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

Bernard Herrmann

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 23, 1996)
• Original Release Date: July 18, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Silva America
• ASIN: B000004BR9
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #312,788 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann make one of the great director- composer collaborations, but Herrmann's scores for such films as Vertigo and North by Northwest are among the greatest music ever written for the screen. From the ecstatic longing of Vertigo's "Scene D'Amour" to the infamous shrieking violins in Psycho, Herrmann's music here reveals him to be a composer of the first rank. Other unforgettable moments: the headlong "Overture" to North by Northwest and the brooding "Prelude" from Marnie. Herrmann's unusual instrumentation, off-kilter rhythms, and dark, tortured melodies create a world in which safety is a sad, distant illusion and sudden terror lies behind the commonplace. Almost every track here can stand on its own, but when added to Hitchcock's masterpieces of suspense, the results are sheer genius. --Heidi MacDonald

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Choice collection of Bernard Hermann classics, August 16, 2000

By	TUCO H. "H. TUCO" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Hitchcock/Herrmann collection so far!, November 27, 2002

By	Kirk Groeneveld "Star Trek, Sci Fi and Harry ... (Athens, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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....

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointed...., April 30, 2002

By A Customer

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.