Never edited on its whole, something astounding being one of the greater masterpieces among the many composed by Bernard Herrmann, Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) stands out between the rest of the works of his author by its spectacular and risky orchestration, something in what always he demonstrated to be an expert and advanced stylist. For this very freely adaptation of the popular novel by Jules Verne, Herrmann discarded radically the use of the string instruments, being centered in a wide wind section (especially reinforced in the grave instruments, including the serpentine, a forgotten instrument from the middle ages), percussion, a great quantity of harps and five organs. It turned out to be yet more colourful than the colourful movie which serves and enlarges, and such and as Herrmann mentioned in 1975, "does not has emotions, only terror". Varése/Fox presents it completely in a recovered recording in stereo of very considerable sound, including all the brief material composed for the occasion by James Van Heusen (a march and three songs, two of those which were rejected in the final editing of the movie), absolutely opposed in color and material to Herrmann's score. An absolutely obligatory disk in any collection.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1959) - 61:18
20th Fox Orchestra - Conductor: Bernard Herrmann
VARESE SARABANDE VSD-5849 / 61'

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