A Whole Lot of People
2. Theme from Dial M for Murder
by Dimitri Tiomkin (3:17)
An oft-parodied orchestral theme, this is throughouly steeped in '50s
jazz. However, it opens with an exhileratingly atonal and menacing
orchestral prelude, which highlights the brass section, and is punctuated
by xylophone stingers. That doesn't last long, though, and we get
our first glimpse of the theme, played on solo violin. It's passed
through various instruments, including muted trumpet, getting jazzier and
more dated by the second.
3. Theme from I Confess
by Dimitri Tiomkin (3:28)
Continuing in our maximum cheesefest from the '50s, this is another
somewhat unmemorable Tiomkin theme, again utilizing excruciatingly high-pitched
strings and solo tones. It's basically a mirror image of its predecessor.
Sure, it's compositionally sound and nicely played, but I definitely couldn't
endure stuff like this for more than 5-10 minutes at a time.
4. Juke Box #6 from Rear Window
by Dimitri Tiomkin (2:29)
This piece doesn't even attempt to be orchestral or serious, and it's
much more enjoyable. Although there's not much of a theme (it's source
music, for crying out loud!), there are several interesting jazz riffs,
making the composition into a jazz/swing piece.
5. Scene d'Armour from Vertigo
by Bernard Herrmann (5:05)
Finally! Something without jazz! In case you haven't read
my Vertigo review, this is one of my absolute favorite pieces of all time
(including classical compositions). It's also one of Bernard Herrmann's
most complex and moving opuses, and was the centerpiece of Hitchcock's
entire film. Unfortunately, I find Muir Matheson's conducting and
the orchestra in general somewhat offputting; McNeely's faster, more intense
reading with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is a better choice.
In that performance, the depth of the rapturous abandon feels much more
pronounced and moving. Pick it up if you haven't already! And
now back to the present album...
6. The Wild Ride from North by Northwest
by Bernard Herrmann (2:54)
Continuing with our stunning lineup of Herrmann classics, this is another
one of those that every serious film music freak should own, even if it's
just on a compilation and not the full OST. One of the only glorified
action cues that Herrmann ever penned, the piece is written in the fast,
exciting Spanish dance form called the Fandago; this cue is reminiscent
of what he would later compose for Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion blowouts.
7. Psycho: A Narrative for Orchestra
by Bernard Herrmann (14:29)
Although it's probably his most famous (and for some, most loved) scores,
the full hour's worth can be quite a chore to sit through, especially with
Herrmann's repetitive cues that worked great in the movie, but are boring
on CD. So, the ever-versatile composer gave us a perfect solution
- a 15 minute concert suite of all the major cues. Everything from
the fast moving Prelude, to the chopping, murderous strings in the shower
scene, and the shocking, depressing finale of the Madhouse theme and dissonant
chords is present here. Every major theme gets presented - even The
City, which was one of my favorite in the score. Unfortunately, Herrmann
wasn't necessarily the best conductor of his own music, and the performance
here is terribly slow and lazy - especially compared to the breakneck pace
of McNeely's rerecording with the RSNO strings viciously attacking their
instruments.
8. Prelude from Marnie
by Bernard Herrmann (2:06)
Herrmann's and Hitchcock's next major score is Marnie, which is unfortunately
unavailable in its complete form. And yes, that is a severe travesty,
because it contains some of the maestro's best cues. Its main theme,
presented here for the first time in its original form, is slightly reminiscent
of his Vertigo material, but less macabre. The melody is quite moving,
and it makes me yearn for a complete album.
9. Marnie
by Bernard Herrmann (3:04)
Here Herrmann gives us a full concert arrangement of Marnie's theme,
beginning with low and cautious strings, but leading up to a full orchestral
performance. As I said above, it's quickly become one of my favorite
Herrmann themes, and is ultimately worth the price of this entire album.
