Interstellar O.S.T. (Hans Zimmer)

First off let me address some of the questions and disappointments by previous reviews.1) "This isn't the whole soundtrack" - Yes, you're right about that point. The OST (4 hours) can be bought from a separate site: [...]This is the "deluxe edition" and contains more music - it also costs more due to the included extras (like illuminated star map). Check the site for more details if interested.2) "The 'Docking Sequence' isn't on here!" Well, partially right. Part of the docking sequence is on here, it's just not layered like the one in the movie. It begins on the track "Coward" and starts speeding up about 5min in. While it does not include the 'en-ti-ire' thing, some post processing was most likely done (and probably included on the Deluxe set) that draws out key parts and layers the first half over the second half.Alright, now that that is out of the way, I can review the soundtrack.Some credintials about me:1) I like soundtracks, music, and movies (veritable tri-fecta of a target market!) so I may be a bit biased towards over-appreciation and accolades.2) I own/have listened to all the LOTR soundtracks (love me some Howard Shore) and typically play soundtracks in my car while driving or general browsing at home. Logitech Z5500 5.1 stereo FTW!3) I like to remember the movie, visiting it again with all the emotion and feelings I had watching it. That's primarily the reason I like soundtracks[Some minor plot spoilers]Overall there are about 4 main sequences: Face-paced ("docking"-style movements), peak-type (starts lower keys, move to higher keys, then back and again), slow type (lower, open type moment and movement- alot of organ), low, moody, dark (pieces that feature horns, multiple layers of strings, organs) and other (don't fit into any category well)Now to review the tracks themselves, for a brief summary of the highlights:Track 1 (Dreaming of the Crash): Reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey beginning overture. Short, not much substance really. (Movie part - beginning 5 minutes) Type - otherTrack 2 (Cornfield Chase): Light, fast paced music, highlighted by crescendo. Eh, alright for quick sequencer-type music. Not postive, but limited organ involvment. (Movie part - obvious, they're chasing the drone in the cornfield) Type - fast, but not as fast as dockingTrack 3 (Dust): Dark, moody piece. Feeling here was "We did this to Mother Earth, she is taking revenge" (Movie part - dust storm, driving part) Type - low, moody pieceTrack 4 (Day One): Overall piece felt like an overture to the movie, a sum-of-it-parts type (Movie part - all? not sure) Type - peak-type, slow/hug-feely type and low, moodyTrack 5 (Stay): Really good piece, this is good stuff. This could stand alone by itself honestly (Movie part - he's leaving, launching for mission) Type - slow/hug-feely typeTrack 6 (Message from Home): soft piano piece, easy listening, short (Movie part - at Jupiter listening to messages, also in some parts toward end) Type - slow typeTrack 7 (The Wormhole): short piece, crescendo-type and fast (Movie part - wormhole entry) Type - fast otherTrack 8 (Mountains): brooding, a build-up (Movie part - on water planet) Type - fast-paced, but not as fast as docking and other. One of the better tracks IMHO.Track 9 (Afraid of Time): slow, piano and organ movements (Movie part - talking w/ Ameilia Brand on Miller's planet) type - low, moody typeTrack 10 (A Place Among the Stars): (Movie part - Dr. Mann's/Dr. Brand's truth part) type - low, moody typeTrack 11 (Running Out): soft piano (Movie part - I think Dr. Brand's truth to Murph) type - low, moody typeTrack 12 (I'm Going Home): (Movie part - Cooper/Dr. Mann talking to crew, exploring) type - otherTrack 13 (Coward): great, fast and percussion heavy at start, then multiple layers (Movie part - it's layered here to the Dr. Mann maroon attempt, and the infamous "docking sequence" [although not the same as in the movie - it's missing the layer of "Mountain" percussion and first half of the same track percussion]...also layered over Murphs attempt to rescue)Track 14 (Detach): good, has solid crescendos (Movie part - Newton's 3rd law near Gargantuan) type - fast, layeredTrack 15 (S.T.A.Y.): great piece in similarity to Day One, organ heavy here, slower end (Movie part - Bookcase scene) type - peak type, other towards endTrack 16 (Where We're Going): More like the first track at start, then has parts of Day One (Movie part - End scene, End credits, also a rehash of the first track) type - all-encompassing, peak otherSo overall, yes it does not have exactly the movie's score, But I knew that when I bought it. If you don't want to listen to the same track for 20-30 min, this has the assemblies/crescendos that appear in the movie.For $10, worth it to me when I want to re-visit the movie's awesome sound.Update 2100CST 19Nov: Hans Zimmer might release the "docking" track for free! - check out updates at http://www.hans-zimmer.com/index.php?rub=disco&id=1256 (green text are moderators of site)Also, someone with editing skillz made a custom set of "docking" on youtube already: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShSELif0x98&

