Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
When I was 9 years old, I saw the announcement of the motion picture 'Rosemary's Baby' to be shown on television. I read the summary of this movie, and felt compelled to watch it. My mother forbade me insistently since it was too violent and scary for my age.
She went out that night and I couldn't resist the urge to go downstairs and turn on the television, if only to catch a glimpse of this movie. I saw the scene in which Rosemary and Guy are in bed, and Rosemary hears the sinister chanting through the floral wallpapered wall and slips into a dream, in which nuns scold her. My mother arrived home early. I switched off the television and ran upstairs as fast as I could.
For years, I wondered why this movie would have been too scary for me to watch. At high school when I was fourteen, I borrowed a record from a friend, which contained some motion picture scores, recorded and conducted by Rogier van Otterloo and his orchestra. Among them was the Theme From Rosemary's Baby, sung by Dutch vocalist Letty de Jong. It sounded beautiful, melancholic and haunting. I would play it over and over. Mr van Otterloo remarked on the album that Miss de Jong's voice hardly had any vibrato in her voice, therefore adding to the depth of this haunting score.
At fifteen, I read the novel by Ira Levin and felt struck by its tragic theme of evil forces conquering an innocent protagonist.
It wasn't until I was in my early twenties, that I finally saw the movie which Roman Polanski had directed. I felt mesmerised by it and watched it many times since.
Four years ago, I wanted to share this exceptionally composed theme by Christopher Komeda with my classical music group at the care home. I doubted whether to play the originally recorded theme sung by Mia Farrow. No disrespect to Ms Farrow, but I chose Letty de Jong's interpretation, since her voice was so haunting and deep, blending with the orchestra. It gave it this extra dimension of tragedy and sadness. I synced the recording with the opening titles and a few snippets from the movie which I felt were fitting.
When I was 9 years old, I saw the announcement of the motion picture 'Rosemary's Baby' to be shown on television. I read the summary of this movie, and felt compelled to watch it. My mother forbade me insistently since it was too violent and scary for my age.
She went out that night and I couldn't resist the urge to go downstairs and turn on the television, if only to catch a glimpse of this movie. I saw the scene in which Rosemary and Guy are in bed, and Rosemary hears the sinister chanting through the floral wallpapered wall and slips into a dream, in which nuns scold her. My mother arrived home early. I switched off the television and ran upstairs as fast as I could.
For years, I wondered why this movie would have been too scary for me to watch. At high school when I was fourteen, I borrowed a record from a friend, which contained some motion picture scores, recorded and conducted by Rogier van Otterloo and his orchestra. Among them was the Theme From Rosemary's Baby, sung by Dutch vocalist Letty de Jong. It sounded beautiful, melancholic and haunting. I would play it over and over. Mr van Otterloo remarked on the album that Miss de Jong's voice hardly had any vibrato in her voice, therefore adding to the depth of this haunting score.
At fifteen, I read the novel by Ira Levin and felt struck by its tragic theme of evil forces conquering an innocent protagonist.
It wasn't until I was in my early twenties, that I finally saw the movie which Roman Polanski had directed. I felt mesmerised by it and watched it many times since.
Four years ago, I wanted to share this exceptionally composed theme by Christopher Komeda with my classical music group at the care home. I doubted whether to play the originally recorded theme sung by Mia Farrow. No disrespect to Ms Farrow, but I chose Letty de Jong's interpretation, since her voice was so haunting and deep, blending with the orchestra. It gave it this extra dimension of tragedy and sadness. I synced the recording with the opening titles and a few snippets from the movie which I felt were fitting.
