Buy it... only if you are a true collector of the Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Hitchcock collaboration, for Milan Record's presentation here is more educational than enjoyable.

Avoid it... if hearing the deep, raspy voice of Herrmann making commentary every third track could ruin the flow of the sparse, Elmer Bernstein-conducted selections.

Bernstein

Hitchcock, 100 Years: A Bernard Herrmann Film Score Tribute: (Compilation) No director has been the subject of as many film music compilations as Alfred Hitchcock, partly due to his famous collaboration with Bernard Herrmann during the later and more memorable series of suspense and horror films that reached their height in the 1960's. The shelves of record stores were overflowing with albums offering the music of Alfred Hitchcock films in 1999, mostly because they intended to celebrate the centenary of the director's birth. Of all the Hitchcock compilations that hit the shelves of stores during that year, this Milan Records product was constructed from the most intriguing concept. While Silva Screen and Universal (through their relatively new Hip-O Records label at the time) had released superior compilations of original and re-recorded music from the famed director's film scores, Milan had the idea of taking a series of re-recordings of Herrmann's music alone and arranging them in an educational format highlighted by verbal commentary from the composer himself. For the source of the music, Milan would turn to a collection of re-recordings performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Elmer Bernstein. These performances were recorded back in 1992 and have been floating around on CD previously. In fact, Bernstein's recording of The Wrong Box was featured on the Hip-O release of Hitchcock music only a month earlier. The quality of the sound for these recording is crisp, and the performances are above average. Bernstein ranks with Joel McNeely in the ability to conduct Herrmann's music accurately; he had just adapted the entire score for the remake of Cape Fear just a year prior. As presented on "Hitchcock, 100 Years: Bernard Herrmann Tribute," though, there is actually not that much Herrmann material on this release (only about 27 minutes total). That which is included is the standard selection of cues that most film music collectors have heard on countless other compilations.

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The suite from Psycho contains all the memorable cues, and the "Scene d'Amour" cue from Vertigo is the necessary inclusion. One of the intriguing parts of Bernstein's interpretation of "Scene d'Amour" is his revised pacing, both increasing and decreasing the tempo in parts that alter the emotional impact of the cue. Timpani and bass strings are both mixed well, with woodwinds existing perhaps further in the forefront than necessary. The choice of music from The Man Who Knew Too Much is a pleasant surprise on this album. The "Cantata/The Storm Clouds" cue represents an absolutely crucial scene in the film, and while it is not written by Herrmann, the choral/operatic suite is a vital accompaniment to the suspenseful action in the film. The sinister and epic brass prelude from North by Northwest is performed very well here. The Wrong Man doesn't really fit on the album, as it is much more comical than the other tracks. The final music track is completely out of place; it's an electronic re-mix of the first murder scene cue from Psycho and surprisingly has nothing to do with the re-make of the film that featured a Danny Elfman adaptation. This 1999 arrangement by Joseph Bishara is a synthetic mutilation of Herrmann's famous cue with awkward sampling used as sound effects. Ultimately, what makes this album an interesting listen are the four excerpts from an audio interview with Herrmann in the early 1970's. They are about 5 minutes in total length, and a few of them are particularly interesting. The response concerning why a complaint about music in film and TV "is rubbish" is most entertaining. Herrmann's insights into film music are surprisingly similar to John Williams,' who considered Herrmann an important mentor at the time. Overall, this album's very short length is its main detractor. A few more selections and wider variety would have greatly benefited the product. As it stands, there is only music from four Herrmann scores represented here, and tracks from Torn Curtain or Trouble with Harry (or the actual score from The Man Who Knew Too Much) would have been welcomed. Some people might object to hearing Herrmann speaking every third track, but these tracks are ironically the highlights of the album. ***   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download