Various Artists - Tarkovsky Various Artists

This boxset contains the original soundtracks to the five core works of Andrei Tarkovsky, the master of Soviet cinema: Ivan's Childhood, Andrei Roublev, Solaris, Mirror and Stalker.

The works by Eduard Artemyev and Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov may sound imperfect to the modern ear, but have been sympathetically remastered and presented as close as possible to how striking they would have sounded to audiences at the original film presentations.

Deluxe matt-laminate boxset containing 5 CDs in individually printed card sleeves. Each album is accompanied by an art card featuring the original Soviet and Japanese cinema posters from its release.

Vol. 1: Ivan's Childhood

The haunting soundtrack for Andrei Tarkovsky's 1962 film Ivan's Childhood (Иваново детство) was composed by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov. It features a deeply romantic yet sorrowful five-note leitmotif that captures the poignancy of innocence lost in war. Ovchinnikov's sweeping score relies on romantic idioms to contrast the harsh realities of the Eastern Front with Ivan's nostalgic, dream-like flashbacks.

Vol. 2: Andrei Roublev

The soundtrack for the 1966 masterpiece Andrei Roublev (Андрей Рублёв) was also composed by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov. The sweeping, evocative score is deeply intertwined with the film's religious and historical themes, with its profound, choral-heavy resonance perfectly accompanying the film's exploration of faith, art and Russian history. The composer collaborated closely with Tarkovsky to create a score that captures the raw, earthy reality of 15th-century Russia while elevating the film's stunning visual language.

Vol. 3: Solaris

Eduard Artemyev's score for Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 sci-fi masterpiece Solaris (Солярис) is a groundbreaking work of early electronic music. With Tarkovsky envisioning an ambient, mechanical soundscape, Artemyev's futuristic interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach's organ works are combined with haunting, abstract synthesizer drones and environmental noise, all crafted on the famed ANS synthesizer. An atmospheric, dreamlike score that perfectly mirrors the psychological themes of the film.

Vol. 4: Mirror

Eduard Artemyev's magnificent soundtrack to Andrei Tarkovsky's 1975 film Mirror (Зеркало) is the natural follow-up to Solaris. Dense, slow-moving and often disorienting mood pieces with Baroque sensibilities resonate beyond the film's dream-like imagery. A combination of monolithic scale and pastoral melody makes the music both lush and uniquely compelling.

Vol. 5: Stalker

For Stalker (Сталкер), the third part of Andrei Tarkovsky's science fiction trilogy, Eduard Artemyev drew inspiration from Indian classical music, employing eerie layers of synthesizer tones, flute, harpsichord and tar (an Iranian stringed instrument), alongside choirs, to create a central theme as spellbinding as The Zone—the mysterious setting where the laws of physics no longer apply. Achingly beautiful.