This rendition of Bernard Herrmann's original score for Vertigo by Joel McNeely and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is almost as classic as the original. With these re-recordings, it is often difficult to adequately satisfy hardcore film music enthusiasts. But McNeely does an excellent job here - he's had practice recording Herrmann works previously.

Of the Herrmann re-recordings, this album is among the best.

1. Prelude and Rooftop (4:35)
2. Scotty Trails Madeline (8:22)
3. Carlotta's Portrait (2:34)
4. The Bay (3:08)
5. By The Fireside (3:39)
6. The Forest (3:25)
7. The Beach (3:27)
8. The Dream (2:42)
9. Farewell and The Tower(6:42)
10. The Nightmare and Dawn (4:10)
11. The Letter (3:53)
12. Goodnight and The Park (3:08)
13. Scene D'Amour (5:09)
14. The Necklace, The Return and Finale (7:47)

Dismissed when first released, later heralded as one of director Alfred Hitchcock's finest films (and, according to Hitchcock, his most personal one), this adaptation of the French novel "D'entre les morts" weaves an intricate web of obsession and deceit. It opens as Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) realizes he has vertigo, a condition resulting in a fear of heights, when a police officer is killed trying to rescue him from falling off a building. Scottie then retires from his position as a private investigator, only to be lured into another case by his old college friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore). Elster's wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), has been possessed by a spirit, and Elster wants Scottie to follow her. He hesitantly agrees, and thus begins the film's wordless montage as Scottie follows the beautiful yet enigmatic Madeleine through 1950s San Francisco (accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's hypnotic score). After saving her from suicide, Scottie begins to fall in love with her, and she appears to feel the same way. Here tragedy strikes, and each twist in the movie's second half changes our preconceptions about the characters and events. In 1996 a new print of "Vertigo" was released, restoring the original grandeur of the colors and the San Francisco backdrop, as well as digitally enhancing the soundtrack. 1959