"Concerto Macabre" by Bernard Herrmann

[@CaminoAir]

What a composer. I can't understand how anyone wouldn't respond to Herrmann's music. It's always compelling. It's no wonder that composers like Goldsmith idolised him.

[@284Maldiner]

An extraordinarily moving piece, as good as anything from the 19th century romantic composers or from 20th century composers. With the simplest orchestral phrases he makes deeply tragic statements. There is an entire world of feeling in this work. This is a piece written with great confidence and ingenious artistry. And yet overall lacking in pretension. It is refined emotion, tragic in dimension. I agree. One of his best.

[@angellacanfora]

Just finished watching Hangover Square with its riveting, chilling concerto scene. Listening to this piece through again while reading the bio of the beautiful Laird Cregar just made tears roll down my cheeks. I'll forever associate this amazing, haunting composition with him.

[@SpencerMusicSchool]

So glad to see so many interested in this amazing work. I have the original piano reduction score from the movie. I'm performing it in October. Note due to movie scenes. parts had to be reconstructed. Mostly a new cadenza was added. It works well in a two piano version too.

[@PepperWilliams_songcovers]

My #1 all time favorite film composer.....EVER! This piece is very 'classical' in nature and shows his mastery of the orchestra. BRILLIANT!!!

[@TheJazsinger]

He was a musical genius, plain and simple!

[@lilybond6485]

There will never be another Beatles, There will never be another Bernard Herrmann.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

@@lilybond6485 You're certainly wrong. Such people absolutely use to be reborn.

[@lilybond6485]

@Hans: -- and you know that -- how ?

[@HansDunkelberg1]

@@lilybond6485 Thanks to broadband Internet. I'm investigating the subject since over a decade. Well - in the end it's a matter of definition, but you have a cornucopia of time-honored concepts which out of biometric and sociometric matches that can be shown mathematically indeed make identity. And you also can interpret such matches as identity yourself, independent of traditional religion or philosophy.

[@claudrebille178]

There will never be another BURT BACHARACH!!!

[@outdoorcats]

Masterpiece. I was directed here (again) after hearing the Hermann tribute on NPR.

[@PepperWilliams_songcovers]

This is what makes genius! Being able to tell who composed a 'certain' score by hearing just a couple of notes. I can never stop saying waht a true genius Bernard Herrmann was!

[@lilybond6485]

@Pepper Williams: 12 years later I’m responding to your comment. I can hear a few notes in The Twilight Zone series or the Alfred Hitchcock series and know that is Bernard Herrmann.

[@SampoLapilill]

This amazingly evocative score perfectly complemented the noir-ish original film starring Laird Cregar as the tortured genius prone to murderous dissociative episodes in between playing this masterpiece by Bernard Herrmann. Laird Cregar died shortly after the film was completed at the tragically young age of 28. The music and lighting in addition to Cregar's stellar performance made this film so memorable when i first saw it over 50 years ago and I have never forgotten it.

[@lilybond6485]

I love this movie and the soundtrack. It’s one of those movies that I feel a need to watch at least 3-4 times a year. Even if it’s playing in the background and I’m doing something else.

[@Herrmann90]

I have to agree with your comment 100%. The film, well it's entertaining, but the score implies something much more macabre, and in many ways is fine as a stand-alone piece. To this day, nothing can create such emotion and atmosphere as this piece, well except for my second favorite piece: Pacific 231

[@SpencerMusicSchool]

I am preparing to perform The Concerto Macabre next year. I'm so excited, as it is rarely performed and has to be reconstructed with cadenza. Such an eerie piece and such a phenomenal movie goth noir with Laird. But I wont set the auditorium on fire LOL.. but we pianists are indeed mad to tackle such crazy ass difficult works to play.

[@maxandcharly]

how did it go

[@miabellajenny]

How was your performance?

[@kirsteni.russell5903]

I love this very Herrmannesque piano concerto! And so did Stephen Sondheim when he first heard it in a movie theater, long before he became famous!

