The Dark Knight Rises [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

by Hans Zimmer

Overview

While Hans Zimmer's music for Christopher Nolan's Batman movies aren't as high-concept as some of his other scores, such as Inception or Gladiator, they're just as artfully done, and The Dark Knight Rises is no exception. Zimmer ties the music for the final installment of Nolan's Batman trilogy to his previous scores, but allows these pieces to have their own flourishes as well: "A Storm Is Coming" nods to the churning strings of the theme used since Batman Begins, but "Nothing Out There" adds an almost subliminal pulsing synth that grows stronger as the score unfolds, peaking with "Imagine the Fire"'s climax of choral vocals and strings. Meanwhile, heavy brass cuts through most tracks like a bat signal piercing through the clouds, nowhere more clearly than on "Gotham's Reckoning." Yet Zimmer doesn't just pile on the drama; he knows when to have his cues crash into a scene and when they should get out of the way. The drums, brass, and strings reach near-claustrophobic levels on "The Fire Rises," but they also retreat, roil, and then thunder to a close in malevolent and majestic fashion. Zimmer also finds room for some more experimental touches, as on "Despair," where the whooshing percussion sounds like a cape sweeping through the air or something bursting into flames. And while most of these cues tower like Gotham skyscrapers, "Mind If I Cut In?" is just as remarkable for its delicate melody and subtle percussion. Fittingly for the last installment of Nolan's -- and thus Zimmer's -- interpretation of Batman, many of the track titles wax philosophical ("Why Do We Fall?"), and the score's emotional range is narrow but deep, spanning the mournful "Born in Darkness" and the somber "Necessary Evil," and culminating with "Rise," which mingles haunting strings and vocals with formidable rhythms as the credits roll. While The Dark Knight Rises closes the book on Batman for Zimmer and Nolan, it's just another chapter in their thriving creative partnership. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2012
Label:	Sony Uk
UPC:	0887254311720

Tracks

1. A Storm Is Coming
2. On Thin Ice
3. Gotham's Reckoning
4. Mind if I Cut In?
5. Underground Army
6. Born in Darkness
7. The Fire Rises
8. Nothing Out There
9. Despair
10. Fear Will Find You
11. Why Do We Fall?
12. Death by Exile
13. Imagine the Fire
14. Necessary Evil
15. Rise

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Hans Zimmer   Primary Artist,Synthesizer
Ann Marie Calhoun   Violin
Anthony Pleeth   Cello
Mary Scully   Bass
Richard Watkins   Horn
Peter Lale   Viola
Gavin Greenaway   Conductor
Matt Dunkley   Conductor
Owen Slade   Tuba
Gary Kettel   Percussion
Frank Ricotti   Percussion
Richard Edwards   Trombone
Martin Tillman   Cello
Mel Wesson   Ambience
Paul Clavis   Percussion
Perry Montague-Mason   Orchestra Leader
Thomas Jesty   Vocals

Technical Credits

Michael Hobe   Sample Preparation
Booker White   Music Preparation
Charlotte Matthews   Assistant Contractor
Satoshi Noguchi   Assistant Engineer
Christian Wenger   Assistant Engineer
Steve Mazzaro   Arranger
Jasha Klebe   Arranger
Laurence Anslow   Assistant Engineer
Tom Farnon   Score Reader
Tom Holkenborg   Additional Music
Alan Meyerson   Score Mixer
Bruce Fowler   Supervising Orchestrator
Ramin Djawadi   Arranger
Hans Zimmer   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Synthesizer Programming
Stephen Lipson   Producer,Score Mixer
Walt Fowler   Orchestration
Geoff Foster   Recording
Geoff Stradling   Orchestration
Junkie XL   Remix Engineer
Isobel Griffiths   Orchestra Contractor
Steven Kofsky   Music Production Supervisor
Alex Gibson   Producer,Supervising Music Editor
Paul Broucek   Executive in Charge of Music
Jason Linn   Executive in Charge of Music
Ed Neumeister   Orchestration
Howard Scarr   Synthesizer Programming
Lori Castro   Assistant Engineer
Yvonne S. Moriarty   Orchestration
Pat Sullivan   Mastering
Lisa Margolis   Music Business Affairs
Sandeep Sriram   Art Direction
Kevin Kaska   Orchestration
Czarina Russell   Studio Manager
Rick Giovinazzo   Orchestration
Chuck Choi   Technical Consultant
Lorne Balfe   Additional Music
John Prestage   Assistant Engineer
Andrew Zack   Score Coordinator
Carl Rydlund   Orchestration
Jill Streater   Music Librarian
Adam Miller   Assistant Engineer
Elizabeth Finch   Orchestration
Daniel Kresco   Score Mixer
Andrew Kinney   Orchestration
Christopher Nolan   Producer,Liner Notes
Mark Wherry   Instrument Design
Andrew Kawczynski   Arranger
Ryan Rubin   Music Editor
Claudius Bruese   Sample Preparation
Sam Estes   Sample Preparation