Press Release from BSX:
THE DEVIL AND BERNARD HERRMANN includes suites from THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER, OBSESSION and the composer’s own WELLES RAISES KANE, a suite from CITIZEN KANE and THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, featuring the composer conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Philharmonic Orchestra in recordings from 1967 and 1975.
Bernard Herrmann is one of the greatest composers of motion picture music in the twentieth century. He is considered the man behind some of the most original and distinctive film scores. He was a master at evoking psychological and dramatic tension in his music to suit the dramatic needs of a film. He won his only Oscar in 1947 for writing the score for THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER. Herrmann made a powerful mark in radio and in 1934 he began a 25-year career as a conductor and composer in radio, working for the CBS. In 1938, he scored the notorious infamous presentation of Orson Welles’ Halloween production of H. G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast. He is best remembered for his collaborations with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated film directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese and Brian DePalma. Described as a perfectionist, he believed that most directors didn't have a clue about music so he would blithely ignore their instructions. His filmography includes CITIZEN KANE, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, VERTIGO, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, CAPE FEAR, FAHRENHEIT 451, OBSESSION, TAXI DRIVER and many hours of episodic television including THE TWILIGHT ZONE and HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, among others.
These historic recordings were originally released on vinyl in the 1970’s and later on compact disc in the 1990’s. Citadel Records, a division of BSX Records, is proud to bring these recordings back into the marketplace, under license from Unicorn Records Limited with the music newly remastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland and retaining the original liner notes written by Christopher Palmer including the participation of the composer.
