Search - Bernard Herrmann :: Psycho: The Complete Original Motion Picture Score

Finally Free Of The Fruit Cellar

M. Packo | Stratford, CT United States | 07/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, for all of those who have whinned
about preferring an "original" soundtrack recording
-- forget about it! Was never made; never will be.The 1975 Unicorn-Kanchana recording, conducted by
Bernard Herrmann, (the 1989 cd is a VERY difficult
import to acquire) has been the definitive version of
the entire soundtrack -- until this 1997 recording.Much as I respect many of Danny Elfman's original scores -
particularly Dolores Claiborne, Black Beauty, Mars Attacks
and even the amusing MIB II prelude - his treatment of
Herrmann's masterpiece is only a nice try.With all that out of the way, and after considerable time
spent comparing the recording Herrmann finally had the
opportunity to make shortly before he died, (which I have
been listening to regularly for over 25 years) with McNeely's
version which I have been avoiding for a few years, my advice:This is now the definitive version and will likely remain
so for decades. Barring a much needed remastering of the
Naional Philharmonic-Herrmann cd, you will NEVER hear this
score, which is simply one of the finest musical compositions
of the 20th century, the way it must be heard.
Depth, clarity and separation between the various strings -
particularly the celli and basses - is exceptional. Like
listening to the music for the first time! The prelude has
most - though not quite enough - of its frenzy back. The
two missing cues are very interesting and most welcome.
There is a nice inversion at the start of The Window which
makes it more interesting. Every track is engineered impeccably,
with a nice sustain and ring-off to the strings just the way
it ought to be. Originally I found certain cues, like The City,
The Curtain, and even The Water uninspired, too measured and
lacking spirit. Likewise, I still find Herrmann's conducting
usually has more of the flow and flavor of the music's essence
which McNeely sometimes seems to lose track of. However, the overall dedication to craft and total respect for the quality
of this score is perfectly obvious. I regret having waited so
long to purchase this recording.Lastly: The liner notes, though decent, really deserved to be
more detailed and technical. You can hear maestro Herrmann
doing such simple yet sublimely subtle things with his score
now, and it would have been so helpful for us non-musicians
if there had come included a bit more explanation as to what
compositional elements they are.
And why not have a companion video recording of this
recording session?
Now THAT would finally free Herrmann's masterpiece even more
from its neglected past!"

..Close, but no cheese sandwich

Michael M. Wilk | Howard Beach, NY | 01/22/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have mixed feelings towards this umpteenth recording of Bernard Herrmann's chilling score for Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". I congratulate Joel McNeely for use tempi closer to those of the original soundtrack, but I still feel that there is something lacking, particularly in the Prelude. It does sound muffled and a little "timid", lacking the jarring ferocity of the original soundtrack. That is probably my biggest "beef" about this recording. And I have yet to hear a re-recording of the notorious "murder" music that is as effective as it was in the film. Maybe it was the placement of the microphones, maybe it was in the post-recording, giving it that almost distorted sound, (which was innocently mistaken by late writer Ivan Butler as sounding like "distorted screaming bird-cries", which, actually, it does!), but in the several re-recordings of the score, do sound like very high-placed strokes on violins, and almost always played too slow. But enough kvetching. This is probably the best re-recording of the score I have heard so far, and for that I congratulate Joel McNeely and Varese Sarabande. Now, how about a digitally remastered recording of the ORIGINAL soundtrack?"

"Psycho's" music score as brilliant as the film!

franksoprano | 07/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alfred Hithcock, a man not known for heaping praise on others, once said Bernard Herrmann's score for "Psycho" accounted for at least one third of the film's impact.Herrmann, writing a score only for strings, and to compliment a film shot in black and white, created for "Psycho" the most chilling, evocative and imitated score in motion picture history.Forty years later, the impact of his shrieking string stabs for the shower sequence (Hitchcock initially wanted no music for thescene, until he heard the cue that Herrmann had composed for it), is a strong as ever.The score, as recreated on this disc by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, is beautifully performed and produced. The liner notes by Kevin Mulhall are filled with much information never before published.The score for "Psycho", like the film itself, remains a masterpeice.The fact that Herrmann's work was ignored in 1960 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences remains one of the great travesties in Oscar history."