Psycho
Varèse Sarabande - VSD-5765 Varèse Sarabande Film Classics

Sometimes I think it's a miracle that Alfred Hitchcock ever worked with Bernard Herrmann since his choices about scoring motion pictures were often a little far off the mark. There is no doubting that Hithcock was a master film maker, but there was something strange about the way he often requested scores to be written. Light jazz was what he wanted for Psycho. Yes, it sounds a little unlikely, but this is exactly what Hitchcock wanted. His dark horror film was to feature some nice bouncy jazz, just to keep the tension. I think if it had been scored like that it would be been a dismal failure and would have been over Herrmann's dead body since Herrmann could see the potential to elevate this cheapy shocker into something dark and somewhat disturbing. Of course, some of the scenes are old hat these days and seem cliched, but of course someone had to invent the cliche in the first place and in this case it was Hitchcock and Herrmann together, most notably with the now infamous shower scene. It was a brilliantly conceived set piece, but was made the more hair raising by the hideously shrieking string motif that Herrmann divised, in fact it is the only time when the players remove their mutes (which give a more nasal sound as well as a slightly richer tone - if I remember my violin playing correctly). This move certainly increases the tension in the scene. It is worth noting that Hitchcock wrote the entire score for strings alone and so had to use the full range of string tone to do this. Of course string instruments are much more versatile than most orchestral instruments, not only having a greater pitche range, but having a much more wide ranging tone and volume. It is unclear exactly why Herrmann did this, but I think he probably just enjoyed the challenge of writing for a limited pallette.

There is, of course, much more to this score than just scraping strings as Janet Leigh is brutally murdered, even though that forms the crux of the first half of the film. The opening prelude is one of my favourite Herrmann compositions, starting with four stabbing 'Hitchcock Chords' (a minor third with a seventh over the top for the musicians out there). It doesn't really have much of a theme per se but more a series of motifs, although there is a rising and falling figure which is backed by the more familiar swirling motifs. The performance of this (and indeed the rest of the score) is remarkably dynamic. If you thought you'd heard the Prelude before, then this is a real ear opener (or something), the performance has real bite and dynamism to it and makes most other recordings I've heard sound flabby and uninspired. I don't recall the original recording, but I suspect it is the only other performance that is quite this dynamic. Of course the sound quality is marvellous and so the multiple layers of the prelude can be heard in perfect clarity. After this, the first few tracks are menacing, but less fraught, that is until Marion makes a run with the money she steals at the opening of the film. The music from the prelude is reprised a few times as it accompanies Marion driving through a heavy rainstorm. In the film, it is noteworthy how amazing the effect Herrmann's music has on these scences. They often comprise of just Marion sitting driving with rain lashing the window, which isn't interesting in itself, but the menace of Herrmann's music provides virtually all of the atmosphere. A new major motif is introduced in The Madhouse, this is a slow, but spikey three note motif which avid Star Wars fans will note appears the moment when Obi Wan, Luke, Han and Chewey open the hatches they are hiding in just after being pulled inside the Death Star. The madness of the plan to rescue Leia clearly hadn't escaped Williams' notice and so an amusing musical reference is applied. Of course Williams embellished the motif with timpani, but Herrmann just uses the double basses to add weight to the motif.

After a few eerie episodes featuring prominent viola parts as well as pizzicato (plucked as opposed to using the bow) the murder music makes its entrance. I distinctly remember the first time I listened to this score as I was walking down Bathwick Hill and the music made the entire of Bath seem like the most creepy place in the world, every car that drove by made me jump, but what I was most worried about was not being prepared for the murder music, so much so that I kept count of the tracks. Sadly, I got lost somewhere and so it appeared earlier than I thought. I must have looked very strange as I was apparently looking like I'd be scared out of my wits by apparently nothing. The aforementioned lack of using a mute makes the whole segment much louder than the rest, coupled with the very high pitch, this can really be quite a terrifying moment if you're not prepared for it. The following brief track also features more high pitches violins as we see Janet Leigh dead on the floor. While there is plenty of great music after this track, it is the one that certainly has the most impact. Much of the remaining music is tense, but much less frenetic as the murder investigation takes place. The second murder (of the detective if I recall correctly) features a slightly varied reprise of the original murder music. One of my favourite cues of the remainder is the penultimate one as Norman Bates is finally captured and his curious Motherly fetish is finally revealed. This is a very brief but swirling cue that perfectly captures the mayhem of the moment. With a final, exceedingly short cue that features a quiet version of the madness motif (as introduced in track fourteen), the score comes to a close.

I was originally going to maintain that this score isn't one that you could really listen to very much and while it's possibly one of the more difficult Herrmann scores to enjoy, as such, it is certainly the one that made the most impact in the film. Hitchcock admitted that much of the impact of the film was due to Herrman's score. I would hardly disagree. It is quite a tough listen since there is almost no glimmer of hope in it at all and the fact that it is scored entirely for strings means that the tonal palette is limited. However, it is a brilliant composition and despite not having the whole orchestra to play with, Herrmann manages to pull it off with just incredible use of the string section. It isn't something you'll listen to often unless you have a fetish for very darkly hued music, but its power is undeniable. The performance is, as I said, excellent. The recording quality is incredibly impressive, every detail of the orchestration can be heard. I suppose it is easier to record for just strings alone since balancing between the brass and strings isn't required. However, if it hadn't been quite so clear and dynamic, it could have muddied the performance badly, which would have been a great shame. I am not entirely sure how faithful this is to Herrmann's original reading, but no doubt the 'we hate re-recordings' camp will find many things to pick holes in. However, for us less picky types, this is a brilliant reading of a brilliant score.