Schindler's List: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK]

John Williams, John Williams, Itzhak Perlman

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 7, 1993)
• Original Release Date: December 7, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OR4
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,804 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Because he's long been stereotyped by the rousing neo-romantic adventure scores for the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park franchises, it's easy to forget that composer John Williams is hardly idiomatically challenged. When Steven Spielberg gratifyingly used the clout of his enormous commercial success to produce and direct this brave Holocaust drama, his longtime musical collaborator used the opportunity to display both the depth and maturity of his musical gifts and training, producing a score with sad, evocative melodies frequently carried by the violin of the great Itzhak Perlman. Rich with ethnic nuance and showcasing the composer's masterful orchestral/choral subtlety, Williams's emotionally compelling score for Schindler's List also won the Academy Award for Best Dramatic Score. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Subtle and Emotionally Apt Score, February 10, 2002

By	Zachary S. Houp "RAREfiend" (Fleetwood, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

From the response that one can observe to the score from Schindler's List, it is like no one took John Williams' work seriously prior to its release. He had been renowned for his bombast music and his loud marches, but his subtler works might have been too easily forgotten. However, there seems to be a turnaround in the public conception of Williams after Schindler's List. To many people, he became a composer capable of the deep emotion inherent in more somber films. To long time fans, this may have always been apparent, but for those who could not recognize his skill, Schindler's List divulged it completely and indubitably.

Schindler's List, even when it is depicting the greatest evil and the most visually horrifying images, never collapses and never overpowers. Its greatest gift is its ability to outline and highlight, not to overshadow and reconstruct. The multiple themes are all extraordinary and powerful, recurring where necessary, and coming to a crescendo as appropriate. Frequently intermingled are appropriate and stirring excerpts from Hebrew hymns that humanize and reconnect the images on screen with the validity of the past. Combined within are two sides of a film score that work together to create a magical whole. The dominant passages are the string pieces, led by Ithzak Pearlman, and colasceing the traditional images of the film with music that isn't wholly inappropriate from the era depicted. Alternately, there are delightful mechanical cues that reference Hebrew music and lighten the mood as necessary. Best depicted in the track "Schindler's Workforce"--perhaps the best an most delightful of the tracks, outside of the suites--maintains a constant beat that circles and epitomizes the interaction of the Jews and their forced occupation.

Ultimately, it is a perfect film that is complimented by a completely appropriate score. One can intensely understand and concur with the lifelong relationship between Williams and Spielberg, understanding where they are in tune, why they are so equally successful, and just how much they love filmmaking; all because they are good at what they do and share a mind in how it should be done. Listening to the score from Schindler's List is an experience equally pleasant and disturbing; pleasant where the music relates the sanguine outlooks of the Jewish people, and disturbing as we see the atrocities that try to break their spirit. The score in the end, represents, perhaps, the pinnacle of Williams' film scoring career, a point where he gained ubiquitous respect and appreciation. The score for Schindler's List is an undeniable feat that should not be missed for its perfection, its depiction, and its beauty.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad, Sweet, Solemn, Powerful...., March 1, 2005

By	L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (fountain valley, ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Sad, Sweet, Solemn, Powerful...these are just a few of the words that can be used to describe the listening experience one gets from the "Schindler's List : Soundtrack", but it's so much more than those words or any words can describe. It's music that captures all the emotional feelings of the film and the people and circumstances of the story. The film went beyond the awards and beyond any meaning a 5 star review has. It was one of the most moving expereinces one can have from a cinematic work. Reliving those moments through the music, will again evoke those goose bumps, throat lumps, and may even produce a tear or two as you listen.

From a single, sad, violin, to the mesmerizing and powerful Orchestral music, to the beauty of the choir voices, you will get lost in each and every track. There are 14 tracks, and all are a nice enough length to get lost in, and each flows beautifully from one to the next.(see buying info for list)

The soundtrack stands on it's own as a five star addition to your collection, and is a very good quality listen, but if you are also thinking of buying or upgrading to the DVD, you may want to consider the "Schindler's List Gift Set"(asin: B00012QM9K). It includes the widescreen edition of the film and this soundtrack. A movie book is among some of the other fabulous gifts for the collector or fan. If interested please see my review of 6/10/04 in which I have described the gift set. The only thing it did not have was a separate booklet for the CD.

Both the film and the music will take alot out of you, but what you take away from it all, is well worth it. With the perfection of John Williams, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Itzhak Perlman, you are in for one beautiful expereince....enjoy....Laurie

also recommended, this beautiful book with images from the film to browse through while listening to the CD:Schindler's List: Images of the Steven Spielberg Film(see my review for book details)

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to every collection. BUY IT NOW., October 15, 2000

By	Sara B. Tarpley "genealogymom" (TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Five stars are not enough to do this brilliant work any kind of justice. John Williams' score is as amazing, emotional, intense, heartbreaking, and beautiful as the film is. It just gets better with every listen. The emotions it evokes are almost unbearable. It is absolutely exhilarating. This soundtrack is so brilliant that one finds many new facets and colors with each listen. When you take a film as phenomenal as Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List", add the extraordinary composing of John Williams, and add the otherworldly talents of Itzhak Perlman (probably the most famous violinist living), this album is the result. Perlman's violin solos induce tears every time. His interpretation and artistic expression, combined with his amazing technical abilities, are the perfect touch. The soundtrack also features wonderful choral, orchestral, and piano performances. There is not a weak moment on the entire CD. It is stunningly beautiful and powerful in its simplicity. This album will haunt you for the rest of your life. Williams and all of the extraordinary performers whose help he enlisted on this recording rose to the challenge of conjuring every emotion and image in the film, and exceeded all expectations. You do not just listen to this music; you *experience* it. It is not only heard by your ears; it shoots straight into your soul. As Spielberg himself said, it is "an album to be attended with closed eyes and unsequestered hearts."