The Bernard Herrmann Society

Bernard Herrmann was born on 29th June 1911

A new article has been added:
The Nature of Bernard Herrmann's Music by Bill Wrobel

plus
The Herrmann Papers phototour has been updated

Tribute Film Classics have released Max Steiner's SHE

www.screenarchives.com /title_detail.cfm ?ID=10006

The release of their recording of Herrmann's KENTUCKIAN has sadly been delayed.

The Brick Theater starts a production on 1st June of the Magnificent Ambersons as a live theatrical reconstruction of Welles' original cut of the film. They are also using Bernard Herrmann's entire original score.

broadwayworld.com /viewcolumn.cfm ?colid=28260

Daniel Schweiger's review of the Tribute recordings:

www.ifmagazine.com /review.asp ?article=2451

Norma Herrmann's second husband Roger Dice passed away suddenly and peacefully on the 23rd April.

Our condolences to the friends and family.

An interview with Sheffer about the upcoming Herrmann concert:

www.cleveland.com /entertainment /index.ssf /2008 /03 /red_an_orchestra_celebrates_be.html

The concert in question:
www.bernardherrmann.org /news /concerts.xdoc#263

Broadcaster Tommy Pearson wrote in his blog about "The Genius of Bernard Herrmann":

onemoretake.blogspot.com /2008 /02 /genius-of-bernard-herrmann.html

A photocopy of Herrmann's autograph score to The Man Who Knew Too Much was donated by researcher Marcus Caratelli to the Bernard Herrmann Papers at the UCSB.

The original manuscript is archived in the Paramount Music Library.

On 18th February, the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica is hosting a 50th Anniversary screening of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

Arnold Kunert will moderate a discussion with Ray Harryhausen, Phil Tippett, Dennis Muren, Randy Cook and Steven C. Smith

www.americancinematheque.com /archive1999 /2008 /Aero /Live_Commentary_Series.htm#7TH%20VOYAGE%20OF%20SINBAD

Bernard Herrmann's good friend Lady Evelyn Barbirolli, the widow of conductor Sir John Barbirolli, died on 25th January 2008 aged 97.

www.telegraph.co.uk /news /main.jhtml ?xml= /news /2008 /01 /26 /db2601.xml
www.timesonline.co.uk /tol /comment /obituaries /article3265882.ece

The title is debateable, but FSM Online has an article by Christopher Jenkins in it's latest edition.

https: / /www.screenarchives.com /fsmonline /story.cfm ?maID=1156 &issueID=35

Note only accessable to subscribers.

CD releases featured:

-The Night Digger (Label X)
-It's Alive 2 (Silva Screen) by Laurie Johnson using Herrmann's themes from It's Alive (1)
-Welles Raises Kane/The Devil and Daniel Webster/Obsession (Unicorn Kanchana)

Martin Scorsese's advert for Freixenet is a hommage to Alfred Hitchcock and uses Herrmann's score to North by Northwest.

It is now online:
www.scorsesefilmfreixenet.com /video_eng.htm

Varese Sarabande releases a new complete recording of North by Northwest in their Soundtrack Club series:
www.bernardherrmann.org /news /recordings.xdoc#269

The Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture, Malibu California

Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A Fiddler's Tale: A Tribute to Violin Great Louis Kaufman
with Guest Speaker, Dr. Annette Kaufman

www.montgomeryartshouse.org /concertschedule.html

Anna Bonn, John Morgan & William Stromberg are in Moscow from November 4th through the 11th to record Bernard Herrmann's Americana scores THE KENTUCKIAN and WILLIAMSBURG-THE STORY OF A PATRIOT with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra

Bernard Herrmann's good friend Ursula Vaughan Williams, the widow of composer Ralph Vaughan Willams whom Herrmann championed, died on 23rd Oct. 2007 aged 96

Obituaries
www.telegraph.co.uk /news /main.jhtml ?xml= /news /2007 /10 /25 /db2501.xml
news.independent.co.uk /people /obituaries /article3093772.ece
www.timesonline.co.uk /tol /comment /obituaries /article2732710.ece
www.guardian.co.uk /obituaries /story /0,,2198334,00.html

John Amis holds a talk on Bernard Herrmann, Igor Stravinsky, Malcolm Arnold and Gerard Hoffnung

Held for the Putney Music Society
Dryburgh Hall, Putney Leisure Centre, Dryburgh Road, London
Monday 29 October 8pm
a part of the Wandsworth Arts Festival

www.thefrms.co.uk/putney.htm

A review by Steve Vertlieb on the "Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann" is online

thethunderchild.com /Movies /VertliebViews /BernardHerrmann.html

A review of the UK "Twisted Nerve" DVD by Channel 4:

www.channel4.com /film /reviews /film.jsp ?id=161610 &page=1

Naxos and the recording duo of John Morgan & Bill Stromberg have parted ways.

