5:51PM, May 15, 2009
Hitchcock claimed it accounted for a third of Psycho's impact. It's instantly recognisable and has been reused, homaged, and sampled for decades.
It is of course Bernard Herrmann's iconic Psycho score. To celebrate Sky Movies Classics' definitive Hitchcock Season, Hitchcock's masterpiece of terror will be screened on Thursday 21st May at Notting Hill's historic Coronet Cinema, with a live 20-piece string orchestra accompanying the movie as its shocks unfold onscreen.
Sky Movies Director Ian Lewis said, "Psycho’s iconic soundtrack has been firmly engrained in popular culture for almost 50 years, appearing in everything from comedic parodies to rap samples, and is therefore the perfect choice for this very special event.”
He added, “As part of our definitive Hitchcock season, we will also be showing the UK HD premieres of many of Hitchcock’s best films, including Psycho, on Sky Anytime – another example of our on-going commitment to enhancing the viewing experience. We hope this unique event will do the same thing in a live setting.”
On the night, the score will be re-created live by the London Soundtrack Orchestra and conducted by acclaimed conductor and composer Ben Foster, who will be tasked with keeping 20 live string players in perfect sync with the film.
Foster comments, “Hitchcock's collaboration with Bernard Herrmann created some of the most gripping scores of all time; none more so than Psycho. The genius of Herrmann’s score is the combination of beautiful simplicity, deliberately paired-down orchestration and his skilled use of leitmotif. I’m very excited to be a part of what should be a fantastic evening.”
Incredibly, the legendary director originally envisaged a jazz soundtrack. Composer Bernard Herrmann ignored his suggestion, scored it purely for strings to reflect the film’s deliberately monochromic feel, and Hitchcock was so pleased with the results he doubled his pay.
Herrmann also subtly reused a motif in Psycho's music for his final film score, Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver.
Sky Movies Classics’ definitive Hitchcock Week includes 15 of his very best films.
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