The Day the Earth Stood Still

Amidst all the endless issues and reissues of the standard repertoire, there are still recordings released of the less-than-standard repertoire, of the masses of Ockeghem, of the symphonies of Krauss, and of the songs of Hahn. But of all the projects dedicated to the less-than-standard repertoire, perhaps the most needful and certainly the most interesting is Varese Sarabande's series of recordings of the film scores of Bernard Herrmann. Herrmann's scores are not only supremely effective as soundtracks, but extremely evocative and even deeply moving as pieces of music, and listening to the scores for Vertigo or Citizen Kane is as involving and exciting as listening to the Four Seasons or the 1812 Overture. But in most cases, Herrmann's scores are either recorded only in parts or unrecorded altogether, and it was not until Varese Sarabande began its Herrmann series that many of his complete scores could be heard. This 2002 recording of the complete score of Herrmann's The Day the Earth Stood Still conducted by Joel McNeely is the first recording of all the music for the score -- even the original soundtrack only includes 18 of its 33 cues. And like the previous nine titles in the series, it is magnificent. McNeely and his 30-piece orchestra of brass, percussion, keyboards, and Theremin perform as well and often better than Herrmann's own recording and producer Robert Townson's superlative sound that is far, far better than the sound of the original 1951 recording. The score itself is wonderful: vivid, colorful, terrifying, awe-inspiring, and always and everywhere gripping. For anyone who likes film scores in general, or Herrmann's scores in particular, this disc is mandatory. And for anyone who simply likes great music, this disc will be a welcome relief from the standard repertoire.

Composed in the summer of 1951, this was the composer's first soundtrack after he moved to Hollywood. Herrmann chose a most unusual instrumentation for director Robert Wise's picture, including electric violin, electric bass, two theremins, test oscillators, vibraphone, four pianos, four harps, and approximately 30 brass instruments. Unusual overdubbing and tape-reversal techniques were also used. In Edmund North's script, based on a 1940 story by Harry Bates, a humanoid alien named Klaatu, bearing a message of peaceful coexistence with other planets (the alternative is Earth's destruction), lands his flying saucer in the middle of Washington, D.C., accompanied by his giant robot Gort. "Prelude: Outer Space" features patterned, steadily arpeggiated harps and pianos, through which Richard Strauss-like high brass and eerie theremin melodies sail. In "Radar," multiple pianos are backed by electric bass pizzicati and sustained vibraphone chords. This music underlines the worldwide transmission of news about the saucer's landing. "Gort" accompanies the robot's emergence from the ship to defend Klaatu, who has been shot by nervous, trigger-happy soldiers. The music is made from piano, percussion, brass, and theremins. "The Robot" is a similar piece from later in the movie (when a kindly widow returns the apparently dead spaceman to his ship). "Space Control" is light and mysterious, full of bells and pianos, with a melody on electric guitar. "Terror" is a general cue for theremins used throughout the film, including the day when Klaatu demonstrates his power to stop all the world's engines. "Farewell and Finale" underscores Klaatu's final message, repeating the initial opening music and ending in a sustained major chord with odd wailing from the theremins. A unique score, ahead of its time, prophetic of many devices and sounds to be used for decades to follow, and still a model of impressive emotional effect achieved by musically economical means. ~ "Blue" Gene Tyranny

あの"テルミン"初映画音楽登場で有名な ハーマンのスコアを再録! もちろんテルミンも登場!! 『地球が静止する日』(1951) スコア新録音盤・指揮　ジョエル・マクニーリー 音楽　バーナード・ハーマン 監督　ロバート・ワイズ 主演　マイケル・レニー、パトリシア・ニール 友好的宇宙人とのコンタクトを主題にした先進的 SFカルト。音楽はハーマンだが、別に地球を侵略 するSFではない。とはいってもおどろおどろしいホラー 的雰囲気を醸し出すハーマン・サウンドで、あの「触れず して音を出す」謎の電子楽器テルミンが登場。 今回の新録音でも、セリア・シーン女史演奏でテルミン の音色が。オーケストラとテルミンの共演。 50年代異色宇宙SF音楽の世界をお楽しみください。 (C)馬場敏裕