10. Main Title from Torn Curtain
by Bernar-oops, John Addison (2:18)
Why? Why did Hitchcock reject a uniformly superb Herrmann score
for this unimpressing drivel? Now, given, Addison is a fantastic
film composer, but a Hitchcock espionage thriller is not the place for
blaring saxophones and muted trumpets. I guess the theme is serviceable
by itself, but when compared to Herrmann's masterpiece there's no contest.
11. Prelude from Torn Curtain
by Bernard Herrmann (1:56)
Here we have yet another reason to run out and purchase this compilation
- the world premiere of the original tracks from Herrmann's rejected score.
And it's also one of the only times that a McNeely rerecording has failed
in surpassing the original - there really is no contest. Despite
its age, the sound quality from this OST is much clearer than the newer
release, and you can actually hear the strong, virtuoso flute line.
Truly magnificent.
12. The Ship from Torn Curtain
by Bernard Herrmann (:54)
Continuing with the rejected score, this is a foreboding cue for flute
ensemble, highlighting the rarely used alto and bass flutes.
13. The Radiogram from Torn Curtain
by Bernard Herrmann (2:01)
This is another cue for foreboding flute ensemble, now coupled with
meandering double basses.
14. March from Topaz
by Maurice Jarre (2:36)
I'd have to say that Maurice Jarre is probably the most unlikely choice
for a Hitchcock film I'd ever think of. Upon hearing this, there's
no doubt that this is the same guy who penned Lawrence of Arabia, since
it's a superb military march exactly like that score's secondary theme.
Not having access to the original tracks, Hip-O reissued Silva Screen's
rerecording with the City of Prague Philharmonic. Fortunately, none
of the orchestra's typical performance flaws are present, and this is definitely
one of the album's high points.
15. The London Theme from Frenzy
by Ron Goodwin (2:27)
We reach another memorable soaring theme in this track, which is from
the composer of Battle of Britain. Again using Silva's rerecording,
this sports sparkling sound quality and a convincing performance.
The music itself is slightly more subdued than his Battle of Britain material,
but there's no doubt that it's the same composer - cymbals in the background
and a great string theme at the forefront.
16. Prelude from The Wrong Man
by Bernard Herrmann (2:08)
Returning to the jazzy mood set with the Tiomkin selections from the
beginning of the album, this is a nice little comedic theme from Bernard
Herrmann, and, while serving up plently of spice and attitude, doesn't
quite dip into cheese like Tiomkin's material. It's quite abnormal
for Herrmann, containing lots of jazz elements and ethnic percussion.
17. End Credits & End Titles from Family Plot
by John Williams (2:33)
Yet another unexcusably unreleased masterpiece from Universal's archives.
For Hitchcock's last film, John Williams himself signed on and provided
a richly orchestral comedy score that fits in perfectly with his other
scores from the period, with parts sounding like the lighter material from
JAWS, complete with harpsichord. In the last 30 seconds, an ethereal
chorus makes an appearence.
18. A Portrait of Hitch from The Trouble with Harry
by Bernard Herrmann (8:15)
Hip-O wisely chooses another Herrmann masterpiece to round out the
album, in the form of his oft-performed concert suite from The Trouble
with Harry. Here we have one of the maestro's only comedy scores,
highlighting Hitchcock's quirky humor with several themes of macabre orchestral
comedic happenings. Surprisingly, it turns out that not even the
great Herrmann is above borrowing his own themes - parts of this were later
used in Jason and the Argonauts.
While being an excellent compilation overall, I'm afraid that this will
mostly appeal only to collectors at opposite ends of experience - newbies
wanting to get into the Golden Age and Bernard Herrmann, and Herrmann freaks
who want to own every last note of every single OST of his. The normal
consumer will most likely have most of these. However, if you want
a great intro. to Herrmann and don't have many of these, go ahead and take
the plunge! I don't think many people at all will be disappointed
by this superb compilation.
| Music Rating | 10/10 |
| Packaging/Liner Notes | 9/10 |
| Orchestral Performance | 8/10 |
| Sound Quality | 6/10 |
| Length | 10/10 |
| Overall | 9/10 |