The wailing theremin from The Day the Earth Stood Still - cliche though it may have now become - is the sound of Fifties science fiction. The whole score, which runs to just over thirty minutes on disc, is shot through with weird and wonderful sounds. As well as two high and low electric theremins, Herrmann employs an electric violin and electric bass to supplement an already eccentric ensemble of four pianos, four harps and an eclectic collection of 30-odd brass players.He also fiddled with the engineering and production of the sounds this unusual combo produced, playing some parts backwards and overlaying sections with oscillator test signals. The result is a score that combines quiet beauty ("Solar Diamonds") with cacophonous terror ("Gort" or "Magnetic Pull").
Since it first appeared in 1951 Herrmann's score has been imitated and parodied to death. Danny Elfman used it as a template for Mars Attacks!, which itself was a parody of the Fifties alien invasion genre. When The Day the Earth Stood Still was remade in 2008 there was anticipation among Herrmann die-hards that his score might be reused (as had happened previously on the Psycho and Cape Fear remakes), but it was not to be. I saw the movie, but don't remember the music so can only assume that it was as bland as Keanu Reeves' performance.
Herrmann's original score was released on the now discontinued Fox Classics series (07822-11010-2) in 1993 with a cool image of Gort's visored head on the CD itself, and this is the version I'm listening to now (the spooky Track 16 "Departure" about to segue into the plaintive Track 17 "Farewell"). It has also been more recently recorded by Joel McNeely.
This was the first foray into electronic classical music.
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