[@MrDanamp]

Two great masters!!

[@wingflanagan]

This is an astonishing and beautiful piece. As with many of Herrmann's scores, it transcends the film itself (which is merely OK), and becomes something so much greater. Time and again I wonder how he was able to write such magnificent music for what were often such ordinary, even mediocre, films (those of Hitchcock, Welles, and a couple of others excepted).

[@guillermohernandez2842]

This Is from which movie?

[@wingflanagan]

@@guillermohernandez2842 _Hangover Square_

[@mark60123]

Absolutely wonderful music from Bernard Herrmann, thank you so much for making this and stills from Hangover Square available. I have the movie (Fox Horror Collection Vol. 1) and it holds up beautifully thanks to great performances by Linda Darnell (never sexier or more vicious) and Laird Cregar in his last and best performance.A great movie about romantic obsession and insanity.

[@lilybond6485]

I love the movie and watch it a couple of times a year. Linda Darnell must have been at her most beautiful. The tragic deaths of both Laird Cregar and Linda Darnell -- especially Linda Darnell dying in a fire -- in my mind the absolute worst way to go.

[@RobMeyer1]

AMAZING! Undoubtedly one of my favourite pieces by Herrmann!

[@gk_knight]

I adore this piece of breathtaking music - can anyone recommend other pieces with a similar sound/feel to them? I imagine it's difficult as this is such a singular and extraordinary piece of music!

[@leostales2681]

Vertigo's Scene damour is very similar to this piece.

[@lilybond6485]

GK Knight: 9 years later - responding to your comment -- The theme from a Twilight Zone episode “Walking Distance”starring Gig Young. It has the same feel as the beginning of this masterpiece.

[@gk_knight]

@@lilybond6485 still here 9 years later haha. The beauty of KZbin. Thank you I will have a listen !

[@lilybond6485]

GK-Knight: I’m glad you weren’t asking for medical advice. 😂 I think I made a mistake with referring you to Twilight Zone “Walking Distance” soundtrack. Although it is one of my favorites for melancholy music, it doesn’t sound anything like this. NOTHING sounds like this. This masterpiece is an entity all it’s own. If I do remember or come across anything that I think you may be interested in I will send you a note on here. Anything would be hard to compete with this. Also, hopefully it won’t take 9 years. : )

[@Samalabear]

I never tire of this. So perfect, so beautiful. It's interesting that both Korngold and Herrmann were involved in creating concert pieces within movies, and they're all absolutely outstanding,

[@koap123]

it is like prokofiev and ravel... in a word, I love it!

[@deeclark6038]

I never heard this piece and I am a big Hermann fan. Thank you for sharing it!

[@johnjakle943]

Vertigo is my favorite [e-mail]

[@claudrebille178]

Goldsmith herrmann donggio bacharach legrand

[@auirora1]

A flawless composition ,and an equally brilliant performance by Laird Cregar who tragically died shortly after the release of this masterpiece.

[@arvidtom]

Wonderful piece! The section between 3:24 and 4:23 (and its grand reprise around 8:25) is among the most moving music Herrmann has written. It's kind of sad to realize that in the past you had all these truly great and imaginative film composers like Herrmann, Korngold and Rosza whereas today we have mostly incompetent fourth-rate film composers like Hans Zimmer producing schlock with meager musical substance or invention.

[@wyshwood]

Just brilliant melody counters and juxtapositions. How did his mind work these out? Just extraordinary!

[@heatherferreira4225]

Lucille Herrmann hears this starting on piano in the next room: "Oh great. It's going to be one of THESE nights again"

[@MrDanamp]

Hahahahaa!!!

[@EJP286CRSKW]

I would think every night was one of those nights with Bennie, God bless him.

[@lilybond6485]

Great comment Heather.

[@rikki10]

Brilliant piece, great movie!

[@tubellarbells]

Lucky people up there in America !.I've seen this played here in Chile only once, luckily by spanish pianist Joaquín Achucarro, the same one on the RCA Victor CD mentioned by Frank Gonzalez- The Film Music of Bernard Herrmann.

