Andrei Tarkovsky has long been considered one of the most important figures in the history of Russian cinema. He died in 1986, at the age of 54, following a battle with cancer which left fans of world cinema forever wondering what he could’ve achieved had he lived a full and rich life. Nevertheless, his 1983 film ‘Nostalgia’ is something that, once seen, is never forgotten. The slow climax featuring one of the lead characters slowly traversing an empty swimming pool mightn’t be one of the big screen’s most epic scenes, but it shows perfectly how Tarkovsky was a man who was fully aware of how much tension could be gleaned from something so relatively mundane.
Tarkovsky is now being celebrated by Cold Spring Records, who’ve issued a 5CD box set of film scores for some of his earlier films. The set contains the complete audio for ‘Ivan’s Childhood’ (1962), ‘Andrei Roublev’ (1966), ‘Solaris’ (1972), ‘Mirror’ (1975) and ‘Stalker’ (1979).
More information can be found via the promotional video below and the full press release which follows.
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TARKOVSKY
5xCD box set
out now
(Cold Spring)
five original film soundtracks
IVAN’S CHILDHOOD | ANDREI ROUBLEV
music by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov
SOLARIS | MIRROR | STALKER
music by Eduard Artemyev
“It’s the motherlode. Some of the best music ever put to film. This is one of the best sets of film music we’ve come across”
BOOMKAT
“Evokes Bernard Herrmann’s Hitchcock scores [Andrei Roublev], electroacoustic drones and textures [Solaris] and a Popul Vuh-esque kosmische score [Stalker]. Bleak beauty 9/10”
UNCUT
“It makes these soundtracks easily available for the first time, collects them in one place and sounds great. Anyone who has been seduced by these films will need this box set”
THE ARTS DESK
“A mixture of sweeping strings and eerie electronics, this Soviet-era collection is as haunting as the images in the great director’s films 4/5”
SHINDIG!
“Isolationist atmosphere [Solaris], a potent mix of choirs, strings and folk music [Mirror], and flutes and sitars layered over absorbing and unsettling eerie sounds [Stalker]”
ELECTRONIC SOUND
“Some collections preserve great film music. This one preserves an entire philosophy of listening 5/5”
CHAIN D.L.K.
Released by Cold Spring on 4th September, ‘Tarkovsky’ is a 5xCD box set containing fully remastered soundtracks to all five films made in the Soviet Union by director and screenwriter Andrei Tarkovsky. ‘Ivan’s Childhood’ (1962) and ‘Andrei Roublev’ (1966) are scored by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, with ‘Solaris’ (1972), ‘Mirror’ (1975) and ‘Stalker’ (1979) by Eduard Artemyev.
The set is presented in a deluxe matt-laminate box, with each of the five CDs housed in an individually printed card sleeve accompanied by an artcard that features the original Russian and Japanese cinema posters that advertised each film upon its release.
Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986)
The master of Soviet cinema and frequently cited as one of the greatest film directors of all time, Tarkovsky frequently clashed creatively with Russian film authorities and left the country to make ‘Nostalgia’ (1983) and ‘The Sacrifice’ (1986). He died of cancer in late December 1986 at the age of 54, with his illness attributed to the toxic locations used in making ‘Stalker’ seven years before.
Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov (1936-2019)
A Soviet and Russian composer of symphonies, symphonic poems and works for chamber orchestra, small ensembles and solo instruments, Ovchinnikov is best known outside his native country for his film work. Most notable among these are his music for the epic four part dramatisation of ‘War and Peace’ (1966-67) directed by Sergei Bondarchuk, plus his two collaborations with Tarkovsky either side of this.
Eduard Artemyev (1937-2022)
The pioneering Soviet and Russian composer of electronic music and film scores became interested in the genre after he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1960, writing his first composition in 1967 on the legendary ANS synthesizer created by his compatriot Evgeny Murzin. ‘Solaris’ marked his debut as a film music writer and he went on to contribute to 60 films that included many directed by the world renowned Russian directors Nikita Mikhalkov and Andrei Konchalovsky.
the soundtracks
CD1: IVAN’S CHILDHOOD | Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov (1962)
This haunting soundtrack is a sweeping and poignant score which contrasts the harsh realities of the Eastern Front with Ivan’s nostalgic, dream-like flashbacks.
CD2: ANDREI ROUBLEV | Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov (1966)
Sweeping and evocative, this soundtrack is deeply intertwined with the film’s religious and historical themes and has a profound, choral-heavy resonance.
CD3: SOLARIS | Eduard Artemyev (1972)
A groundbreaking work of early electronic music, Artemyev’s futuristic takes on J S Bach’s organ works (plus chorale prelude for organ, BWV 639 played by Leonid Rouzman) are combined with haunting, abstract synthesizer drones and environmental noise crafted on the ANS synthesizer.
CD4: MIRROR | Eduard Artemyev (1975)
Dense and slow moving, this soundtrack includes a number of disorienting mood pieces with Baroque sensibilities that resonate beyond the film’s dream-like images. A combination of monolithic scale and pastoral melody makes the music intriguing, lush and unique.
CD5: STALKER | Eduard Artemyev (1979)
Inspired by Indian classical music, Artemyev employed eerie layers of synth tones, flute, harpsichord and tar (an Iranian stringed instrument), as well as choirs for this final part of Tarkovsky’s science fiction trilogy.