Psycho

AMG Review of Psycho

"Blue" Gene Tyranny
All Music Guide

Performed by The National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer. An early champion of new music, conducting premieres of several Charles Ives scores in the 30's, Herrmann completely changed the idea of the filmscore from heavily operatic and kitschy "incidental music" to using only the barest of melody-like gestures or patterns in pure theme-and-variations form. This procedure is fully demonstrated in this recording, in his score for Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) with its shocking polytonal harmonies (Mercury 422 106-2, issued 1986), and even in his last score for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) (Varese Sarabande VSD-5279, issued 1986) where the patterns over jazz harmonies are as totally symmetrical as in the work of John Coltrane (esp. Naima and Giant Steps) and Jon Gibson... the orchestration and extended harp arpeggios recall his music for Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground (1951) (issued on videodisc, Image Entertainment 1989) and Robert Wise's The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) (issued on videodisc, CBS Fox 1011-80) which sounds remarkably like a Phil Glass score. In interviews, Glass has stated his early interest in Herrmann's music. Herrmann's concert music is more traditional but still remarkable for its clarity of line (especially recommended is the Souvenirs de Voyage for clarinet and string quartet (1967) issued 1991 on Delos DE 3088).