[@brucekuehn4031]

Was just watching on PBS - The Red Shoes Ballet choreographed by Matthew Bourne using the music of Bernard Herrmann. It is based broadly on the 1948 film The Red Shoes by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Mr Bourne used music from the film scores of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Fahrenheit 451, Hangover Square, and Citizen Kane.

[@lilybond6485]

At 1:54 the music segues into something completely different -- giving me goosebumps. The entire piece segued into something else. It is beautiful -- magical. Bernard Herrmann probably composed this on his lunch hour. 😂 Seriously -- where does it come from -- that someone can create this from their mind ? and -- where is it before it is in the mind ? What IS “the mind” ? Yeah. Getting off track here

[@donaldbutler6545]

I saw this movie on TV when I was very young.

[@adriancutner2489]

Thank you very much for this great posting, Frank. I definitely appreciated it. It was one of the highlights from that old, rather dusty and dated film, "Hangover Square." This music piece, as I remember, was one of the best things to come out of that film; along with seeing the gorgeous Linda Darnell in her prime, of course.

[@FreezerSpaces]

I just got home from seeing the Seattle Philharmonic play this as part of a Halloween showcase. It was unbelievable!

[@videowilliams]

Reminds me of a Prokofiev Piano Concerto. Brilliant!

[@dotaxgamer3416]

videowilliams number?

[@Victor1930]

A little Prokofiev. And a little Bartok, too, around 4:50. But mostly Herrmann! Gorgeous elements of both Romanticism and 20th Century Modernism.

[@lilybond6485]

When listening to this piece -- I close my eyes and I am somewhere else. It almost convinces me that there is something else other than here.

[@TimeandMonotony]

Thank you so much for the upload! I just watched the movie a few days ago, and while I didn't super care for it (interesting idea, just rather poorly executed), this piece grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go! Herrmann has long been my favorite film composer, and this just blew me away.

[@lilybond6485]

Isn’t this just a beautiful composition ?! I really enjoyed the movie and the music had me in an alternative universe. Bernard Herrmann’s music was just so unique and over the top beautiful. As an aside, I never realized how gorgeous Linda Darnell was.

[@TimeandMonotony]

@@lilybond6485 It really is stunning! As was Linda.

[@todd3386]

I read the book and the movie bears scant resemblance. The book featured a group of young drifters/malcontents and the main character was a mentally tortured alcoholic. In the movie the main character was changed to be more educated and refined. Probably not a good fit

[@Phonojoy]

Beautiful, what else could any one ask for. REPLY

[@jonsilence]

This is so brilliant.....wish you had the movie footage to accompany this...its equally over the top.

[@akarpowicz]

Great movie, great score. Thanks for posting.

[@MrCeleeebrity]

sounds so dark i love it.

[@TheStockwell]

@floolagin - a "photostat of the manuscript full score in Bernard Herrmann's autograph" is in the Special Collections division of the University of California, Santa Barbara. This is where Herrmann's papers are housed.

[@MsSharon555]

One must see the film "Hangover Square" to fully appreciate Maestro Herrmans' Concerto Macabre, as well as the riveting performance of brilliant actor Laird Cregar! His well publicized weight loss was astounding also!

[@raffamon1946]

Mi ha sempre entusiasmato la musica di Bernard Herrmann. Avevo 10 anni quando vidi il film "The man who knew too much" (1956) mi colpì subito la musica iniziale (grazie anche alla bella ripresa di Hitchcock sulle percussioni) e la Cantata di Arthur Benjamin diretta dallo stesso Herrmann alla Royal Albert Hall. Poi i capolavori le musiche di "Vertigo" e l'originalità di "Psyco" per soli archi. Grazie dell'inserimento di questo "Concerto macrabo" Raffaele Montanaro

[@deeyem1991]

Amazing, the ultimate darkside master. Untouchable, like a Lovecraft story

[@deeclark8769]

Thank for this Frank Gonzalez. I was introduced to this piece on KZbin. What a nice job you've done showcasing the film and the great Bernard Herrmann. I am ordering the film today. Thnaks again!