I've been a Hans Zimmer fan since hearing "The Lion King" as a 12-year-old, and have been following his career ever since. This is my 17th album of his, totaling over 15 hours of music that's definitely become one of the constant musical backgrounds of my life. I've written countless chapters in my stories with having Zimmer playing in the background. He never fails to impress me with trying new things in his genre of modern epic orchestral symphonic music.When I realized he'd decided to use a pipe organ to convey the soundtrack of outer space, I was shocked. I'd have never thought to do that, but in retrospect, it works perfectly. Zimmer writes epic music, and there's nothing more epic than the vastness of space, especially when combined with Christopher Nolan's epic storytelling in the film "Interstellar". But this soundtrack stands on its own as a uniquely singular contribution to space music. Previous to "Interstellar", most space soundtracks drew their inspiration from Holst/John Williams. It's adventurous, crisp, full of marches, and highly orchestral.But Zimmer took the pipe organ out of Gothic music and put it up into the vastness of space to create a new sound associated with the stars. It's in a minor key and has a lot of the same repetition as a composer like Philip Glass. There's the same eerie building of a simple melody with all its variations. Zimmer is also a master of the constant quarter-note ticking in the background, used to great effect in "Inception" and present here, too. It's genius to use that in space, since time is so different there and perfectly reflects Matthew McConaughey's character's time in space away from his daughter. This is best heard in "Mountains", when he and Anne Hathaway are temporarily stranded on the oceanic planet. That quarter-note ticking counts that time down and also provides so much suspense, akin to Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart". Zimmer also accelerates the tempo, and it whooshes and crescendos just like the waves in the scene. He uses music to mirror the scene it's intended for.A pipe organ is an enormous and vast instrument composed of many layers of sound. It's been around for hundreds of years and has a timeless quality. Since it's been used in so many dark and Gothic compositions, it also brings that sense of darkness along with it, long associated with madness, genius, and creepiness. Space is not just about adventure and exploration. It's ancient, it's isolating, it's dark, and it can drive people to madness, just like in the film.Zimmer's use of the pipe organ, with its lush, full, and multi-layered sound, to evoke all those isolating, dark, madness-inducing feelings creates an astonishing masterwork in the "Interstellar" soundtrack that I believe will influence future science fiction and outer space soundtracks and symphonies for years to come. This is what space sounds like, and it's as simple and terrifying as that.

This gets 1 star as the advertising is misleading or at best, not clear enough. I bought the Deluxe version thinking that the MP3 download which comes with it would be the same as the CD version and it meant I could access the music earlier. Now I've received the CD, I see it is a much shortened version and that led me to look at the other reviews. I agree with other comments and granted, maybe I should have been mistrusting from the start and done my homework more thoroughly before purchasing. I feel let down that there is apparently a great missing track and that I really feel short changed on the CD version as I wanted the extra quality from the CD, but expected that to include all the tracks. I feel manipulated. I thought I did a reasonable amount of digging before buying. Obviously not.

Interstellar is one of THE most mind-boggling, brain-twisting sci-fi films ever, and the soundtrack is both unexpected and brilliant. I bought this for the car so I can get an Interstellar fix in between watching the film (which I do every few months).

I am already a fan of Zimmer's music since I heard his score of the touching film 'Driving Miss Daisy'. I bought the soundtrack then and have often enjoyed listening to it. This time he has outdone himself!I see that the music is coproduced with Christopher Nolan. Thus I don't know exactly how much of this incredibly rich and wonderfully powerfull music is due to Zimmer. But it is an integral part of this sublime film! An immense joy to hear a post modern composer let his hair down like this!!

This is a soundtrack to sit down and listen to from start to finish. Following Inception, I feel that Hans Zimmer's reached a real zenith with this score. As epic as the movie itself and the perfect partner to it.The soundtrack builds slowly, but the dynamic range employed allows the full force of the peaks to be felt when they do arrive. If you've seen the movie beforehand, the emotional highs of the film will return when you listen to this as will the goosebumps. First class.

Amazing movie and amazing soundtrack!!