Bernard Herrmann at the Movies

One does often associate Bernard Herrmann with war movies, this is something that would often have the name of Ron Goodwin, William Walton or Eric Coates associated. However, Battle of Neretva received an eclectic and very dynamic score from Herrmann. The opening Prelude is a harsh and stoic march that is much more gutteral than the usually very patriotic efforts that Goodwin and chums might have produced. The rest is a rather odd assortment of cues that don't exactly seem out of place, but don't tend to use the same material and so often sound perhaps a little disjointed from one another. There are other marches which are equally harsh, brassy and full of thumping percussion, most notably in Chetnik's March which thunders along quite majestically. Partisan March is more of a celebratory Russian march and starts with one of the most heavy percussion crashes I've ever heard. There are, fortunately sevearl quieter interlude, most notably in the much more serene From Italy and Pastorale; the latter has a very strong resemblance to some of the music Herrmann composed for Fahrenheit 451 and also sounds a lot more typically Herrmann-esque than the marches. The Turning Point features the five note murder motif from his rejected score to Torn Curtain and it is put to good use with added percussion. It is perhaps not the differing moods of the music that clash so much, but perhaps the different styles within Herrmann's own music. His Hitchcock music was very distinct from his Harryhausen scores and that was distinct from his sci-fi efforts. Battle of Neretva mixes various styles and so comes out a little piecemeal. The problem is, of course that the music itself is very good and while not up with the best of Herrmann, is still excellent in its own right.

The brief suite from Sisters is quite disturbing and not altogether very pleasant to listen to nor is it very enjoyable on the whole. It is generally considered that this was one of Herrmann's least successful scores and is certainly one of his least enjoyable, even if it was cleverly composed. Herrmann's use of the orchestra mimicking the 'nah, nah' that young children often use to torment their weaker peers was very clever and made the score less traditionally horrific, but this ultimately gets a bit grating. This suite sums up the major moments, but when sandwiched between two full length scores becomes more of an odd man out than a bonus. Still, you can't complain about value for money.

Night Digger comes across as a curious re-take on the classic Psycho, scored entirely for strings, but this time with the addition of a harmonica over the top. The mixture is quite odd, but works reasonably well. The addition of a viola d'amore - a favourite solo instrument for Herrmann's more introspective scores - is a bonus since the beautiful playing by Rosemary Green does give everything a warm, but melancholy atmosphere. While the lead character has slightly muderous characteristics, this score is a lot more subdued and a while melancholy, does not feel as constantly tense as Psycho. The opening section of the first movement is a brief, but frenetic scherzo with large leaps in all parts, until the harmonica comes in and everything calms until it becomes more relaxed with the viola's appearance. Arranged as a seven movement Scenario Macabre it plays out as more of a harmonica and viola concerto than a film score. I suspect that viewing the film would make it quite easy to determine what each movement relates to, but as it stands, it can only reflect the mood and psychology even if it doesn't exactly tell the story.

Neither of these scores are great Herrmann works, but both have their merits and fans of thunderous, crashing battle music will doubtless get a kick from the grinding onslaught of Battle of Neretva. Night Digger is perhaps the better composed work that while slow, never gets boring even if it doesn't quite match the potency of Psycho, but is refreshing as it is not worn out through overuse as perhaps its Hitchcock based relative is. Being a Herrmann disc I have to recommend this to all and especially given that you get two scores on one disc for the same price as a regular CD. I found is by accident and was delighted, but I believe this it is easier to find than the original separate albums (this contains all the cues from the original albums). The sound quality for the entire disc is generally good, although Battle of Neretva is mixed somewhat like the Phase 4 Decca compilations; quite upfront and with a lot of the instruments sounding right next to the microphone, especially in the thunderously percussive segments. Night Digger is clear and free of much hiss and perhaps only a bit of remastering would make it just that little crisper. Definitely worth picking up if you find it, but there are many other Herrmann scores to get before these two (or three).