[@donaldbutler6545]

I remember this movie from when I was a teen, pre teen maybe.

[@autsni]

This dude is too underrated

[@lilybond6485]

Oh my God --- no he’s not. At least not in my mind or anyone else that has listened to Bernard Herrmann. More “unknown” than underrated.

[@autsnim]

@@lilybond6485 nah he's underrated

[@autsni]

​@@lilybond6485 shut your bitch ass up acting like I don't know what I'm saying. I'm an adult bitch I meant what I said he's UNDERRATED, not unknown, he's not a Pokémon fool

[@AkaikenSatsugai]

It has the feeling of insanety mixed with tragedy. Like if someone has lost in mind and goes all lunatic and stuff... But he feels pains at the same time. Like if something's missing. Everyone knows that a lot of pain can get anyone out of their mind, and do terrible things...

[@jimdavidson210]

Dear god those last two minutes!

[@MrDanamp]

Wow, the last three chords sound like the ending of, "Invaders from Mars" !!! ...OK, I just found it here on youtube, and yes, it IS the same ending, but orchestrated! BEAUTIFUL! Look for "Invaders from Mars (1953) isolated music score" It's really worth listening to the whole thing, but the last several seconds are what I'm referring to. It wasn't scored by Bernard Herrmann (who was at the top of his game), but it's still wonderful!

[@likirk4932]

anyone has the same thought that the melody from 3:26 to 4:23 is similar to Vertigo - Scene D'Amour?

[@MrDanamp]

Yes, it is a bit similar. Herrmann stole from himself, at times.

[@284Maldiner]

krellabs is very complimentary. I thank you. I just finished the biography of Herrmann. What a sad man, alienating so many with his sudden and violent emotional outbursts, but then alternately calm, charming, knowledgeable about music in so many ways. He died of heart disease and a university study suggests his personality type simply wears out the heart. He was only 64 when he shuffled off this mortal coil.

[@wingflanagan]

My God, what an exquisite piece of music.

[@jonsilence]

The film is a must see; as brilliant as this is on its own, it really doesn't impart its full power without the visuals it was written to accompany. The shockingly surreal sight of the tortured pianist madly pounding out his Magnum Opus amidst the salon fire that he himself has set is singularly compelling in its twisted and psychotic grandiosity. I'm surprised that this hasn't been remade with one of today's pop stars...its the perfect anti-hero vehicle.

[@mrpossibilities]

Amazing work. At moments, it reminds me of Villalobos.

[@matteopagliari]

S T U P E F A C E N T E !!! Ho sempre ammirato la musica di questo straordinario compositore, ma... che sorpresa!

[@Herrmann90]

@SebastianQ86 There are two CD's available on Amazon, I would personally recommend the one in which it includes the score for Hangover Square along with the Citizen Kane score. It's called "The Film Music of Bernard Herrmann-Hangover Square and Citizen Kane, I believe it can also be purchased as an mp3 download

[@amandakuchinski]

I saw Stephen Sondheim speak at Lincoln Center last night and he spoke of this piece/film as one of his true inspirations for becoming a composer!

[@krelllabs]

@284Maldiner Beautifully put.

[@albanybeardguy]

There's a nice recording of it on a Naxos disc called "Piano Concertos from the Movies"

[@webkahmik]

UNBELIEVABLE, in the original sense of the word, the primordial sense. How about this though......the ultimate gothic atmospheric score painting its own landscape...havent yet seen the film, but listening to this I dont feel that ive missed much.......Herrmann was and is the ultimate, non?

[@lilybond6485]

I should have stuck with my piano lessons as a pre-teen. 😂 I would have made this one of my life goals -- to play this masterpiece.

[@vernondavis3718]

AWESOME

[@lehah4333]

The score does not exist in any medium outside the film, though the Concerto was rerecorded by Naxos on a film music piano concerto compilation and later on a superior Herrmann compilation from RCA Victor conducted by Gerhardt.

