Sometimes a movie comes along in which all the elements align perfectly – cast, writer, director, photography, art direction, costumes, and music – and the result is often a unique film that works on every level, and the 1945 film Hangover Square is a perfect example. The cast was perfection, with Laird Cregar as composer/pianist George Henry Bone, beautiful and talented Linda Darnell and the always-wonderful George Sanders. In a film in which a musical composition also plays a leading role, the choice of composer is key to the film's success. In this case, the match was sublime – Bernard Herrmann.
For Hangover Square, Herrmann's task was to compose George Henry Bone's piano concerto. The resulting ''Concerto Macabre'' is a tour de force – the concerto had to accomplish many things, including beginning and ending with just piano, but it also had to portray the mind of its on-screen composer and his descent into madness. But the concerto is but one piece of Herrmann's musical tapestry in Hangover Square, and the rest of the score is as evocative and brilliant as the concerto.
5 Fingers was a 1952 spy picture directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Bernard Herrmann was once again the perfect choice for the film. His score conveys every bit of suspense and emotion, from the dramatic main title, to the jittery music for ''Cicero,'' to the brief-but-beautiful cue ''Romance,'' to the exciting music for ''Escape.'' Much of the score almost seems like a preview of what Herrmann would go on to compose for his legendary series of films with director Alfred Hitchcock. It's a world-class score by a world-class composer.
Both 5 Fingers and Hangover Square were released in the Bernard Herrmann at Fox box set on Varese Sarabande. For that release, Hangover Square was a much-truncated presentation. But thanks to advances in technology and a couple of new sources we present it here with over sixteen additional minutes of music, and what music it is. While the source material for 5 Fingers was in excellent condition, the sources used for Hangover Square were not in as prime condition. Everything possible has been done to clean them up, but the music is so important we wanted to include every note we could. For this CD, Mike Matessino has gone back to the 5 Fingers elements and done a fresh new transfer, which sounds absolutely stunning, and he's done the same for Hangover Square
Track listing
HANGOVER SQUARE 1. Main Title / Fulham Waltz and The Dealer* 2. Murder and Fire 3. Confession* 4. The Clock and The Knife* 5. Barbara* 6. So Close to Paradise (Lionel Newman)* 7. The Spell 8. The Murder 9. Fame and Anger* 10. Second Spell* 11. The Cat and Netta's Death* 12. The Bonfire 13. Recovery and The Invitation* 14. Concerto Macabre: First Movement 15. Concerto Macabre: Second Movement 16. Coda 17. Concerto Macabre: The Lost Movement
*Previously unreleased
5 FINGERS
18. Prelude 19. Cicero 20. The Embassy 21. The Film 22. The Old Street 23. German Embassy / Berlin 24. The Safe 25. Dreams 26. Five Weeks 27. The Trap / The House 28. Romance 29. Departure 30. Alone 31. The Charwoman 32. Escape 33. The Pursuit 34. The Boat 35. Rio 36. Finale |
