I am going to be talking about Stanley Kubricks 2001: a space odyssey, focusing (obviously) on the music, but also I will also be incorporating elements from MarkMillers article 2001 - a cold descent 2001: A Space Odyssey, introduced in 1968, is a highconcept production that begins by tracing the Dawn OfMan, which eventually leads to a journey through the solarsystem by a crew of astronauts aboard a spaceship boundfor Jupiter. The accompanying soundtrack plays as much of a role inthe development of suspense and intrigue as the actorsperformances. Three decades later, the soundtrack remainsone of the most recognized in cinematic history. Initially, Kubrick asked Alex North, who had written thescore for Spartacus, to compose the music for 2001.Although he commissioned an original score, Kubrickultimately opted to stick with the well-known classicalcompositions and cues hed blocked in during production,making the soundtrack one of the most unconventional everproduced. The catalogue of film scores commissioned and thendumped in favor of someone elses work is extensive. Thesituation has a fascination all of its own: what might havebeen? Hermanns score for Torn Curtain for instance, andhere, Alex Norths score for 2001 are both examples. It was only as North watched the first commercialscreening that he discovered that his own score had beendiscarded. It was replaced by existing classical scores. The soundtrack features eight classical tracks includingGyorgi Ligetis Atmospheres and Requiem, Johan StrausssThe Blue Danube and Richard Strausss Also SprachZarathustra (or Thus Spake Zarathustra), which incidentallyElvis used to use to open his concert performances. The film combines eerie contemporary music withclassical waltzes and Ballet suites - grunts and snarls withpneumatic hisses and synthesized beeps. One character hasa rough, throaty voice but the computer, Hal 9000, talks witha soft mellifluous ...