[@Herrmann90]

I can definately see how this was an inspiration to him, his music is within the same ranks of B. Herrmann's more somber pieces

[@leostales2681]

I can hear themes he'd use later in Vertigo.

[@clintprovance8047]

It was incredible not only vertigo but the first season of Twilight zone belongs to Bernard Herman which is probably the most haunting music for a television series aside from One step beyond also he did the Western The garden of evil in 1954 that has made that movie better with his brilliant score for a western but so many others like vertigo now people are learning how great he really was he is more well known now than when he was actually creating all these scores

[@vasilisziogas]

could i have this on audio file please ? nice quality

[@quornholio]

This is a great performance! Too hi-fi for when movie was made. Can you tell us who performed it? Thanks.

[@SebastianQ86]

Do you know where to buy this!? Couldn't find it on iTunes!!

[@malc239]

I once asked his wife Norma if he was a moody man. She replied,"O my god yes"

[@Samalabear]

This is the perfect example of a gorgeous score that greatly enhances a fairly-average film, although I felt that Linda Darnell and Laird Creger were outstanding, particularly the latter, which Hermann's score complements seamlessly. Hermann's personal favorite score was "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," which was a surprise to many, but not to me. I went to the B. Hermann tribute in Manhattan June 2011, which was nothing less than incredible.

[@katmaccobb]

Oh, I forgot Prokofiev's 2nd piano concerto - which is probably closer to this than any of the others I mentioned! Or Bartok's 1st piano concerto.

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

Benny would walk around his house conducting to the symphony playing on his gramophone player or conduct the paw of one his beloved pets. Too funny this genius.

[@katmaccobb]

Try Franz Liszt's Totentanz - which is an obvious influence: widely available as a solo piano piece or for piano & orchestra as here. James Bernard's Vampire Rhapsody from the Hammer film Kiss of the Vampire is also similair. Or try the two piano concertos of Alberto Ginastera, or the first piano concerto of Alfred Schnittke.

[@NeoFallR]

Are you being serious!?! He was a genius, who wrote sublime music, straight from the heart of his soul. If you ask me he's not that far from Beethoven in importance.

[@neonpike]

i watched this as a - things you might like - from google . predictable then that it was covered with an advertisement

[@cetusra]

@ReiK0Z How about: Why don’t you download a program called “Fastest Free KZbin Downloader to MP3 Converter 3.3.”

[@canaldojames7503]

0:44 The Ugly

[@SebastianQ86]

@Herrmann90 Thanks! ;)

[@Jcolinsol]

Just keep trollin' trollin' trollin'

[@stinkriverstudios]

Damned straight. Thanks for talking some sense to this mutant.

[@MsBenlane]

there is a new book on laird creger. it barely mentions herrmann but covers the movie. the final fire got out of control' creger had gotten fox to buy the book for him but hated the script and didn't want to do it.

[@RYSSCANDVS]

@cetusra I AM NOT THE ONE WHO WANTS TO DOWNLOAD THE SCORE.

[@guillermohernandez2842]

From which movie?

[@HAM-sb2ns]

Hangover square

[@guillermohernandez2842]

@@HAM-sb2ns Thanks!

[@cellofingers]

Who was that actor?

[@ricarleite]

This was the inspiration for Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.

[@loboris1995]

How about Scriabin Prometheus :)

[@Никита-м5ы3т]

"the ugly"

[@NeoFallR]

It had to be done. That comment was wrong on so many levels.

[@loreeth]

Absolutely wonderful just doesn't cover it!

[@jewpiles]

@SebastianQ86 Why would anyone want to buy great music in mp3 format? Mp3 is easily one of the worst audio formats Oh itunes, how i hate you...

[@garridotardio3655]

who is here because of the ugly flash game?

[@Papu49_el_de_steam]

0:43 The ugly (2005)

[@canaldojames7503]

The Ugly