The Avatar Soundtrack: Our First Reaction

Posted on Monday November 23, 2009, 10:41 by Ian Freer in Empire States

Deep in the bowels of 20th Century Fox, we got a chance to listen to the most anticipated score of 2009: James Horner’s music for James Cameron’s Avatar.

As you would imagine — and even on the tiny speakers we heard them on — the music is huge in scope and heart. Mirroring the film’s dynamic of technology vs. the spiritual, the music splits between synthesised and acoustic instruments, the entire orchestra getting a thorough workout: everything from South American instrumentation to solo violin, choral chanting to driving percussion gets a chance to shine.

Reteaming with Cameron for the third time after Aliens and Titanic,  Horner’s score flits between shimmering enchantment (the seven-minute Pure Spirits Of The Forest; The Bioluminiscence Of The Night), rousing battle hymns (Climbing Up Ikinmaya; Gathering All The Na’vi Clans For Battle) and complex, brutal action music (The Destruction Of “Hometree”; War).

Yet the stand out cue is Becoming One Of “The People” Becoming One With Neytiri, a breathtaking piece that starts with a simple, beautiful theme and builds to something strident, powerful and muscular before returning to its small, intimate roots. Lovely stuff and, on first listen, something that will stand up against the best of Horner’s mighty back catalogue.

For the record, I See You, the Avatar theme choon sung by Leona Lewis, was not ready for us to hear.

The Avatar score will be available from December 15th with the movie following three days later.

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