The Bernard Herrmann Society

The best remembered of Herrmann's conducting jobs in London was of course his in the classic Hitchcock thriller: "The Man Who Knew Too Much" in 1955. In the film he conducted the London Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Arthur Benjamin's "Storm Cloud Cantata" at the Royal Albert Hall. A simpler and shorter version of the cantata was composed by Benjamin for the original 1934 Hitchcock film of the same name. Given the option to write his own piece, Herrmann declined and took the chance of conducting a work of one of his favourite composers with one of the world's best orchestras.

For the remake Herrmann hired Benjamin to lengthen the original piece and chose to change some orchestrations himself.

[streetmap] [Royal Albert Hall] [Strolling.com: Kensington Gore] [Arthur Benjamin]

The London Symphony Orchestra invited Herrmann to conduct four concerts in 1956, after their happy experience with "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Due to some friction between orchestra and conductor the concerts at the Royal Festival Hall were uneven, ranging from average to outstanding. Among the highlights were the UK premiere of Robert Russell Bennett's "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra" with Louis Kaufman playing the violin and a performance of the "London" Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams, with the composer in the front row. A critic wrote: "As the epilogue gently faded out Herrmann held his baton for a few moments in silence. The composer [Vaughan Williams] stepped forward and shook his hand. The exhausted conductor was obviously deeply moved."

Despite the (partial) success and recording made of the Bennett piece Herrmann was never invited again to conduct the LSO, but they worked together again for the recording of Ives's 2nd Symphony in 1972.

On May 20 ,1964 Herrmann conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Festival Hall for performances of Delius's "Walk to the Paradise Garden", Wagner's Overture to "Tannhäuser", The 6th Symphony of Tchaikovsky and Elgar's "Enigma Variations". The concert was highly praised by the press.

The Royal Festival Hall, The Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Rooms and Hayward Gallery form the South Bank Centre.

[streetmap] [Strolling.com: Embankment] [South Bank Centre]

Just a stone-throw from the Festival Hall, directly under the south side of Waterloo Bridge one can find the National Film Theatre. Underneath the bridge one can also find a cafe at the entrance and the Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) all owned by the British Film Institute. On June 11, 1972 Herrmann gave here his only lecture in London. Invited by the BFI to lecture and answer questions by Canadian writer Ted Gilling and members of the audience. The event was well attended.

[streetmap] [Strolling.com: Waterloo Bridge] [British Film Institute]

A concert on April 21 for the 150th anniversary of the death of Lord Byron in 1974 became Herrmann's first in over 5 years and it was to be his last and worst. The Theatre Royal had been opened by Byron himself in 1812 and was considered the perfect venue for the concert by the Byron Society (Herrmann was a member). Herrmann's failing health plus the ambitious programme: Berlioz's "Harold in Italy", Arnell's "Symphonic Portrait of Byron", Liszt's "Tasso", Maconchy's "Isles of Greece", etc. proved to be to much for the Royal Philharmonic with just one rehearsal. The reviews were disastrous.

The Theatre Royal is now part of the musical boom that hit London in the 80ies. From 1989 to 2000 the audiences were entertained (bored?) with "Miss Saigon".

[streetmap] [Theatre Royal Drury Lane] [Strolling.com: Catherine Street]