Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain: The Unused Score
Bernard Herrmann's unused score for Alfred Hitchcock's dour 1966 Cold War drama has gained such a reputation that this Varese Sarabande release marks no less than its third recording. The aborted ninth and final effort by one of the greatest director-composer collaborations in film history (Herrmann's refusal to bow to Hitchcock's and the studio's pressures to deliver a "pop" score led to the permanent severing of the relationship and a replacement soundtrack composed by John Addison) recalls the darker moments ofThe Man Who Knew Too MuchandNorth by Northwest. ForTorn Curtain, Herrmann typically eschewed the melodic in favor of brooding, emotionally compelling orchestral colors, yet another testament to his genius as an arranger. Joel McNeely and the National Philharmonic (one of Herrmann's favorite recording ensembles) have paid rapt attention to the score's every nuance of tempo and tone, delivering the finest performance yet of this lost moody masterpiece.--Jerry McCulley