Sony Masterworks

Herrmann: The Film Scores - Vertigo, Psycho, Etc / Salonen

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Details

Composer
HERRMANN, BERNARD
Artist
Esa-Pekka, Salonen
Format
CD
Discs
1
Label
Sony Masterworks
Released
Jul 19, 2007
Catalog #
SONY62700
UPC
074646270028

About

This disc received the 1998 Cannes Classical Music Award for "Best 20th-Century Orchestral Recording." It was also nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for "Best Engineered Album, Classical."

-----

There is much to savour here: the thrilling sense of spectacle engendered in the brazen Prelude to The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956); the sweep and lustre of the LAPO’s response in the two extended excerpts from Marnie (1964); the aural feast served up by the score rejected by Hitchcock for Torn Curtain (1966, whose characteristically unconventional instrumentation includes 16 horns, 12 flutes, nine trombones and two tubas). In the Suite from Psycho (1960) Salonen draws playing of terrific bite and menace from his Los Angeles string section. Most striking of all is the remarkable concentration this partnership brings to those pivotal slow numbers like “The Madhouse” and “The Swamp” (both of which convey such numbing dread through their indeterminate tonality). Salonen’s finely sculpted realization of the suite for strings, harp and percussion from Herrmann’s score to Francois Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451 (1966) has a wistfulness (especially in the poignant bars of the concluding “The Road”) that rather scores over Joel McNeely’s recent Varese Sarabande version with the Seattle SO. How good, too, that room was found for Christopher Palmer’s effective synthesis of Herrmann’s very last composition, the magnificently sinister and moody score for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1975).

“Any grumbles at all?”, I hear you ask. Well, just a couple. In the overture to North by Northwest (1959) Salonen’s chosen tempo strikes me as just a little too hectic to give quite enough lift to those obsessive fandango rhythms, whereas Herrmann’s own soundtrack recording on EMI Premier conveys an altogether greater sense of menace. Salonen also tries to wring too much out of the gorgeous “Scene d’amour” from Vertigo (1958) – McNeely with the RSNO on Varese Sarabande is less self-consciously sticky and infinitely more moving as a result. Otherwise, I have nothing but praise.

A winner of a disc, in sum, resplendently played and engineered, and excellently annotated by Alex Ross. If this generous new Sony collection doesn’t succeed in alerting a whole new audience to the genius of Bernard Herrmann, then nothing will.

-- Gramophone [1/1997]

Tracklist 37 tracks

  1. 1 The Man Who Knew Too Much: Prelude 02:40
    Track
    1
    Title
    The Man Who Knew Too Much: Prelude
    Duration
    02:40
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  2. 2 Prelude 02:04
    Track
    2
    Title
    Prelude
    Duration
    02:04
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  3. 3 The City 01:44
    Track
    3
    Title
    The City
    Duration
    01:44
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  4. 4 The Rainstorm 01:25
    Track
    4
    Title
    The Rainstorm
    Duration
    01:25
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  5. 5 The Madhouse 02:36
    Track
    5
    Title
    The Madhouse
    Duration
    02:36
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  6. 6 The Murder 01:00
    Track
    6
    Title
    The Murder
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  7. 7 The Water 01:11
    Track
    7
    Title
    The Water
    Duration
    01:11
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  8. 8 The Swamp 02:28
    Track
    8
    Title
    The Swamp
    Duration
    02:28
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  9. 9 The Stairs 01:32
    Track
    9
    Title
    The Stairs
    Duration
    01:32
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  10. 10 The Knife 00:28
    Track
    10
    Title
    The Knife
    Duration
    00:28
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  11. 11 The Cellar 01:16
    Track
    11
    Title
    The Cellar
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  12. 12 Finale 01:57
    Track
    12
    Title
    Finale
    Duration
    01:57
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  13. 13 Prelude 05:13
    Track
    13
    Title
    Prelude
    Duration
    05:13
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  14. 14 The Hunt 05:45
    Track
    14
    Title
    The Hunt
    Duration
    05:45
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  15. 15 North by Northwest: Overture 02:46
    Track
    15
    Title
    North by Northwest: Overture
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  16. 16 Prelude 02:57
    Track
    16
    Title
    Prelude
    Duration
    02:57
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  17. 17 The Nightmare 02:08
    Track
    17
    Title
    The Nightmare
    Duration
    02:08
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  18. 18 Scene d'Amour 06:49
    Track
    18
    Title
    Scene d'Amour
    Duration
    06:49
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  19. 19 Prelude 02:17
    Track
    19
    Title
    Prelude
    Duration
    02:17
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  20. 20 Gromek 01:54
    Track
    20
    Title
    Gromek
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  21. 21 The Killing 02:16
    Track
    21
    Title
    The Killing
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  22. 22 Prelude 01:32
    Track
    22
    Title
    Prelude
    Duration
    01:32
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  23. 23 Fire Engine 01:01
    Track
    23
    Title
    Fire Engine
    Duration
    01:01
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  24. 24 The Bedroom 01:39
    Track
    24
    Title
    The Bedroom
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  25. 25 The Reading 02:03
    Track
    25
    Title
    The Reading
    Duration
    02:03
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  26. 26 The Garden 01:26
    Track
    26
    Title
    The Garden
    Duration
    01:26
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  27. 27 The Nightmare 01:51
    Track
    27
    Title
    The Nightmare
    Duration
    01:51
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  28. 28 Flowers of Fire 01:43
    Track
    28
    Title
    Flowers of Fire
    Duration
    01:43
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  29. 29 Flamethrower 00:37
    Track
    29
    Title
    Flamethrower
    Duration
    00:37
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  30. 30 Captain's Death 01:00
    Track
    30
    Title
    Captain's Death
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  31. 31 The Road 02:14
    Track
    31
    Title
    The Road
    Duration
    02:14
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  32. 32 Finale 02:25
    Track
    32
    Title
    Finale
    Duration
    02:25
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  33. 33 Prelude 00:54
    Track
    33
    Title
    Prelude
    Duration
    00:54
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  34. 34 Blues 03:10
    Track
    34
    Title
    Blues
    Duration
    03:10
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  35. 35 Night Prowl 00:29
    Track
    35
    Title
    Night Prowl
    Duration
    00:29
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  36. 36 Bloodbath 01:27
    Track
    36
    Title
    Bloodbath
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen
  37. 37 Finale 00:45
    Track
    37
    Title
    Finale
    Duration
    00:45
    Composer
    Bernard Herrmann
    Ensemble
    Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Esa-Pekka Salonen