The Avengers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

To all previous prequel films about four of the main characters of Avengers, soundtracks were written by different, but eminent Hollywood composers. To write the music for the last film, Alan Silvestri was hired before the Avengers, who had many Grammy awards and Oscar nominations ^[1] . After Sylvestry worked on the soundtrack for the film “ The First Avenger ”, which was released in 2011, there were rumors for a long time that the composer would write a soundtrack for the next Marvel Studios project - the feature film “ Avengers ” ^[2] . Moreover, the composer himself in an interview expressed a desire to continue cooperation with representatives of Marvel, and with Joe Johnston , the director of "First Avenger", in particular ^[3] . Thanks to the positive experience of working on music for Captain America: The First Avenger, Kevin Feigi , producer and head of Marvel Studios , who was responsible for creating films at the Marvel Cinematic Universe , again turned to Sylvestri and invited him to meet with Joss Whedon , director of Avengers. The meeting lasted about 30-40 minutes, and as a result, a decision was made to continue cooperation ^[4] . In early November, Silvestri publicly confirmed his participation in the project, adding the appropriate entry to the list of films on his official website ^{[2] [5]} . A few days later, on November 16, Marvel published a press release in which she confirmed Silvestri’s participation in the project. As noted in a press release, by this time, Silvestri was already working hard on the task ^[6] .

Weedon later in an interview explained that the choice fell on Silvestri because of the “old-fashioned” composer and the ability to accurately express sincere emotions in the form of music, while taking into account the characteristics of the characters ^[7] .

It has been suggested that Silvestri was also experienced in writing music for major blockbusters, such as Back to the Future and Forrest Gump , in his role in choosing Silvestri as the composer of the soundtrack for Avengers. The soundtrack to “The First Avenger”, written by Silvestri, was also called as another reason for choosing: supposedly this heroic musical theme was the best suited for the heroic Marvel universe ^[1] .

One of the main problems Silvestri faced as the creator of the Avengers soundtrack was writing musical themes for very diverse characters that appeared in very different worlds. ^[2] Sam Silvestri commented on his participation as follows: “In fact, for me it is a unique experience. I worked on films with a number of stars and, of course, worked on films where the characters themselves were equally important in terms of status in the film. But here it is taken to extremes, because each character has his own world, and this is a completely different case. It is very difficult to find a way to give everyone the attention that he needs. But at the same time, the film, in fact, is about the unification of these characters, which entails the existence of a single whole called Avengers, in which they should be all together ” ^[6] .

When working on new material, the composer also used his previous achievements for the film “The First Avenger”, since “The Avengers” is its direct continuation. However, the old material was not used directly; instead, some elements of the old motifs were included in the new compositions played in some scenes with Captain America . For example, these musical themes were used in the scene with the Captain jumping from an airplane after Loki , in some scenes with the appearance of the Captain and during the battle. In addition, the title theme of Avengers was used in the film in the same way as the title theme of Captain America: The First Avenger ^[8] .

However, according to Silvestri, no borrowings from the soundtracks to previous films about the characters of Avengers were originally planned, including the soundtrack to The First Avenger. Instead, the filmmakers voiced only a wish to create a special musical theme corresponding to the entire group of Avengers, that is, without highlighting individual characters from this group. As a reason for the refusal to create individual motives for each character, Silvestri calls the “bulkiness” and poor compatibility of such compositions. The only exceptions were Loki and the Black Widow . For Loki, the composer composed a separate topic, since this character became the main villain in the film, and for some scenes with the Widow, Whedon asked for musical themes that “more suited her subject” than previously proposed ^[8] .

The soundtrack was recorded at the famous London music studio Abby Road with the participation of the London Symphony Orchestra ^[9] . The recording took place in early March ^[10] .

List of Songs

All music is written by Alan Silvestri .

Concept

According to the idea of ​​Whedon and Sylvestry, music throughout the film undergoes certain changes, turning into a crescendo for the final battle. According to Silvestri, the task of music is to emphasize certain situations or emotions. With her help, both calm and fighting scenes were distinguished in the film ^[8] .

