Search - B. Herrmann, William Stromberg, Moscow Symphony Orchestra :: Herrmann: Snows of Kilimanjaro/Five Fingers

Herrmann at his most brooding

Hugh Oliver | Provo, UT | 04/13/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here is a most welcome disc of Bernard Herrmann's complete scores for Snows of Kilimanjaro and 5 Fingers. By their inner, pensive, unsettled qualities, both scores look directly ahead to Herrmann's music for Hitchcock's Vertigo. There are still notable differences between 'Snows' and 5 Fingers, however. 'Snows' is more intensely romantic and is string-dominated. 5 Fingers has individual woodwind colors, eerie muted trumpet in low range, much suspense, and to me is the more effective of the two scores. Others will disagree, of course. The main point to be made is that Herrmann followers will want to own this recording.



Performances by the Moscow Symphony under William Stromberg are great, as is the recorded sound.



My only reservation is that of the 67 minutes of music, only about 10 of it is up-tempo. There may be too much pensiveness for involved listening of the entire disc in one sitting. I realize that the prevailing psychology of the films called for a brooding approach to the music, so--no complaints at all over what Herrmann did; just be ready for much emphasis on atmosphere, less on excitement."