The Da Vinci Code (soundtrack)

The Da Vinci Code
Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer
Released	May 9, 2006
Genre	Soundtrack
Label	Decca
Robert Langdon chronology
The Da Vinci Code (2006) Angels and Demons (2008)

The official motion picture soundtrack for The Da Vinci Code was released on May 9, 2006. The film's music was composed by Hans Zimmer, whose work resulted in a nomination for the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

Style

For a soundscape that was religious to the core, Zimmer used a massive orchestra and chorus to create a dramatic 'stained glass cathedral' feeling. While the score has more in common with Zimmer's previous work for Hannibal, there is also a solid mixture of the motifs used for The Thin Red Line and Batman Begins. The thirteenth cue, "Chevaliers de Sangreal", is the most bombastic; powerfully underscoring the 'discovery' scene in the film. Like Media Ventures protegé Harry Gregson-Williams, who composed the soundtrack for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Zimmer used Abbey Road Studios to help create his music for The Da Vinci Code. Additional sections were recorded at London's AIR Studios, atop famous Rosslyn Hill. Director Ron Howard commented that "Like every other facet of this movie, the score for The Da Vinci Code demanded a range of textures that recognized and reinforced the layers of ideas and emotion, which unfold as the basic story does." Claiming that Zimmer was "inspired", Howard added that "Hans Zimmer has given us extraordinarily memorable music to appreciate within the framework of a film or completely on its own, where you can let the sounds carry you on your own private journey."^[1]

Track listing

1. "Dies Mercurii I Martius" (6:03)
2. "L'Esprit des Gabriel" (2:48)
3. "The Paschal Spiral" (2:49)
4. "Fructus Gravis" (2:50)
5. "Quodis Arcana" (6:07)
6. "Malleus Maleficarum" (2:19)
7. "Salvete Virgines" (3:14)
8. "Daniel's 9th Cipher" (9:31)
9. "Poisoned Chalice" (6:19)
10. "The Citrine Cross" (5:22)
11. "Rose of Arimathea" (8:12)
12. "Beneath Alrischa" (4:23)
13. "Chevaliers de Sangreal" (4:07)
14. "Kyrie for the Magdalene" (written by Richard Harvey) (3:55)

Critical response

The Da Vinci Code's director, Ron Howard, said that the soundtrack was "powerful, fresh and wonderfully effective"^[1] and most film music reviewers agreed with him. Soundtrack.Net and Scorereviews were two popular websites that rated the score highly. The music was nominated for a 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score but lost to Alexandre Desplat's work for The Painted Veil.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} The Da Vinci Code soundtrack album liner notes

External links

• Official soundtrack website