Bernard Herrmann: The Essential Film Music Collection

if you like Bernard Hermann film music this is the offering for you. Although I have other recording from him this recording although having the more well know pieces it has the less well recorded titles like The Ghost And Mrs Muir.

Another great recording of film music done by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra containing pieces from Citizen Kane Overture and Vertigo Prelude/Nightmare , On Dangerous Ground and Giant Bees.

This CD is a great place to start if you've heard one or two of Herrmann's scores, thought you liked them, but wondered where to go next because of his diversity. The musicianship is very good, the record quality excellent. What prevents this from being truly "essential", however, is that the recordings end up sounding quite "samey" - it's as if Paul Bateman can't deal with so many different styles all on the same disc. Maybe that's the price of getting a best of collection that provides a pleasant and continuous listening experience, but while I might use this for parties, I think I'd return to the original soundtracks for passion, flair, and an involved listening experience.

As comprehensive a sampler (if that's not an oxymoron) of Herrmann's music as you'll find. However, a remarkable lack of Vertigo here...

I Love Movie Soundtracks and this one is Fantastic Love It Thanks.

Fantástico

Le premier intérêt de cet excellent double CD (qui n'est pas une compilation, mais bien un enregistrement original de 2006) est de balayer l'ensemble de la carrière de Bernard Herrmann, alors que la plupart des compilations se limitent aux partitions les plus connues - les Hitchcock et Taxi Driver pour l'essentiel.L'occasion de découvrir quelques magnifiques compositions comme celles du fantôme de Mme Muir (1947), du Jour où la Terre s'arrêta (1951), 1ère vraie "musique de fim de science fiction" où l'orchestre est accompagné d'un thérémine (ancêtre du synthé), jusqu'au très hitchcockien Cape Fear (1962) et au thème sifflé de Twisted nerve, devenu "tube" depuis sa reprise dans Kill Bill... mais aussi les partitions de films d'aventure : Sinbad, Gulliver et surtout "L'île mystérieuse" où Herrmann illustre avec brio l'apparition de créatures monstrueuses...L'interprétation du Prague Philharmonic sous la baguette de Paul Bateman est très convaincante, souvent très proche des originaux. Autre bonne surprise, l'excellente qualité du son, supérieure à bien des enregistrements de musique classique de labels parfois prestigieux... Avec une bonne chaîne, l'immersion et le relief sont très bons. Même le livret est soigné : 12 pages, avec un paragraphe pour chacun des 23 films représentés. Une réussite exemplaire, même si l'on regrette quelques plages trop courtes : en 2h20 de musique, impossible de tout traiter (1'45 seulement pour sa dernière composition Obsession, 2' pour Sinbad - mais de belles et longues plages pour ses principaux chefs d'oeuvre, Vertigo / Sueurs froides, Psychose ou Fahrenheit 451)

There was a time when film music composers were scarcely mentionned for the success of a movie.People like BERNARD HERRMANN and a few others changed that.It is not for nothing that movie directors often stick with the same composer over and over:FELLINI and ROTA,EDWARDS and MANCINI,TRUFFAUT and DELERUE etc.There is a special connection between the two.Honoring them with a 2 cd set is a very good idea,because buying the original soundtracks can be costly.Here, we have a very good sample of HERRMANN's works from CITIZEN KANE to TAXI DRIVER,his last score.Most composers have a personal style one can recognize.BERNARD HERRMANN has a gothic edge filled with melodramatic overtones,but he can also surprizes us when scoring a fantasy or science-fiction movie.If you listen closely to the two tracks from THE GHOST AND MRS.MUIR,you can actually witness the so called HERRMANN touch that was already present.My favorite is MARNIE,even if i didn't like the film.His music here manages to make you feel the mental disorder of the character.If you are a fan of music in the movies,buy this.

バーナードハーマンは「めまい」「北北西に進路をとれ」「サイコ」「マーニー」「タクシードライバー」くらいしか聞いた事がなくあまり詳しくないのですが「あっこの映画もこの人の曲だったんだ」といった感動を味わえるアルバムでした。演奏はTHE CITY OF PRAGUE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA でconducted by PAUL BATEMAN となってます。