July 23, 2021
Hans Zimmer’s DUNE Soundtrack Albums to Release in September – Sample Two Tracks Now
WaterTower Music has announced the upcoming release of three separate album releases of music from and in celebration of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ DUNE, the highly-anticipated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestselling book from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (ARRIVAL, BLADE RUNNER 2049). The film is scheduled to open around the world beginning September 15, and in the U.S. on October 22 in theaters and in the U.S. on HBO Max. All three albums feature the music of legendary composer Hans Zimmer.
We won’t have to wait for those album releases to hear music though, as Zimmer, a lifelong Dune fan, has authorized today’s release of two tracks:
LISTEN: “Paul’s Dream,” which is included on the album The Dune Sketchbook (Music from the Soundtrack). “Paul’s Dream” is also available on youtube in a 1-Hour Loop version, here.
LISTEN: “Ripples in the Sand,” which is included on the album DUNE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
The album release schedule is as follows:
September 3rd will see the release of the digital album The Dune Sketchbook (Music from the Soundtrack), which is comprised of extended, immersive musical explorations of the DUNE film score. Of significant note is that this album will be released in both Standard and Dolby Atmos Music configurations, and marks Zimmer’s first soundtrack released in Dolby Atmos Music – a listening technology he has wholeheartedly embraced for the music of DUNE.
September 17th brings the digital album release of DUNE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), which will feature the composer’s DUNE film score. It, too, will be released in both Standard and Dolby Atmos Music configurations.
October 22nd is the digital release date for The Art and Soul of Dune, which is the companion soundtrack to the book of the same title, offering uniquely crafted versions of the film’s main themes curated by Zimmer to accompany the reader on their journey through this visually dazzling book, which was written by the film’s executive producer Tanya Lapointe and offers unparalleled insight and exploration into the film.
Knowing that Herbert’s novel was as much of a passion of Zimmer’s as it was his, DUNE filmmaker Denis Villeneuve had hoped from the start to reunite with the celebrated composer (who had collaborated with him on BLADE RUNNER 2049), on this film and the two instantly bonded over it. “We agreed that the music would need to have a spirituality to it… a sanctified quality,” explained Villeneuve. “Something that would elevate the soul and have the effect that only sacred music can. And I believe that is firmly present in Hans’ score.”
“I absolutely love working with Denis,” described Zimmer. “He has an incredible imagination and offers so much heart and soul within the complexity of making a film of this magnitude, and our aesthetic is very comparable. DUNE has always been very close to both of our hearts. The task was to figure out how we were going to interpret something we truly loved and admired, and invite the audience to come and have their own personal experience. That was, for us, the reason to make this film.”
“Hans spent months and months creating new instruments, defining, creating, and seeking new sounds, pushing the envelope.” Villeneuve added. Zimmer’s approach was that, since Dune was a different civilization, he would invent instruments to accompany that concept. One thing the two felt would hold true to any civilization, though, was the power of the human voice. “Denis and I agreed that the female characters in the film drive the story,” explained the composer. “So the score is based on mainly female voices. We developed our own language. The musicianship is extraordinary, and this is not your normal orchestral score.”
“It was absolutely beautiful,” Villeneuve stated, adding that, with respect to the additional two albums, “But then he continued to write music even when the movie was finished! He was still inspired and went on writing.”
On releasing his first Dolby Atmos Music soundtrack, Zimmer elaborated. “I was inspired to look at this music in a different way and to take the audience on a journey beyond the movie. To fully showcase these unique sounds and this soundtrack, I felt it must be available via an immersive technology that utilizes spatial audio. So, it was decided to deliver it in Dolby Atmos.”
Dolby Atmos Music goes beyond the ordinary listening experience and puts you inside the song in a spatial way, via a listener’s enabled headphones, revealing every detail of the music with unparalleled clarity and depth, so sounds seemingly come from all around a listener, similar to the audio experience of a cinema.
About DUNE: A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, DUNE tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
The film stars Oscar® nominee Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Oscar® nominee Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, with Oscar® nominee Charlotte Rampling, with Jason Momoa, and Oscar® winner Javier Bardem. Villeneuve directed Dune from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Villeneuve and Eric Roth, based on the novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert. The film is slated to be released worldwide this fall, in theaters from 15 September internationally and in the U.S. on October 22 in theaters and in the U.S. on HBO Max; it will be available on HBO Max in the Ad-Free plan for 31 days from theatrical release. The film has been rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material.
– via WaterTower Music
