YOUR LOVING SON, NERO

This Crime Classics episode tells the story of Emperor Nero's decision and plot to kill his own mother. After many failed attempts he does finally succeed. This episode had one of the larger musical ensembles of the series with Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, French Horn, Timpani, Percussion, and Harp. Herrmann uses the Harp both dramatically and as accompaniment to Nero's (William Conrad) "singing", which is mercifully left out of this recording.

BERNARD HERRMANN

Bernard Herrmann first made his mark on radio in 1934 developing his craft as a staff conductor for CBS, quickly rising to Music Director for the Columbia Workshop and ultimately the Chief Conductor for the CBS Symphony Orchestra. As a composer, he was first recognized for writing musical "Melodrams" - accompaniment to Keat's poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci, A.E. Houseman's A Shropshire Lad, and Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee among others for David Ross's poetry radio show "In the Modern Manner".

CRIME CLASSICS
The Crime Classics radio series (1953-1954) broadcast began in the later stages of radio as the emerging medium of television was taking hold and was to be among the last of Bernard Herrmann's associations with the media. The show, created by Elliott Lewis, brought to life the character of Thomas Hyland (Lou Merril) who as a "connoisseur of crime, student of violence, and teller of murders" would narrate dramatizations of true murder stories from history. These grisly, sometimes chilling accounts of real life murders, assassinations, and plots are largely factual but injected with wry humor by the Hyland narration. Each is presented in the high dramatic radio style of they day where the audience's imagination is stimulated by the narrative (written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin), acting (with such stars as Betty Lou Gerson & William Conrad), sound effects, and of course, the music.

For Crime Classics Herrmann had budget for only 3 (occasionally 4) musicians and although he initially denied the opportunity, he decided to take up the challenge of scoring with such Spartan ensembles. As was his custom in film, Herrmann chose to adapt the instrumentation to each show according to its dramatic needs although certain combinations and instruments recur. He chose to include harp for many episodes as a foundation for 2 other (usually wind) instruments scoring a range of dramatic moments using repeated chords or notes in octaves, ad lib glissando, thunder effects, etc. as necessary. The most repeated grouping is for Flute, Oboe/English Horn, and Harp although many of these are not original music but cleverly arranged music "of the period". These arranged episodes reflect Herrmann's love of earlier music styles some featuring melodies he would use in other contexts e.g. in The Shrapnelled Bosom of Charles Drew Herrmann utilizes the same Georgian tunes as he does in Williamsburg: A Patriot's Story.

released December 1, 2020
Abby Savell, Timpani and Percussion
Jason Beaumont, French Horn
Jon Stehney, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Teddi Barclay, Harp

cover image: Nero