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Dragon’s Domain Records presents BATTLE OF NERETVA, featuring music composed by Bernard Herrmann (CITIZEN KANE, PSYCHO, TAXI DRIVER) for the 1969 historical epic directed by Veljko Bulajic, written by Ugo Pirro, Stevo Bulajic, Ratko Djurovic and Veljko Bulajic, starring Yul Brynner, Hardy Krüger, Franco Nero, Sylva Koscina, Orson Welles, Curd Jürgens, Anthony Dawson, Milena Dravic, Sergey Bondarchuk, Ljubisa Samardzic and Bata Zivojinovic.

Of the many decisive battles fought during World War II, none surpassed in brute force and determination the heroic struggle of Tito’s ragged, minuscule partisan army against the overwhelming combined strength of Hitler’s Panzer units with other Axis armaments. After a mad dash across Europe, German Panzer divisions aided by Italians and Ustascian units under the joint command of General Lohring, were brought to an abrupt halt in the Balkans in early 1943 by a ragged, minuscule group of Yugoslav fighters out-numbered six to one, and handicapped by 45,000 of their men wounded or ill with typhoid, who they refused to abandon.

Aided by rough, mountainous terrain and using every available weapon they could find, including supplies wrestled from their enemies, the partisan army was able to inflict severe casualties on the invading Italian and German forces through cunning strategy and unusual battle tactics.

To film this epic chronicle of raw courage and stubborn savagery, executive producers Henry T. Weinstein and Anthony B. Unger chose Veljko Bulajic, the renowned Yugoslav director noted for his adroit handling of large-scale subject matter. Military experts from [the former] Yugoslavia, Germany, and Italy each contributed to the battle scenes with tanks, artillery, planes and cannons. Special effects were provided by Barrandow Studios in Prague, while the [former] U.S.S.R. supplied a team of pyrotechnicians. Four 1943 Bosnian villages and a complete fortress were constructed for destruction by aerial bombardment.

For the director’s cut of BATTLE OF NERETVA, Vladimir Kraus-Rajteric composed the original score where the music is sparsely utilized, primarily to drive the human drama and not the action sequences. It is not a typical Hollywood-style score, which often serves to romanticize war as heroic conflict. Rather, it emphasized the suffering. Kraus-Rajteric’s music, frequently interpolated with partisan songs, was also retained in edits created for Germany and Italy. Due to the extensive editing for the English-language versions, Kraus-Rajteric’s score was rejected as it could not be effectively altered to fit the new interpretation, and Bernard Herrmann was engaged to compose a replacement score that would be more familiar to our audiences. For the score, Herrmann chose the London Philharmonic Orchestra, augmented by a large brass and percussion section, a total of 120 pieces, to perform this epic work under his direction.

Bernard Herrmann is one of the greatest composers of motion picture music in the twentieth century. He is considered the man behind some of the most original and distinctive film scores. He was a master at evoking psychological and dramatic tension in his music to suit the dramatic needs of a film. He won his only Oscar in 1947 for writing the score for THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER. Herrmann made a powerful mark in radio and in 1934 he began a 25-year career as a conductor and composer in radio, working for the CBS. In 1938, he scored the notorious infamous presentation of Orson Welles’ Halloween production of H. G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast. He is best remembered for his collaborations with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated film directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese and Brian DePalma. Described as a perfectionist, he believed that most directors didn't have a clue about music so he would blithely ignore their instructions. His filmography includes CITIZEN KANE, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, PSYCHO, VERTIGO, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, CAPE FEAR, FAHRENHEIT 451, OBSESSION, TAXI DRIVER and many hours of episodic television including THE TWILIGHT ZONE and HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, among others.

Born on December 14, 1924 in Zagreb, Croatia (now part of the former Yugoslavia), Vladimir Kraus-Rajteric is best known for NIGHTS AND DAYS and the anti-war ATOMIC WAR BRIDGE. He passed away on July 29, 1996.

Originally released in the early days of compact disc, Dragon’s Domain Records is excited to bring BATTLE OF NERETVA back to the marketplace, featuring music composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, newly remastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. For the first time, selections from Vladimir Kraus-Rajteric's score from BATTLE OF NERETVA are presented on this release from the best possible elements. The booklet includes liner notes written by author David Hirsch.

01. Prelude (2:33)
02. The Retreat (3:42)
03. Separation (4:02)
04. From Italy (3:18)
05. Chetniks’ March (1:49)
06. Farewell (1:51)
07. Partisan March (1:31)
08. Pastorale (2:00)
09. The Turning Point (5:18)
10. The Death of Danica (2:14)
11. Victory (2:35)

BONUS TRACKS
12. Danica’s Theme (3:26)
The Roland Shaw Orchestra

BATTLE OF NERETVA EUROPEAN SUITE
Music Composed by Vladimir Kraus-Rajteric
13. Part 1 (4:27)
14. Part 2 (3:11)
15. Part 3 (3:23)

Total Time: 46:01