At an early stage in the discussion, Whedon told Silvestri that he wanted to make a film as a kind of “movie about the war.” But on the other hand, the film sounds the phrase of Tony Stark “We are not soldiers”. Therefore, Silvestri did not want the soundtrack to turn into a military march, but since the Avengers team had to act as a military unit several times in the film, a certain “military element” was introduced into the soundtrack, appearing only in some scenes ^[8] .

Whedon said that he considered this film more as a classic than as "grandiose." Therefore, he adhered to the concept of the " John Williams School" and believed that, for example, music in the genre of " metal " in this film "will not work" (except in the scene with Iron Man). According to him, there was no need for either a “giant march” or a “soulful” melody for each of the characters - only compositions were needed that “emphasized” each specific episode. It was necessary to proceed from the theme of Captain America and the feeling that “what we have and what we have lost, and how these people are going to regain the lost again” ^{[11] [12]} .

Songs

"Arrival"

The composition sounds at the very beginning of the film, when Nick Fury , the director of the agency S.H.I.T., and his assistant Maria Hill arrive at the scientific base in where astrophysicist Eric Selvig is engaged in the study of the Tesseract . The first composition is a calm motif performed on stringed instruments during the scene with Tesseract from “The First Avenger”, and passing into the theme “Assemble”, which is the first part of the title composition. Sean Wilson said that the composition prepares the listener well, making it clear to him about the upcoming set of heroes in the team ^[13] .

Doors Open From Both Sides

The composition with a “menacing” motive accompanies the appearance of the main antagonist of the film - the Asgardian god Loki ^[13] .

"Tunnel Chase"

The composition sounds in the scene with Loki's escape from the base of Sh.I.T.a., a race in the tunnel and the destruction of the base.

Here, Silvestri goes over to his usual style of constructing themes for action scenes, placing Loki's theme in a rather aggressive context with the tinkling of a timpani , xylophone beats and “furious” orchestral arrangements . According to Sean Wilson, this musical theme reflects everything that happens on the screen in a similar way as it was in the cartoons about Mickey Mouse . The critic pointed out that the theme culminated in the very first transition to the heroic part of the Avengers theme, made in a special arrangement for the brass section of the orchestra ^[13] .

"Interrogation"

The composition sounds in the scene of the "interrogation" of the Black Widow by Georgy Luchkov.

"Stark Goes Green"

The composition sounds in the first scene with Iron Man, when he starts the reactor that feeds the Stark Tower , and the subsequent visit of Phil Coulson . In this composition, Silvestri used hard electronic music as if paying tribute to the soundtrack of Ramin Javadi to the first “ Iron Man ”. But the electronics are compensated by “attractive romantic material” performed on the piano in low tones ^[13] .

"Helicarrier"

The composition accompanies the take-off of Helicarrier - a flying aircraft carrier Sch.I.T. after the arrival of the Avengers. The theme itself, thus dedicated to the secret base of the main characters, is a combination of all the other topics, based on the title theme of “Avengers” as the base ingredient. A similar approach, according to Sean Wilson, shows the importance of Helicarrier for the survival of the central characters ^[13] .

"Subjugation"

The composition sounds in a scene in Stuttgart , where Loki forces the civilian population to swear allegiance to him. "Subjugation" returns the viewer again to Loki's dark musical theme, in which you can see a small reference to the Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack for the film " Poltergeist ". In this composition, Silvestri's corporate identity is again manifested, which emphasizes the use of a background of “rumbling anvils” ^[13] .

Don't Take My Stuff

The composition sounds at the first appearance of Thor, who came to pick up the captive Loki. Like the previous track, “Don’t Take My Stuff” also uses references to the ringing of weapons of heroes and villains, and the volatile motif for the cello adds in passing a touch of humanism. Here again, there is a reference to the theme of Captain America ^[13] .

"Red Ledger"

The composition sounds in the scene of the conversation of the Black Widow with prisoner Loki. The composition has a calm motive, demonstrating the dense sound of the brass section of the orchestra as part of the Black Widow theme. In the leitmotif, Slavic tones are hinted at, hinting at the origin of the character. The track as if competes with the more sophisticated musical theme of Loki ^[13] .

"Assault"

The composition sounds in the episode with the assault on Helicarrier, when Hawkeye frees the prisoner Loki there. According to Sean Wilson, Silvestri here skillfully emphasizes the beginning of the cooperation of the characters by linking individual motifs together, especially the themes of Captain America and Iron Man, who performed a duet in the scene of the rescue of the falling Helicarrier. Here, a fragment from the title theme of the Avengers, which has not yet received its full development, sounds stronger ^[13] .

