or two small things that annoy me about this collection.... the first is the change in key from minor to major for the stinger end to the theme from "North By Northwest"..."The Wild Ride". But, as I have heard it on other CDs by other artists, I will not split hairs.

Second, the tantalizing taste of Torn Curtain. I would have liked more... of most of these movies....

This CD almost has it all.... the trouble with Harry...Vertigo... Psycho... Marnie...North by Northwest..Torn Curtain.. It's great!

Look at the price. Can't you afford this minimal investment to hear Herrmann as he was meant to be heard! So buy it already!

PS: I might also warn you away from another collection. The LA Symphony re-recording of Salosan (sp?) is by no means as good. But it may have one or two more themes that you haven't heard elsewhere. But I absolutely detest the speeded up version of the North By Northwest theme...TOO FAST..and that damn stinger end. But that is another review....

Both men have a common bond, a talent, perhaps the greatest in their field, which many would label "genius", and you know I believe they have my vote---Herrmann and Hitchcock did more for films, a marriage of directing and composing---films were never the same after their collaboration.

Let's look at some we remember as if it were yesterday ~ "THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY"(1955)---"THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH"(1956)---"VERTIGO"(1958)---"NORTH BY NORTHWEST"(1959)---"PSYCO"(1960) suspense and horror, they both re-wrote the "Entertainment Industry Guidelines" that year---"THE BIRDS"(1963)---"MARNIE"(1964)---"TORN CURTAIN"(1965), this was the end of an era, closing the book on a partnership in terror.

Of course the stand outs ~ "VERTIGO", featuring Jimmy Stewart and the beautiful Kim Novak, the dream-like opening, as if spinning out of a state of being, Herrmann captures the essence perfectly, so haunting and simply unforgettable---"NORTH BY NORTHWEST", only Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint could keep the audience entertained, but it was Herrmann's score that kept them on the edge of their seat...repetition of tiny musical fragments, you hear running through the entire score, a masterpiece within film, highlighted by our composers very nature, that cinema needs music.

Total Time: 45:37 on 12 Tracks ~ Silva Screen Records 5005 ~ (1996)

I must defer to other mavins who have collected the soundtracks and score for Hitchcock's movies by Bernard Herrman. I took a chance on this CD despite some nay-saying by those other fans, and was not disappointed. I enjoy sitting reading about the Johnstown Flood and other interests late at night while listening to this CD.

It represents a nice cross-section of Bernard Herrman's amazing work, though not always the original recording. I noticed this most in the arrangement of the theme from North by Northwest... which doesn't disappoint, but somehow lacks the punch of the original. (Perhaps it was the miking technique, or the distance from the microphone in THIS orchestra??) And I must say, I detest the sudden change in key from minor to major at the end of the piece for the stinger end that was added to the piece. It doesn't ring true. But, it does certainly make this performance original!

I would recommend this CD to anyone who can find a copy. Unless you are a purist and have incredible knowledge and high standards, you will not be disappointed. I wasn't. And now, I have three CDs similar to this one!