VA - The Shining (Original Sound Track) (1980)

Review for The Shining (Original Sound Track)
The soundtrack for Director Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film, The Shining may be the horror genre's Holy Grail; a real collector's item. It's rare to find a legitimate copy of this film's music anywhere. The vinyl version of the soundtrack was withdrawn from the market due to licensing issues and it was never released on CD. Currently, the aforementioned record is being sold on Discogs and eBay for obscene amounts of money. It's not surprising given that the film has become so iconic. Kubrick had an uncanny knack of synchronizing just the right passages of music to coincide perfectly with the images on the screen. He relied more often than not on existing music rather than a traditional score with 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining being prime examples. I think it's safe to say that Kubrick may have even led the way in this regard for other filmmakers such as Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Marty Scorsese, and obviously Quentin Tarantino.

The soundtrack for The Shining consists mainly of pieces by 20th-century composers, Bela Bartok, György Ligeti, and Krzysztof Penderecki. However, the music (an arrangement of "Dies Irae from "Symphonie fantastique" by Hector Berlioz) for the opening titles, called "The Shining Theme" and the foreboding track titled "The Rocky Mountains" were provided by Wendy Carlos, who also worked with Kubrick on A Clockwork Orange. The modern classical music featured here is positively eerie and used to great effect. "Lontano" by Gyorgy Ligeti plays when Danny sees the spooky Grady twins for the first time. The “all work and no play” scene in the movie highlights Penderecki’s “Polymorphia” which has been appropriately dubbed the sound of madness. This is the very scary sound of insanity. Unfortunately, this piece of music is not on the soundtrack. Penderecki’s music ("The Awakening of Jacob") is used again for when Jack enters Room 237; "Utrenja-Kanon Paschy" can be heard when Wendy sees the elevator of blood, and finally "Utrenja-Evangelia" plays when Wendy sees Redrum written on the mirror. The terrifying, unforgettable soundtrack for The Shining stays with you long after you hear it and still resonates with listeners today.

Tracklist
[3:37] 01. Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind - The Shining
[3:08] 02. Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind - Rocky Mountains
[10:15] 03. György Ligeti - Lontano Conductor - Ernest Bour
[8:12] 04. Béla Bartók - Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta Conductor - Herbert von Karajan
[3:36] 05. Krzysztof Penderecki - Utrenja Conductor - Andrzej Markowski
[7:58] 06. Krzysztof Penderecki - The Awakening Of Jacob Conductor - Krzysztof Penderecki
[9:01] 07. Krzysztof Penderecki - De Natura Sonoris Conductor - Krzysztof Penderecki
[3:28] 08. Henry Hall And The Gleneagles Hotel Band - Home