WaterTower Music has today released The Art and Soul of Dune (Companion Book Music), the last 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”). All three albums feature the music of legendary composer Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Inception, Gladiator, Dark Knight Trilogy). The film began opening in select markets around the world beginning September 15, and opens today, October 22, in the U.S. on October 22 in theaters and on HBO Max.
The Art and Soul of Dune (Companion Book Music) features 9 tracks of music from the companion soundtrack to the book of the same title, which is also available today. The album was curated by Zimmer and offers uniquely crafted versions of the film’s main themes to accompany the reader on their journey through this visually dazzling book, which was written by the film’s executive producer Tanya Lapointe.
Dune director Denis Villeneuve and Hans Zimmer, who previously collaborated on Blade Runner 2049, instantly bonded over their shared passion for Herbert’s novel. “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.”
Zimmer offered, “I absolutely love working with Denis. He has an incredible imagination and offers so much 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.”
The prolific composer took a unique approach in creating the music of Dune. He decided that, since Dune was about a different civilization, he would invent instruments to accompany that concept, instead of utilizing solely standard instrumentation. “Hans spent months and months creating new instruments, defining, creating, and seeking new sounds, pushing the envelope,” described Villeneuve. “The musicianship is extraordinary, and this is not your normal orchestral score.”
Villeneuve was thrilled that Zimmer continued to explore the music on two additional albums past the soundtrack itself. On Zimmer’s process, he described “It was absolutely beautiful… he continued to write music even when the movie was finished! He was still inspired and went on writing.”
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.
Oscar® nominee Denis Villeneuve directed Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ Dune. 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’s producers were Mary Parent, Villeneuve, Cale Boyter and Joe Caracciolo, Jr. The executive producers were Tanya Lapointe, Joshua Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Jon Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert, with Kevin J. Anderson as special consultant. Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present a Legendary Pictures Production, a Film by Denis Villeneuve, Dune. 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 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.
ABOUT WATERTOWER MUSIC
WaterTower Music, the in-house label for the WarnerMedia companies, releases recorded music as rich and diverse as the companies themselves. It has been the soundtrack home to many of the world’s most iconic films, television shows and games since 2001.
Jeremy [Six Strings]