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Citadel Records, a division of BSX Records, presents THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR composed by the legendary Bernard Herrmann (PSYCHO, VERTIGO, NORTH BY NORTHWEST), conducted on this release by the great Elmer Bernstein (THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD).
Released in 1947, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, written by Philip Dunne, based on the novel by R.A. Dick, starring Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best, Vanessa Brown, Anna Lee, Robert Coote, Isobel Elsom, Victoria Horne and a very young Natalie Wood. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR takes place in turn-of-the-century England and finds Lucy Muir (Tierney), a young widow who moves to a seaside house with her young daughter to escape her in-laws. Lucy discovers that the place is haunted by the ghost of its former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg (Harrison). Finding that his attempts to scare Lucy away are failing, Gregg becomes Lucy's ally and they begin to fall in love... THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR was Bernard Herrmann's seventh film score and the fourth of many assignments from Twentieth Century Fox. The composer considered his music for the film to have been his best work.
Bernard Herrmann is one of the greatest composers of motion picture music in the twentieth century. He is considered the man behind some of the most original and distinctive film scores. He was a master at evoking psychological and dramatic tension in his music to suit the dramatic needs of a film. He won his only Oscar in 1947 for writing the score for THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER. Herrmann made a powerful mark in radio and in 1934 he began a 25-year career as a conductor and composer in radio, working for the CBS Symphony Orchestra. In 1938, he scored the notorious infamous presentation of Orson Welles' Halloween production of H. G. Wells' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast. He is best remembered for his collaborations with some of Hollywood's most celebrated film directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese and Brian DePalma. Described as a perfectionist, he believed that most directors didn't have a clue about music so he would blithely ignore their instructions. His filmography includes CITIZEN KANE, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, VERTIGO, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, CAPE FEAR, FAHRENHEIT 451, OBSESSION, TAXI DRIVER and many hours of episodic television including THE TWILIGHT ZONE and HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, among others.
From 1974 to 1979, composer Elmer Bernstein, a great believer in preserving the film music of the past, indulged an expensive whim: Re-recording excerpts from memorable scores by esteemed colleagues ranging from Alfred Newman and Miklos Rozsa to Alex North and Bernard Herrmann. This collection would span fourteen LPS and include many previously unreleased film scores, including the first recording of Herrmann's lost score to TORN CURTAIN. Later, these historic recordings were released on compact disc by Film Score Monthly in 2006 in a limited edition box set that has continued to become scarce over the years.
Citadel Records, a division of BSX Records, is proud to bring these recordings back into the marketplace, under license from the composer's estate with the music newly remastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland and retaining the original liner notes written by Fred Steiner. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR features Bernard Herrmann's music conducted by Elmer Bernstein, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
- BSX
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