Anyone notice the similarity between the Moby Dick Hymn chorus and the opening strain of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," which itself has been traced to several tunes, inc. an old spiritual ("No More Auction Block"), an Itlalian hymn, etc.?
Whoa, this is the Unicorn album? I have it at home on CD but never play it because the recording quality is awful. (Apparently, Herrmann had the choice to rerecord this album or go ahead with Welles Raises Kane and he did the later?) did you source this off the LP because it's much "brighter" sounding than my copy.
@lehah : yes, it's the Unicorn CD. It might sound brighter played on a computer, or because of whatever's happened with the audio quality from uploading or something. I agree the audio quality isn't great, but the performance sure is fabulous. Herrmann did also record Welles Raises Kane, it was available on CD with the Devil and Daniel Webster suite and Obsession, also on Unicorn. I do hope someone reissues these wonderful and important recordings...
@jkbailey1 Way ahead of you! Definitely enjoyed your clips - but are there any from the performance? If you haven't gotten it yet, RCA just remastered and re-released Citizen Kane: Classic Film Scores Of Bernard Herrmann CD, conducted by Charles Gerhardt. Outstanding album, the composer himself was in the control booth during recording.
@lehah : fabulous! It was such a fun and exciting piece to perform; the orchestra, chorus, and the audience all had a blast. I haven't had two seconds to review the audio and video footage yet, but hope to soon. And yes, it's great that Gerhardt's landmark album has finally been re-issued!
I'm assuming this recording / performance won't make it to disc? I just heard the new Chandos recording and the soloists aren't nearly as good as the ones used here.
@lehah : this is Bernard Herrmann's own recording, from 1967. The CD is long out of print, however, you can find it used on Amazon, probably starting around $30. LP copies are still floating around too. Many Herrmann fans don't like this recording (mostly because the recording quality isn't the best), but I have always thought it to be quite convincing. It would not surprise me if the new Chandos release misses the mark - Herrmann was always the best at conducting his own music. Cheers -- JKB
@ BBTheMusicGuy -- I recently conducted the west coast premiere of Moby Dick (and first US performances of the work since its 1940 NY Philharmonic premiere). I posted some clips from the rehearsals on YouTube, have you seen those? When I have some more time, I have footage from the concerts, which I will edit and post - stay tuned.
@ BBTheMusicGuy -- Herrmann's own recording is fantastic, despite some issues of sound quality. It is out of print, but still available used - you can find it on Amazon used, currently the cheapest is $40 (which is a lot cheaper than I've seen in the past).
BUT - a brand new recording by the Danish National Symphony will be released later this year on the Chandos label, so watch for that.
Do note that Herrmann did not score the 1956 film that starred Gregory Peck, even though I used some images from it in this video! Philip Sainton was the composer for that film.
Herrmann's cantata was written in 1937-38, and premiered by the New York Philharmonic under Sir John Barbirolli in 1940. The upcoming performances on April 9 and 10 by the American Philharmonic-Sonoma County will be the first USA performance of the work since that 1940 premiere.
Anyone notice the similarity between the Moby Dick Hymn chorus and the opening strain of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," which itself has been traced to several tunes, inc. an old spiritual ("No More Auction Block"), an Itlalian hymn, etc.?
Richard40171 2 months ago
Whoa, this is the Unicorn album? I have it at home on CD but never play it because the recording quality is awful. (Apparently, Herrmann had the choice to rerecord this album or go ahead with Welles Raises Kane and he did the later?) did you source this off the LP because it's much "brighter" sounding than my copy.
lehah 5 months ago
@lehah : yes, it's the Unicorn CD. It might sound brighter played on a computer, or because of whatever's happened with the audio quality from uploading or something. I agree the audio quality isn't great, but the performance sure is fabulous. Herrmann did also record Welles Raises Kane, it was available on CD with the Devil and Daniel Webster suite and Obsession, also on Unicorn. I do hope someone reissues these wonderful and important recordings...
jkbailey1 5 months ago
@lehah : If you like Moby Dick, have a look at a few of the rehearsal clips I posted from the recent performances that I conducted! :-)
jkbailey1 5 months ago
@jkbailey1 Way ahead of you! Definitely enjoyed your clips - but are there any from the performance? If you haven't gotten it yet, RCA just remastered and re-released Citizen Kane: Classic Film Scores Of Bernard Herrmann CD, conducted by Charles Gerhardt. Outstanding album, the composer himself was in the control booth during recording.
lehah 5 months ago
@lehah : fabulous! It was such a fun and exciting piece to perform; the orchestra, chorus, and the audience all had a blast. I haven't had two seconds to review the audio and video footage yet, but hope to soon. And yes, it's great that Gerhardt's landmark album has finally been re-issued!
jkbailey1 5 months ago
I'm assuming this recording / performance won't make it to disc? I just heard the new Chandos recording and the soloists aren't nearly as good as the ones used here.
lehah 5 months ago
@lehah : this is Bernard Herrmann's own recording, from 1967. The CD is long out of print, however, you can find it used on Amazon, probably starting around $30. LP copies are still floating around too. Many Herrmann fans don't like this recording (mostly because the recording quality isn't the best), but I have always thought it to be quite convincing. It would not surprise me if the new Chandos release misses the mark - Herrmann was always the best at conducting his own music. Cheers -- JKB
jkbailey1 5 months ago
@ BBTheMusicGuy -- I recently conducted the west coast premiere of Moby Dick (and first US performances of the work since its 1940 NY Philharmonic premiere). I posted some clips from the rehearsals on YouTube, have you seen those? When I have some more time, I have footage from the concerts, which I will edit and post - stay tuned.
jkbailey1 8 months ago
@ BBTheMusicGuy -- Herrmann's own recording is fantastic, despite some issues of sound quality. It is out of print, but still available used - you can find it on Amazon used, currently the cheapest is $40 (which is a lot cheaper than I've seen in the past).
BUT - a brand new recording by the Danish National Symphony will be released later this year on the Chandos label, so watch for that.
jkbailey1 8 months ago
I wish there was a commercial recording available of Herrmann's entire "Moby Dick" Cantata. Sigh...
BBTheMusicGuy 8 months ago
Thanks for posting this, JKB. It is marvelous. Looking forward to your performance tomorrow night!
trumpetart 11 months ago
Do note that Herrmann did not score the 1956 film that starred Gregory Peck, even though I used some images from it in this video! Philip Sainton was the composer for that film.
Herrmann's cantata was written in 1937-38, and premiered by the New York Philharmonic under Sir John Barbirolli in 1940. The upcoming performances on April 9 and 10 by the American Philharmonic-Sonoma County will be the first USA performance of the work since that 1940 premiere.
jkbailey1 11 months ago