Perfume: The Story of a Murderer [Soundtrack]

Tom Tykwer (Composer), Johnny Klimek (Composer), Reinhold Heil (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil
• Audio CD (December 5, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000K2UG7K
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,511 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Prologue- The Highest Point (Berliner Philharmoniker)

2. Streets of Paris (Berliner Philharmoniker)

3. The Girl with the Plums (Berliner Philharmoniker)

4. Grenouille's childhood (Berliner Philharmoniker)

5. Distilling Roses (Berliner Philharmoniker)

6. The 13th essence (Berliner Philharmoniker)

7. Lost Love (State Choir Latvia)

8. Moorish Scents (Berliner Philharmoniker)

9. Meeting Laura (Berliner Philharmoniker)

10. The method works! (Berliner Philharmoniker)

11. Grasse in panic (Berliner Philharmoniker)

12. Richis' escape (Berliner Philharmoniker)

13. Laura's murder (Berliner Philharmoniker)

14. Awaiting Execution (Berliner Philharmoniker)

15. The Perfume (Berliner Philharmoniker)

16. The crowd embrace (Berliner Philharmoniker)

17. Perfume- distilled (Berliner Philharmoniker)

18. Epilogue- Leaving Grasse (State Choir Latvia)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Germany's Tom Tykwer is among the rare directors who score their own movies (Charlie Chaplin, Clint Eastwood, and John Carpenter also belong to that small circle). Here, he and his regular collaborators, Johnny Klimer and Reinhold Heil (both boasting experience with... Nina Hagen!) have come up with a symphonic score performed by none other than Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker, with Absolute Ensemble founder Kristian Järvi conducting the State Choir Latvia. Alas, even Rattle and Järvi cannot make the score more than mildly pleasant--and ultimately unmemorable. Overall the vocal cues fare best: Soprano Chen Reiss shines on "Meeting Laura," for instance, a track that displays vague Philip Glass-esque echoes. Another highlight is the contribution of eerie-sounding boy soprano Victor de Maizière on "Laura's Murder." Elsewhere, the composing trio mercifully doesn't overdo the middle-oriental exoticism on "Moorish Scents," though the track does feature a glockenspiel--now officially the most overused instrument on contemporary soundtracks. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Product Description

PERFUME tells the story of a man who is obsessed by the idea of creating the perfect perfume. The novel, by Patrick Süskind, was written in 1985 and has been translated into 45 languages, so far selling more than 15 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful novel of post-war German literature. The film boasts a top-class cast of international actors such as Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman and up-and-coming talent Rachel Hurd-Wood, and an original soundtrack from the film's director Tom Tykwer, recorded by Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker and released exclusively on EMI Classics - the first soundtrack from this internationally acclaimed award-winning partnership.

The soundtrack, with its symphonic appeal reaching from airy and light sounds to majestically heavy motifs, manages with stylistic verve to make the world of odours downright tangible. The orchestra closely and cautiously follows in the steps of the plot, taking up the historical atmosphere of the 18th century and yet remaining entangled in the universe of olfactory attractions. The choir pieces, recorded in Riga by the National Choir of Latvia, lend a sacral and spherical aspect to many passages whilst the body of sound from the Berliner Philharmoniker produces soundscapes to indulge the senses. If the soul of a human is his odour, as Grenouille states in the film, then music is the heartbeat of the film.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really like this one, February 10, 2007

By 

Richard Grant (Lincolnville, Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Audio CD)

I'm totally puzzled by the negative tone of the "official" Amazon reviewer. This is really a very fine score, rather hard to categorize but certainly effective -- even when played out of the context of the movie -- with a certain darkwave or noir atmosphere that I find very appealing.

It's also rather amazing when you consider this is the same team that created the frenetically energized Eurobeat score for "Run Lola Run."

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfume to my ears, January 29, 2007

By 

Sergio B. De Menezes "Sergio" (sao paulo, sp Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Audio CD)

As soon as I saw the film, I fell in love with its beautiful, romantic, atmospheric music and ordered the soundtrack right away. It is as moody and exotic as the film as it follows the story of one of the most unusual and original characters ever created by fiction, focusing on his very well developed sense of smell, something almost in the super-hero genre, if it wasn't for the character's macabre obsession. The music to this thus, had to be a perfect translation in notes and chords, which is a tremendous task more than brilliantly achieved. Track after track of intoxicating beauty, as the most exquisite perfume. I'm surprised this hasn't attracted more attention than it deserves. For me, it's right up there with Herrmann's "Vertigo".

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intoxicating, October 4, 2007

By 

Ryan Kelley "Professional Shark Tamer" (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Audio CD)

One of the most BEAUTIFUL symphonic scores I have EVER heard. I can't stop listening to this music! It's so beautiful. The movie was strange, but the soundtrack is what kept it moving and alive for me. If you are a fan of classical music and love emotional scores at LEAST sample the songs here on amazon. This score is one of the best musical findings of my year so far! I love it!