ndrei Tarkovskiy (or Tarkovsky, depending on the transliteration) was one of the most influential Russian directors of the Cold War era. Among other films, he directed two renowned science fiction pictures: Solaris (1972) and Stalker (1979). This import CD showcases cues from both of these movies, along with a lone cut from a Tarkovskiy drama titled The Mirror (1974) and an extended memorial piece devoted to the famed filmmaker, who passed away in 1986.
The scores for all three productions were written by Edward Artemiev (sometimes transliterated as Artemyev), who, during the 1970s, was one of the Soviet Union's leading electronic musicians. Each of the seven selections from Solaris, including "Ill," "Listen to Bach (The Earth)," "Dream" and "Picture P. Brueghel 'Winter,'" are epic and ethereal, often evoking a classical grandeur similar to the music featured in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. This is not inappropriate, as some critics have hailed Solaris as the "Russian answer to 2001."
The four compositions from Stalker combine many ethnic elements and reveal a natural elegance fitting for such a pensive film. The movie's "Theme" spotlights a subdued choral component, and "Train" incorporates artificial noises that mimic a preternatural locomotive. The tune from The Mirror, entitled "Exodus," offers an unusual electronic sound, while "Dedication to Andrei Tarkovskiy" subtly blends a variety of eerie effects into an engaging nine-minute opus.
The liner notes are printed in both Russian and English, and include brief biographies of both Artemiev and Tarkovskiy. Manufactured in Sweden, the album is available through various soundtrack and electronic music specialty dealers in the United States and Europe.
An outstanding Soviet sampler
Although rarely screened outside Eastern Europe, numerous thought-provoking science fiction films have been produced in the Soviet Union. These pictures regularly feature political messages, which at times overshadow the visual and musical components. This superb CD isolates the tuneful elements from two important SF productions.
For the Solaris cues, Artemiev fuses classical themes with electronic effects, generating an unearthly score. "Station" mingles reverberant tones with skittering noises, coalescing into an energetic theme that augments the fear and fascination invoked by the movie's haunted space station. The somewhat more organic, although no less hypnotic, mix of sounds in "Ocean"--soft, glistening notes and dark artificial echoes--evoke the beauty and danger of the living planet Solaris.
The selections from Stalker are more diverse, hinting at the folktale-like nature of the story. Tender artificial bells resonate throughout "They Go Long," supplementing a series of undulating, enigmatic tones and making an appropriate accompaniment to a journey through the film's otherworldly "Zone." Meanwhile, a mock-tribal flute moans seductively above a somber synthesized background on "Meditation," generating a lonely, contemplative atmosphere. The occasional juxtaposition of discordant elements skillfully echoes the overall "faith vs. skepticism" theme of this allegorical SF work.
Even "Exodus" is enthralling, mixing traditional film score motifs and classic "space rock" excitement in an avant-garde arrangement. In short, Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker is an outstanding sampler of Artemiev's exceptional cinematic creations.
