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OK, I just got this Phase 4 Box set, a great opportunity for me to catch up with these recordings Herrmann did in the late 60s and early 70s.
Now, when I listened to disc 2 of the Phase 4 Box set, the recording of Citizen Kane sounded very familiar.... something I have not heard in years... but... yes.
I have a Unicorn Vinyl LP, that contains Bernard Herrmann conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra in an extended suite from PSYCHO (more extensive than the London Philharmonic suite on the PHASE 4), as well as "Welles Raises Kane", which is very similar to the "Music from CITIZEN KANE" suite from the PHASE 4 recordings, but with an additional slower movement "Meditation"(from The Magnificent Ambersons).
Always liked this Unicorn vinyl recording, (it was a good pressing, excellent sound), but have not heard it in a long time.
Has anyone any background knowledge about these recordings?
Why did Herrmann conduct two different performances of PSYCHO with two different orchestras within a few years (London Philharmonic Orchestra and National Philharmonic Orchestra), one for DECCA, one for UNICORN?
And both "Welles Raises Kane" (Unicorn) and "Music from Citizen Kane" (Phase 4) are both recorded with the London Philharmonic and feature almost the same cues (but only "almost"). Are they even the same recording? (Can't compare them right now as my vinyl recordings are mostly boxed up right now and I currently have no turntable setup). But I sure get the same vibes from these recordings... The Unicorn vinyl contains an extra cue though.
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I think the set is doing quite well for Universal - at least the shop I originally had ordered from cancelled out and JPC also has no stock of it. I had to order from amazon after all.
Both, the "classical" Phase 4 recordings and Herrmann's Unicorn catalog are in urgent need of re-issues.
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Hello all.
I have a question regarding tracklist in this set.
For example - Sinbad - is this suite presented as one long track (8:30) or it is cut on three?
Similiar with Journey To The Centre Of The Earth - it is one 15 minite track or it is cut for 7 shorter cues?
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Welles Raises Kane is a concert suite of music from both the Amberson and Kane movies, honoring Herrmann's involvement with Welles. The other recording is Kane material only.
Yes, but the Amberson material seems to be the missing movement that I mentioned.
The Unicorn recording of Psycho (labeled as "complete") contains FOUR TIMES more music (one hour versus fifteen minutes) than the other brief concert suite.
The PSYCHO Unicorn recording I refer to is more than the brief concert suite on Phase 4 (and a different orchestra), but certainly not complete. (It's this album I refer to: http://www.45worlds.com/vinyl/album/un172018 )
It's an abbreviated PSYCHO score.
I am just wondering why Herrmann covered very similar ground here on LPs with sometimes the same orchestras within a few years.
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The Welles Raises Kane Suite was written in the early 1940s. The full suite was recoded for Unicorn and highlights were recorded for Decca, minus some of the Ambersons material. They are two independent recordings.
Yes, thanks, that sounds about right. Just interesting that he would record such very similar stuff for two different labels with the same orchestra within such a short time span.
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The Hitchcock, Classic Film Scores, and the two sci-fi/fantasy albums were my introduction to Herrmann becak in the mid-seventies. After growing up in the 60s and absorbing all of the pop/jazz scores for spies and detective films and shows, I started to expand my interest in film music from the golden age.
The Herrmann Phase 4 albums were essential for that, along with Elmer Bernstein's club releases, the Gerhardt series, Rozsa's three Polydor recordings, and a couple of other albums: Rota/Fellini on Cam and an Angel album of William Walton.
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Hello all.
I have a question regarding tracklist in this set.
For example - Sinbad - is this suite presented as one long track (8:30) or it is cut on three?
Similiar with Journey To The Centre Of The Earth - it is one 15 minite track or it is cut for 7 shorter cues?
Both Sindbad and Journey are divided into three and seven individual and selectable tracks on this new boxed set.
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Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued 3 of the Herrmann Decca series on their 24 karat gold cds: Music From The Great Film Classics, Fantasy Film World, and Mysterious Film World. They never got the rights to the Hitchcock album as far as I know.
They also did "The Four Faces Of Jazz."
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Steven Smith’s biography has details, but Unicorn was a very small label and Herrmann paid for those recordings himself to promote his work. Decca then brought him in to record as part of their Phase 4 light classics series. I’m sure they paid him in that case.
Thanks, that's the kind of information I was looking for. I got the excellent Smith biography of course.
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