Post by touchedbytarkovsky on May 16, 2006 2:17:28 GMT -5
I was wondering if anyone has comments on the "Stalker" CD by Robert Rich and B. Lustmord. This album was inspired by the film (Robert Rich lists Tarkovsky as his favorite film maker).
I imagine some members might object to this album based on the idea that it is an attempt to redo Artemiev's original soundtrack. Instead, however, I think it is more accurate to say that the album takes the film (including its soundtrack) as a point of departure. (However, I think I recall reading someone's "rescoring" of the movie using the Rich/Lustmord version.)
I like this album, and think it captures some of the kinds of feelings evoked by Tarkovsky's film.
Compared to the Artemiev soundtrack, I think it is more atonal. It is most similar to Artemiev's "Train," excluding the opening section, prior to the beginning of the train sounds, which has an actual melody. I think "Train" truly shows Artemiev's genius precisely because of the way that it is able to turn the sound of the train moving on the tracks into a mesmerizing piece of music without needing a melodic structure. (For this reason, I don't like the opening melodic section of "Train," because I think it was an unnecessary add-on for the soundtrack album, and as I recall, was not included in the movie.) The main section of "Train" is hypnotic, and drug-like in the way it gradually influences one's state of mind during that film sequence. I think the Rich and Lustmord picked up on this aspect of Artemiev's original soundtrack and have tried to create similar sorts of effects through their music.
I would say, however, that the Rich/Lustmord "Stalker" is darker than Artemiev's soundtrack. In this sense, Rich and Lustmord's "Stalker" almost seems influenced by the darkness of "Roadside Picnic," which has a lot more death and violence than Tarkovsky's "Stalker."
I imagine some members might object to this album based on the idea that it is an attempt to redo Artemiev's original soundtrack. Instead, however, I think it is more accurate to say that the album takes the film (including its soundtrack) as a point of departure. (However, I think I recall reading someone's "rescoring" of the movie using the Rich/Lustmord version.)
I like this album, and think it captures some of the kinds of feelings evoked by Tarkovsky's film.
Compared to the Artemiev soundtrack, I think it is more atonal. It is most similar to Artemiev's "Train," excluding the opening section, prior to the beginning of the train sounds, which has an actual melody. I think "Train" truly shows Artemiev's genius precisely because of the way that it is able to turn the sound of the train moving on the tracks into a mesmerizing piece of music without needing a melodic structure. (For this reason, I don't like the opening melodic section of "Train," because I think it was an unnecessary add-on for the soundtrack album, and as I recall, was not included in the movie.) The main section of "Train" is hypnotic, and drug-like in the way it gradually influences one's state of mind during that film sequence. I think the Rich and Lustmord picked up on this aspect of Artemiev's original soundtrack and have tried to create similar sorts of effects through their music.
I would say, however, that the Rich/Lustmord "Stalker" is darker than Artemiev's soundtrack. In this sense, Rich and Lustmord's "Stalker" almost seems influenced by the darkness of "Roadside Picnic," which has a lot more death and violence than Tarkovsky's "Stalker."