Somehow trying to call this compilation of existing classical numbers an “original soundtrack” is silly, but that’s what they called it. This is not the Alex North original score, but rather a collection of classical and somewhat-more-modern-than-classical music which Stanley Kubrick used in his famed definitive science fiction film. The Ligeti tracks are always unnerving even without the accompanying visuals of the mysterious monolith and the stargate, and the “Blue Danube” waltz is…well …overused, quite frankly. The highlight of this compilation for me is the excerpt from “Gayane” (which I’ve sometimes seen spelled “Gayeneh”), played over the bleakly solitary scenes of life aboard the spaceship Discovery. Whether it 
is the starkness of the music itself, or a kind of gestalt association of the music with the visuals, this music has always been incredibly powerful for me. A newer release of the 2001 soundtrack was recently issued, including a section of sound effects and HAL 9000 dialogue, but I have never “traded up” to the newer version, so I can’t vouch for its quality. But the music speaks for itself.
- Overture: excerpt from Atmospheres / Ligeti (2:47)
- Title Music: Also Sprach Zarathustra / R. Strauss (1:39)
- From Earth to the Moon: The Blue Danube / J. Strauss (9:49)
- TMA-1: Lux Aeterna / Ligeti (5:57)
- Discovery: Adagio from Gayane Ballet Suite / Kachaturian (5:13)
- Stargate: Requiem / Ligeti (5:58)
- Stargate II: Atmospheres / Ligeti (8:37)
- Transfiguration: Also Sprach Zarathustra / R. Strauss (1:39)
Released by: CBS
Release date: 1990
Total running time: 41:39
