This album was recorded by the composer early in 1975 and has proved to be one of the more enduring parts of
Bernard Herrmann
's catalog, a steady seller on LP, and issued several times on CD, including an audiophile version from
Mobile Fidelity
. During the early to mid-'70s,
Herrmann
began re-recording many of his earlier scores at
Kingsway Hall
in London with the
National Philharmonic Orchestra
. The sound glitters, some of the brightest and richest audio of its period (attested to by the album's being part of
Decca/London
Phase 4 Stereo), and the performances have a dignity and intensity that makes the music -- drawn from the key parts of
's scores for the
Ray Harryhausen
-created fantasy films
The Three Worlds of Gulliver
,
Mysterious Island
, and
Jason and the Argonauts
-- seem even more serious and profound than it originally did.
tends to take the tempos slower than he did in the original scores, which gives him and the players a chance to open up the detail and nuances in the music, bringing out their surprising depth and complexity. What's more, the players sound like they're having the time of their lives playing it. ~ Bruce Eder