John Wilson conducts Bernard Herrmann "Psycho" Music

[@pittoreritrattista]

Finally somebody that conducts this piece with the correct tempo!

[@Timo-15]

The absolute *best* version 'out there' of this great musical piece by Bernard Herrmann. Well done to the BBC Concert Orchestra!

[@Jsig-la]

Of the three performances I've found on KZbin, this is the only one that captures how unsettlingly frantic the prelude is played on the original soundtrack. Slow it down too much and it starts to sound pretty (and we can't have that!)

[@TheRetroWoman80]

Nice take on this indeed. Pretty is a dark string's nightmare🤣

[@boborrahood]

Agreed, and the music loses it's sense of drive, urgency and suspense.

[@Crisiotato]

Terrific performance of one of the most stunning and complicated scores ever created for a film. Hitchcock and Herrmann are forever, and of course "Psycho" also is.

[@susannepowell8914]

An absolute masterclass in conducting a very fine orchestra!

[@doogboh]

Elfman nailed the tempo too. (He also recorded the best version ever of Lalo's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme.)

[@Timo-15]

A stunning version of one of Herrmann's & Hitchcock's great pieces. Bravo! John Wilson and the BBC Orchestra.

[@tommccanna7036]

Not a BBC orchestra. This is John Wilson's own orchestra, made up of players who have regular posts in other orchestras, coming together for single concerts or short tours.

[@devrajdevu9437]

Bernard is a genius for giving a such a masterpiece ❤😊

[@salinakeller2155]

Played this in college what a crazy time, in Chicago very young, violin, one thing to hear it on phone, way crazy to be surrounded on stage with everyone else playing it all around you, intense

[@americanexploring7440]

When the violin becomes the murder weapon.

[@randolphwilliams2365]

I was going to say absolutely brilliant. Unbelievable that that Orchestra can present that as a valid workout music

[@georgianalabella7852]

Solid As A Rock. Outstanding. Very Dynamic. Great Work. Pete sr

[@adam28xx]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@manueldpmingopereznavales5109]

The intro takes me to the excstasy

[@alvarosousa8834]

me too, this music saves the movie!

[@gabrielkaz5250]

A great version in my opinion.

[@Florencerosina]

Absolutely brilliant ,

[@TheRetroWoman80]

Speechless👌

[@boborrahood]

I think John Wilson must also be a fan of the film, since conducting that Prelude the same tempo as in the film titiles. As a longtime fan of the whole soundtrack, I'm baffled that all live performances of this always pick the same few selections. Of course every musical cue in Psycho is worthy. I agree that the prelude, first heard over the titles, is indispensible (Bernard Herrmann called it "Flight", since it plays when Marion Crane starts her car after interrogation by a policeman). I might suggest replacing the shower scene and Arbogast's morder for a change with equally brilliant, but ignored cues such as The City, Marion and Sam, Tempttaion, The Rainstorm, The Stairs, The First Floor, Cabin 10, CABIN ONE (IMHO one of the most brilliant cues), The Toys, Discovery, and , of course, Finale, played here. Trivia: Herrmann took this from his 1935 Sinfonetta, and reworked it brilliantly into Psycho as the Madhouse cue in the parlor scene as well as the fuller version in Finale. I'd bet that very few Stars Wars fans recognize that 3 note motif from it that John Williams borrowed, (although I'd include him in the top percentage of film composers)

[@markhughes7927]

Distinguished writing! Great playing.

[@Timo-15]

The BBC concert orchestra brilliant as ever. But also a *BIG* shout out to the BBC camera work of this 'live' broadcast from the proms....it's great!

[@danielt5547]

This is the John Wilson orchestra at one of the proms. He does this type of music and a ton of the film scores from Fred Astaire and ginger Rodgers era. You must look him up. He's brilliant. I should also add that he hand picks his players. So there's probably a good amount of folks from the BBC concert orchestra

[@Timo-15]

@@danielt5547 Thanks Daniel. I saw John conducting a 'John Williams' film night at the N.C.H. in Dublin a couple of years back. And it was an excellent night. He certainly got the RTE Concert Orchestra preforming at their very best that evening! But this preformance of Psycho is breath-taking.

[@kevinfahey5240]

Fine! Has to be played fast and with bite unlike Herrmann's own Unicorn recording.

[@boborrahood]

That was a later recording from 1975. What matters is that Herrmann was the composer AND the conductor of the original and best version ever, as heard in the movie. And it didn't need to be made into stereo to "modernize" it. It sounds great in monaural, as recorded, especially since, as he said, he composed it for strings" to complement the black and white photography". It wasn't as some sources have claimed, (including Herrmann;s own daughter) because the budget was too tight for a full orchestra!

[@TheJohnpandy]

I was fascinated when he left Hollywood for NDA if I'm right the NDA comes to mind. Brilliant.

[@adam28xx]

I'm not sure what NDA stands for but as it happens, Herrmann moved to London in the 1960s, lived in a house near Regent's Park, and began a recording career for an assortment of British-based record labels.

[@creech54]

​@@adam28xx Non-Disclosure Agreement ? National Dance Alliance ? New Drug Application ? Nebraska Department of Agriculture ? National Deer Association ? National Democratic Alliance (India)?

[@adam28xx]

@@creech54 ... I've just realised what John Sivorn meant! .... It was your 'National Dance Alliance' suggestion which gave me the clue. There were two Bernard Herrmanns! ... The other one - not the "Psycho" composer - was a flautist with the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra - NDO not NDA! ... This was formed in 1956 and its first conductor was Alyn Ainsworth. The flautist Bernard Herrmann was in the orchestra and he succeeded Ainsworth as its conductor when the latter moved on. I think the confusion arose during the two Herrmanns respective life-times but the British one refused to change his name. If you click the Wiki entry for the "Psycho" composer, it says at the top "not to be confused" with the NDO Herrmann! ... Thanks for providing the clue! ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Herrmann

[@creech54]

@@adam28xx No problem! Thanks for clearing up the mystery!

[@Lodovico-cy2kz]

Perfezione