"They Called It"

The composition sounds in the scene after the death of Phil Coulson, when the remaining heroes gather in the Helicarrier conference room. The just thundered combat theme gives way to a calm composition corresponding to the soulful reflection of the characters, thereby contrasting strongly with the previous “sound attack” on the ears of the viewer ^[13] . According to Silvestri, the compilation of this track was one of the first sent to Whedon. In response, the director wrote that there was allegedly too much action in it. Then Silvestri recorded the final version of the track at the very end of the recording process, as a result of which Whedon first heard the finished composition (with the orchestra and other things) only in the Abby Road studio, where the soundtrack was recorded. Sylvestry even claimed that Whedon was “very happy when he heard, because he wrote a beautiful scene for the film and felt that Sylvestry felt it” ^[4] . Sean Wilson called it “just a prelude to the final battle” ^[13] .

Performance Issues

The composition sounds in the dialogue scene between Stark and Loki, when Loki tries to take control of Stark, and then throws him out of the window. The composition begins with a magnificent choral variation of the main musical theme, but it sounds rather gloomy and this is the only use of vocals in the entire soundtrack ^[13] .

Seeing, Not Believing

The composition sounds in the scene of the opening of the portal and the battle of Iron Man with the first detachments of the Chitauri.

"Assemble"

The composition sounds when the characters gradually, one after another, join the battle.

"I Got a Ride"

The composition sounds when the Black Widow with the help of Captain America jumps onto one of the Chitauri flying scooters and rejoins the battle. The theme of the Black Widow was the basis for the dynamic motive of this composition, but, according to Sean Wilson, this version of its processing is “formidable”. The references to the characters, which had not previously been so explicit, appeared in full: here, for example, the battle between Loki and Thor is accompanied by an epic battle of wind and string instruments ^[13] .

"A Little Help"

The composition sounds in the scene of the persecution of Loki the Black Widow, and Hawkeye knocks him down.

One Way Trip

The composition sounds when the heroes try to close the portal, and Iron Man transports a nuclear bomb through it.

“A Promise”

The composition sounds in the final scene when Fury speaks to the Council. The composition begins with a duet of guitars and cello, corresponding to the mood swings after the battle ^[13] . The use of guitar music in the film, according to Silvestri, was a "special case." According to him, it became "a way to make a sound pause after everything previously heard in the film." Weedon deliberately added more humor to this scene, which allowed him to naturally indent and use the guitar. Then, Silvestri made a smooth return from guitar solo to his main musical theme ^[8] .

"The Avengers"

The final composition represents the finished embodiment of the title theme of the film, combining strings and wind instruments that correspond to the theme of unification and heroism, respectively. According to Sean Wilson, the use of a drum machine only emphasizes Silvestri's professionalism: the composer understood exactly what kind of film he wrote music for and was not afraid to emphasize this in his music, without compromising the soundtrack as a whole ^[13] .

The title theme of The Avengers, as Silvestri intended, was to carry heroism and greatness. It was intended for the movie scene, in which the Avengers get together, preparing for the decisive battle. At the same time, in this scene, superheroes are static, that is, the title topic sounds, but there is no action. According to the author, this only emphasizes the greatness of the moment of transformation of individual elements into something more than their sum ^[8] .

Other Songs

This album did not include all the music sounded in the film. This applies to both compositions written by Silvestri (according to him, the total duration of the soundtrack was 110 minutes ^[4] ), as well as compositions by other authors. In total, the film sounded 4 compositions by third-party authors ^{[14] [15]} . So, at the beginning of the hostage capture scene in Stuttgart , String Quartet No. 13 Franz Schubert performed by the Takach Quartet , the pace of the composition accelerates when Loki begins to act. This episode was intentionally made by Silvestri, who explained with humor: “Wow, wouldn’t it be great if the string quartet sounds and when Loki hits one guy with his stick? We extended the sound of the composition. And as a result, got the whole orchestra? ” ^[8] . However, in reality, in this scene, the musicians were only four people from Toledo Symphony Orchestra ^[16] . Continuing the same scene in Stuttgart, Iron Man arrives at the battle with Loki to the accompaniment of the famous hit “ Shoot to Thrill ” by Australian hard rock band AC / DC ^[17] .

