The Dune Sketchbook (Music from the Soundtrack)

a very good collection from HZ. he really went big for this one. House Atreides theme here is so epic; it sounds like the track used in the film.

Even if some of these didn’t make it in the film, at least we can listen to it here. The House Atreides theme is worth the price alone, but each track has plenty to appreciate.

I’m a Dune fan, read all 6 books. This music is very imaginative and epic, it gives you a feeling of a grand adventure. It was very unsettling at first but it grows on you quickly. Some passages always give me chills. Can’t wait to feel it with the IMAX experience.

I know this is of Zimmer’s sketches for the original soundtrack, but that just makes it more exotic. I enjoy the variety, the new effects he has tried, and especially Paul’s Dream in this one. I listen to both, but I’m finding myself steering more towards this one as I read and write. Some of the music is like harsh whispers through sand, ancient chants, and an almost uncomfortable tremble, like music for rituals.

I am a total movie score nerd, purchasing my first soundtrack in 1983 (Return of the Jedi) when I was 11 years old. I only listened to the sample tracks on ITunes, and quite frankly it sucked. I own and love several Hans Zimmer scores, this is not one of them! Give me the 1984 Toto score or even the SciFi channel score from 2000. How many long dragged out choral scores do you need to create an alien atmosphere? It’s like the dullest parts of the 2001: a space odyssey soundtrack. Not one action packed battle track. If tracks from the full album have that combat tension I will be delighted. As it stands now, this is dullest, most uninspired score for an epic film I have heard in my 49 years of geeky Sci Fi obsessed life.

I have a love/hate relationship with Hans Zimmer. More than every other score he has his hands on oftentimes feels… phoned in, especially recently. It’s been both interesting and unfortunate to see his ride to stardom because of this. And yet… Dune feels like Zimmer trying again, maybe not a lot, but it’s not his usual brass ensemble and rock guitar carrying a loud and heavy arrangement. They’re there, but they aren’t the centerpiece for the first time since what feels like Interstellar. The problem is, it doesn’t go much deeper than that. This collection feels like a sketchbook- and thank goodness it is, rough ideas that have been thought out while experimenting with new instruments Zimmer isn’t quite as familiar with. So, on face value, it lives up to all it needs to be. Sort of. The problem is, if you listen to one track, even an 8 minute one of them, you’ve heard the whole gut and 46 minutes. Zimmer is once again back to his signature, single note drone for 4 minutes, then 3 minutes of repeating theme, in this case, some kind of chanting. It’s interesting, but while specific notes may change, the soundtrack as a whole is horribly repetitive, and it’s kind of a drag to sit through. For a sketchbook, this is okay. The problem is, knowing already the first two tracks of the completed score, it sounds dangerously the same. I fear this is what we can expect from the rest of Dune. It’s a valiant effort, but that’s about it. A few side notes- Song of the Sisters feels dangerously reminiscent of Dark Phoenix’s Xperiments, Zimmer once again rips himself off to sort of build on himself, and also just make things easier. Also, House Atreides deserves a highlight, the bookends of the track are kind of boring, but I personally loved the bagpipe(?) march that is used for the theme here. By far the most enjoyable part of the score as a whole.

Learning Zimmer is an avid fan of DUNE himself is so blatantly obvious in the copious effort put into these tracks. I’ve little knowledge of Dune and it’s lord, but have been very interested in the upcoming movie release. So I decided I must give this a listen! My god I’m glad I did! Right from the first minute of “Song of the Sisters”, I felt as if transported into a completely alien environment. Here’s what stood out to me- 1. Zimmer’s use of the human voice. One point it will sound natural and familiar. Another it will be distorted and creepy. I love his use of rhythmic chanting and its percussive qualities (especially in SOTS and Grain of Sand). 2. Organic/synthetic fusion- Traditional instruments (or organic instrumentation as I like to call it ie strings, winds etc) are sparsely put into use here unfiltered and undoctored. There’s a lot of blending trad. elements with synthesizers and computer generated sounds. Really stuck out to me as most composers these days who i’ve heard score sci fi have kept these elements separate. Zimmer is the only composer I know of who has finally changed that. This is just …. beautiful work. Unlike anything I’ve heard before.

Gorgeous, this assemblage is a treat to listen to! I’m having so much fun listening to the different moods and themes, eyes closed

I was expecting to be blown away by this soundtrack and this left me confused and irritated. This felt incoherent and I hope most of it is not in the film. I know there is another soundtrack coming - so I hope this was just a rough draft so to speak.