The scheduled recording of THE KENTUCKIAN/WILLIAMSBURG will appear on their own label: Tribute Film Classics. The recording sessions are taking place in Moscow in November 2007.

Also in the pipeline are Max Steiner's SHE, CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE plus Frank Skinner's ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. The last three are scheduled for recording in 2008.

An article by Jon Burlingame on the recent Beverly Hills Music Festival is online:

www.filmmusicsociety.org /news_events /features /2007 /080907.html

The concert was performed on 6th August 2007:
www.bernardherrmann.org /news /concerts.xdoc#254

Bernard Herrmann was born on 29th June 1911

The exhibition "Repeater" by Tyneside artist Graham Dolphin is shown until September in the Baltic Mill Cente for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, UK. One work is called "Condensed Vertigo 2007" which is a sound installation using Bernard Herrmann's score for Hitchcock's Vertigo, which is recompiled into one track and plays in the gallery's public stairwell.

www.balticmill.com
www.myspace.com/balticmill

Graham Dolphin talks about his exhibition at BALTIC
(with "Condensed Vertigo 2007" Clips)
vids.myspace.com /index.cfm ?fuseaction=vids.individual &videoid=2036771120

The RTE Orchestra under John Wilson is going to present an (almost) all Herrmann concert in August!

www.bernardherrmann.org /news /concerts.xdoc#247

The prestigious Chicago Symphony Orchestra is going to perform the Nightmare Romance programme next year

www.bernardherrmann.org /news /concerts.xdoc#243

The programme was premiered in March 2006 in London:
www.bernardherrmann.org /articles /events /nightmare_romance_2006

This years performance will be in July in Lyon, France:
www.bernardherrmann.org /news /concerts.xdoc#229
www.nuitsdefourviere.com /2007 /soiree_en.php3 ?id_article=271

New rundowns are available from Bill Wrobel
-The Bride Wore Black (Bernard Herrmann)
-The Adventures of Don Juan (Max Steiner)

www.filmscorerundowns.net

The Bride Wore Black also gets it's first Region 2 DVD release in the UK on 18th June:
www.bernardherrmann.org /news /videos.xdoc#228

On 21st October 2007 the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Herrmann's Symphony!

www.bernardherrmann.org /news /concerts.xdoc#242

The Capitol Cinema in Marburg, Germany has a special showing of The Birds on 3rd June, 1007.

Before the film Juergen Hiller will present his Trautonium he based on Oskar Sala's.

The Trautonium player Wolfgang Gerhard Mueller will show the audience how Sala created the sounds for the birds in the film and perform additional compositions for the instrument.

Thomas Roesser, a film music expert will host the event.

www.cineplex.de /kino /events /event1204 /city32

John Morgan reports that they have successfully completed their recordings of
MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
FAHRENHEIT 451
WALKING DISTANCE (full string version)

for TRIBUTE FILM CLASSICS

herrmann.uib.no /talking /view.cgi ?forum=thGeneral &topic=2703

Videos from the sessions are available here:

The Ballon (2) from Mysterious Island
vids.myspace.com /index.cfm ?fuseaction=vids.individual &videoID=2028550116

Fire Alarm from Fahrenheit 451
vids.myspace.com /index.cfm ?fuseaction=vids.individual &videoID=2029552120

The Castro Threatre, San Francisco celebrates a season of Herrmann films in June.

LLEGENDARY COMPOSER: BERNARD HERRMANN (1911-1975)

June 1 - Vertigo & Obsession
June 2 - The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Mysterious Island, Jason and the Argonauts
June 3 - Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver
June 5 - Journey to the Center of the Earth, Fahrenheit 451
June 6 - Cape Fear, On Dangerous Ground
June 7 - Psycho, Marnie

www.castrotheatre.com/june.htm

On Tuesday Silva Screen/BSX announced the re-release of the old Cloud Nine OST for GBP 15 / $25:

www.bernardherrmann.org /news /recordings.xdoc#231

Willian Stromberg followed with the details of the complete re-recording:

herrmann.uib.no /talking /view.cgi ?forum=thGeneral &topic=2674

The sessions in Moscow are scheduled for May 2nd - 5th.
The release will be available for $20 from Screenarchives in the late summer

UPDATE: Fahrenheit 451 will also be recorded at the same dates in Moscow

Joseph Dalton wrote a very interesting article on the Albany Symphony's concert of the Herrmann melodrams:

timesunion.com /AspStories /story.asp ?storyID=574532

"In future seasons, the ASO will perform the remaining melodrams, with the entire collection slated for recording and release on Koch International Classics."