In addition, on the same day, May 1, 2012, in the United States and Europe, the Avengers Assemble: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture album was released by the same Hollywood Records label, containing songs “based on” the film. This disc contained another song that sounded in the film - “ Live to Rise ” by Soundgarden ^{[18] [19] [20]} . Composition “Black Dirt” by Michael Bayardi performed by Emily Millar was not included on this disc, but was previously published by Soundfile Records as an online single ^[21] .

Thanks to four years of successful collaboration between Intrada Records and Walt Disney to jointly release Disney movie soundtracks, Intrada Records entered into a partnership agreement with Hollywood Records in 2012, which also released soundtracks for both Walt Disney and other popular films, in particular, to the films " Crimson Tide ", " Enemy of the State ", " Prestige " and others. In mid-April 2012, two weeks before the Avengers wide distribution in the USA , Intrada Records объявила о совместном с Hollywood Records выпуске CD-версии саундтрека к «Мстителям», которая содержала один дополнительный трек «Interrogation» и расширенные версии некоторых композиций по сравнению с его цифровой версией, выпущенной Hollywood Records самостоятельно ^[22] .

Обе версии саундтрека были выпущены 1 мая 2012 года, то есть за три дня до широкого проката фильма в США. Цифровая версия саундтрека была выпущена примерно на 10 минут короче версии, выпущенной на CD, лишившись фрагментов заглавной темы и партии ударных для темы Чёрной вдовы ^[13] .

Release History

СМИ довольно воодушевленно восприняли участие Сильвестри в проекте ^{[2] [5] [26]} . Запись саундтрека в Лондоне вызвала протесты у музыкантов, являвшихся членами Американской федерации музыкантов . 1 июня 2012 года они устроили пикет у здания Marvel Studios в Манхэттен-Бич , заявив, что наём иностранных музыкантов для записи саундтрека в Европе лишает работы американских музыкантов ^{[27] [28]} .

Данный саундтрек должен был дополнять экшен-сцены специально подобранными композициями, подчёркивать определённые сцены, а также настраивать зрителя на нужный лад, создавая у него необходимые чувства и настроение. В фильме используется преимущественно героическая и драматическая, постепенно переходя в триумфальную. Большую часть времени звучит один мотив, но как только меняется тон фильма, тут же меняется и музыка. Некоторые персонажи получили собственные музыкальные темы, звучащие при их появлении. Разные сцены получили разное звуковое сопровождение. В плане музыкального сопровождения особняком стоит сцена в Штутгарте, когда сначала звучит «Розамунда» переходящая в «Shoot To Thrill».

Однако, скептики отмечали, что помимо отличных композиций «A Promise» и «The Avengers» остальные треки слабоваты, а постепенное объединение персонажей можно было бы выразить и поярче ^[29] . Йорн Тилльнес и вовсе назвал альбом «величайшим разочарованием года», что весьма для него удивительно после саундтрека к «Первому мстителю» ^[30] .

Charts

Рейтинги и списки

• Alan Silvestri . The Avengers: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack (Piano Solo Songbook) . — Hal Leonard Corporation , 2012. — 32 с. — ISBN 9781476813363 .

• The Avengers - Original Score (англ.) . alansilvestri.com. Дата обращения 19 июня 2013.
• The Avengers (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) на сайте Discogs
• The Avengers (2012 Score) (англ.) на сайте AllMusic (проверено 7 июня 2013) .
• The Avengers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack на сайте Last.fm
• The Avengers (англ.) на сайте Rate Your Music
• The Avengers (англ.) на сайте MusicBrainz

Sources

• 'Avengers' Composer Alan Silvestri: Bringing Heroes Together with Music
• The Sound of 'The Avengers': Soundworks Explores The Roar of Summer's First Big Film
• Listen To Five Minutes Of Alan Silvestri's Original Score for THE AVENGERS
• The Avengers (Score Album) Music By Alan Silvestri
• Here's 20 Minutes Of Behind-The-Scenes AVENGERS Footage!
• Listen To THE AVENGERS Entire Original Soundtrack