K-19 the Widowmaker [Soundtrack]

Klaus Badelt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2002)
• Original Release Date: July 19, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: New Films International
• ASIN: B00006AATU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,624 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Given the film's fevered, rooted-in-cold-war-history nuclear tensions and claustrophobic, intensely Russian settings, promising newcomer/Hans Zimmer protégé Klaus Badelt (The Time Machine and contributions to Gladiator and Pearl Harbor) was saddled with more than a few expectations in scoring director Kathryn Bigelow's Soviet sub thriller. But Badelt has admirably risen to the occasion, conjuring up an orchestral score (masterfully performed by the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus under Valery Giergiev) rooted in moody Russian classicism--and a dash of Zimmer's favorite Holstian drama as well. The centerpiece here is the neo-classical Suite for Orchestra and Chorus in G Minor, its four movements ("Fear," "Fate," "War," "Soul") powerfully underscoring the film's unrelenting pressure cooker of drama and emotion. Badelt's use of excerpts from Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light suite ("Reactor") is equally inspired, its haunting choral touches and spare, evocative arrangements imparting some compelling gravitas to the story's dark sense of impending doom. A score as noble, if emotionally ominous, as the 20th-century Russian masters who inspired it. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Klaus Badelt - destined for greatness, July 26, 2002

By 

Ude Eko (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: K-19 the Widowmaker (Audio CD)

Before I watched K-19, I had never heard of Klaus Badelt, even forgetting that he contributed to my co-favorite soundtrack "Gladiator". I could not breathe properly at the end of the movie, when "Reunion" reveberated throughout the theater.

For me, the highlights of the score are #3 Allegro, #7 Journey, #8 Vostrikov suite and #11 Reunion. However, this is the only CD in my extensive collection with the exception of "Beyond Rangoon", "Crimson Tide" and "Gladiator" in which ALL songs are worth listening to. The influence of Hans Zimmer is evident throughout the movie - you can't help but remember "The Peacemaker" and "Crimson Tide". The choir just makes this work hauntingly beautiful and chillingly good. It helped make the movie a very good one.

Klaus Badelt has a very bright future ahead. I haven't heard his other work, but I intend to. I cannot recommend this CD enough.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Underwater Masterpiece..., January 31, 2004

By 

Marie (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: K-19 the Widowmaker (Audio CD)

My favorite one in my movie soundtrack collection! The music of K-19 made the movie even more moving. If you are looking for great music pieces for a "every goes wrong" russian submarine, and I mean the feel of the waves, tensions on board and the heroic efforts, this is "the" soundtrack. I have to admit, even thought I loved the movie, it`s wouldn`t been as great without the real struggling russian submarine music effect that Klaus Badelt created. The music moves me everytime I hear it...I close my eyes and I can see myself on board of this boat peeking out of the waves with the cold winds on my cheeks.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great Klaus Badelt score, December 1, 2002

By 

Brandon Cutro (Tyler, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: K-19 the Widowmaker (Audio CD)

After his tremendous success with The Time Machine, Klaus Badelt returns once again with another great score to K-19: The Widowmaker. With an outstanding performance by The Kirov Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of conductor Valery Gergiev, Badelt proves that once again, he is one of the hottest new composers out there. Badelt starts with "Suite for Orchestra and Chorus in G Minor" which is a classical piece that he wrote which the score's main themes were developed. "Fear - Largo" contains a militaristic theme that reoccurs throughout the score several times. "Fate - Adagio" contains a dark string crescendo that resorts to a lovely piece of music. "War - Allegro" is an action cue that contains some excellent and difficult horn parts. "Soul - Mysterioso" is the best of the 4 with the themes occurring again in full force with the orchestra and chorus. The rest of the score is derived from these first 4 tracks and contains different versions of those themes each time you hear them, so they never get boring. "Home" is a waltz version of the theme heard in "Fear - Largo" and "Heroes" gives us the theme again in full force. "Journey" contains a male chorus chanting the main theme in Russian, much like Basil Poledouris used a chorus in The Hunt For Red October. "Missile Launch - The Rescue" is a long action cue that sounds a lot like "War - Allegro" with the difficult horn parts. "Reunion" ends the score in an excellent fashion with the main themes occurring one more time sending the listener off with great melodies. "Reactor - Selections from Voices of Light" is a low key piece composed by Richard Einhorn that fits in nicely with the score, but is nowhere near as good. I was hoping to give this score 5 stars, but for me, it just lacked that one little thing that makes it an outstanding score that you want to hear over and over again. It is a great score with a wonderful sound and great themes, however, and Klaus Badelt impresses me once again.