Here is his concert review:

timesunion.com /AspStories /story.asp ?storyID=575235

Dr. Stephen Husarik, Professor of Humanities/Music History at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith presented a paper to students and faculty (September, 2006) entitled "Transformation of the 'Psycho Theme' in Bernard Herrmann's Music for "Psycho" at the National Association for Humanities Education Conference, Friday, March 2, 2007, 12:30-2 pm, Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, San Francisco.

Husarik is presenting this paper again for the South Central Chapter of the American Musicological Society, University of Georgia, Athens (Hugh Hodgson School of Music) on Friday, March 16, 2007 at 3:45 PM.

More:
herrmann.uib.no /talking /view.cgi ?forum=thGeneral &topic=2651

A concert report by Jon Burlingame about the John Williams event with the LA Phil:

www.filmmusicsociety.org /news_events /features /2007 /030807.html

The Film Score Rundowns site has just been newly updated.

It includes an analysis of Herrmann's ENDLESS NIGHT:

www.filmscorerundowns.net

ArkivMusic.com issued some of Herrmann's Decca recordings as "on demand" CD-Rs. These are reproductions of the 1990ies CD's not the orginal LP's. Liner notes are not included.

According to them:
"This CD is a reissue of an out-of-print or otherwise generally unavailable recording. It is produced by ArkivMusic and fully authorized by the original record label. The music on the disc is exactly the same as the original. The cover art, spine, and back cover are faithfully reproduced though slightly modified. Liner notes are not included. ArkivCDs are made from high-quality CD-R media that will play in most modern CD players."


Great Film Music:
www.arkivmusic.com /classical /album.jsp ?album_id=142640

Music From Great Film Classics:
www.arkivmusic.com /classical /album.jsp ?album_id=140106

Music From Great Shakespeare Films
www.arkivmusic.com /classical /album.jsp ?album_id=34289

The Great Hitchcock Movie Thrillers:
www.arkivmusic.com /classical /album.jsp ?album_id=142639

Note: The Great Hitchcock Movie Thrillers is also available as a regular CD from Dutton Vocalion:
www.duttonvocalion.co.uk /proddetail.asp ?prod=CDLK4178

PLEASE NOTE: ArkivMusic ships only to the following countries - U.S., Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

An article on Herrmann by Terry Teachout:

www.commentarymagazine.com /cm /main /viewArticle.aip ?id=10836

David Wishart, founder of Cloud Nine Records and an independent producer for Silva Screen and EMI died last night.

Amongst the albums he produced with Cloud Nine were:
The 3 Worlds Of Gulliver
Mysterious Island
Classic Fantasy Film Scores
Sir Arnold Bax - Music For Films (Oliver Twist & Malta GC)
The Sound Barrier
Kings Go Forth / Some Came Running
Streetcar Named Desire, A / Max Steiner Suites
The Pride And The Passion, The / Agony And The Ecstasy
Great Epic Film Scores
Murder on the Orient Express / Death On the Nile
Quatermass and the Pit
First Men on the Moon
Gerard Schurmann: Music For Films (Horror of the Black Museum)
Classic British Film Music (aka The Red Shoes)
Romeo & Juliet
Fall of the Roman Empire
The Curse of the Cat People

And for Silva Screen:
The Ladykillers
Horror!
The Great British Film Music Album
The Epic Film Music of Miklos Rozsa
Gone With the Wind

"The Score" features Bernard Herrmann

Saturday, 13th January at 3 pm US West Coast Time
All Classical 89.9 FM
www.allclassical.org

herrmann.uib.no /talking /view.cgi ?forum=thGeneral &topic=2593

An article about John Sullivan's new book about Hitchcock's composer appeared in the NY Times:
www.nytimes.com /2007 /01 /08 /movies /08conn.html

A shorter version is in the Herald Tribune:
www.iht.com /articles /2007 /01 /09 /features /hitch.php