Avatar (soundtrack)

Avatar (Music from the Motion Picture)
Soundtrack album by
James Horner
ReleasedDecember 15, 2009
Recorded2009
StudioNewman Scoring Stage, Fox Studios, Los Angeles, CA
GenreSoundtrack
Length78:51
Label
ProducerExecutives:
  • Craig Kallman
  • Kevin Weaver
Avatar soundtrack chronology
Avatar:
Music from the Motion Picture
(2009) 		Avatar:
The Way of Water
(2022)
James Horner chronology
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
(2008) 		Avatar:
Music from the Motion Picture
(2009) 		The Karate Kid
(2010)
Singles from Avatar: Music from the Motion Picture
  1. "I See You"
    Released: December 3, 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Empire
Filmtracks
IGN
Movie Music UK
Movie Wave
ScoreNotes

Avatar (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack album to the 2009 James Cameron film Avatar, with music composed, co-orchestrated and conducted by James Horner. The album's deluxe edition, featuring six bonus tracks, was released by Atlantic Records on April 19, 2010 to promote the DVD release of the film.[1]

Album information

Composer James Horner scored the film, his third and final collaboration with Cameron after Aliens and Titanic.[2] Horner recorded parts of the score with a small chorus singing in the Na'vi language in March 2008.[3] He also worked with Wanda Bryant, an ethnomusicologist, to create a music culture for the alien race. Horner took advice from his assistant, and they put an unusual number of virtual instruments in this project. The first scoring sessions with the Hollywood Studio Symphony, took place in spring 2009.[4] Leona Lewis sang the theme song, "I See You". An accompanying music video, directed by Jake Nava, premiered on MySpace on December 15, 2009.[5]

A bonus track called "Into the Na'vi World" is available exclusively through the official site.[6] It was not included on the physical and digital releases of the soundtrack.

Nominations

The score was nominated for Best Original Score at the 82nd Academy Awards, but lost to Up. "I See You" was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Original Song category for the 67th Golden Globes.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by James Horner, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."You Don't Dream in Cryo. ...."6:09
2."Jake Enters His Avatar World"5:24
3."Pure Spirits of the Forest"8:49
4."The Bioluminescence of the Night"3:37
5."Becoming One of "The People", Becoming One with Neytiri"7:43
6."Climbing Up "Iknimaya – The Path to Heaven""3:18
7."Jake's First Flight"4:49
8."Scorched Earth"3:32
9."Quaritch"5:01
10."The Destruction of Hometree"6:47
11."Shutting Down Grace's Lab"2:47
12."Gathering All the Na'vi Clans for Battle"5:14
13."War"11:21
14."I See You (Theme from Avatar)" (performed by Leona Lewis) (written by Horner, Thaddis Harrell, Simon Franglen[7])4:20
Total length:78:51
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks[1]
No.TitleLength
15."Pandora"3:17
16."Viperwolves Attack"3:49
17."Great Leonoptryx"1:33
18."Escape from Hellgate"3:25
19."Healing Ceremony"2:21
20."The Death of Quaritch"5:20
Total length:19:45

Instrumentation

  • Strings: 32 violins, 22 violas, 10 violoncellos, 8 double basses
  • Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons
  • Brass: 10 French horns, 4 trumpets, 5 trombones, 1 tuba
  • Percussion: 5 members
  • 3 members on piano/synth, 2 harps, 40 members of choir

Chart positions

The album has also charted on the Billboard 200 album chart on the week of January 2, 2010, debuting at number 172. The following week it climbed the chart to gain a new peak at number 119, and then the following week it leaped to number 32. On the week of January 23, 2010 the soundtrack hit its current peak at number 31.

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[8] 89
Austrian Albums Chart[9] 11
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[9] 37
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[9] 55
Dutch Albums Chart[9] 74
French Albums Chart[10] 19
French Digital Albums Chart[11] 1
German Albums Chart[12] 10
Greek Albums Chart[13] 10
Mexican Albums Chart[9] 69
Polish Albums Chart[14] 53
Spanish Albums Chart[9] 75
Swiss Albums Chart[9] 9
UK Albums Chart[9] 15
U.S. Billboard 200 Chart[15] 31
U.S. Billboard Digital Albums[15] 4
U.S. Billboard Soundtrack Albums[15] 5

I See You

"I See You" entered the Irish Singles Chart on the 14th January 2010 at number 47.

Chart (2010) Peak
position[16]
Irish Singles Chart 47

References

  1. ^ a b "iTunes - Music - Avatar (Music from the Motion Picture) [Deluxe Edition] by James Horner". Itunes.apple.com. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  2. ^ Mikael Carlsson (2007-06-19). "Fox confirms Horner on Cameron's 'Avatar'". Film Music Weekly.
  3. ^ Jim Dorey (2008-04-02). "Na'vi Alien Language Incorporated In 'Avatar' Music Soundtrack". MarketSaw Blog. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  4. ^ Mikael Carlsson (2009-01-03). "Top-10 Most Anticipated Scores of 2009". Upcoming Film Scores. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  5. ^ Fukushima, Glenn (2009-11-16). "Atlantic Unveils "AVATAR: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE"; Official Companion Album to James Cameron's Upcoming Epic Adventure Features Music Composed & Conducted by Oscar-Winner James Horner, Plus "I See You (Theme From Avatar)," Performed by Leona Lewis". marketwire. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  6. ^ "AVATAR - Music from the Motion Picture". Avatarscore.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-04. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  7. ^ Balls, David (November 16, 2009). "Leona Lewis records 'Avatar' theme song". Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  8. ^ "Australia's Official Music Charts". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Steffen Hung. "Soundtrack / James Horner - Avatar". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  10. ^ "Disques : les Prêtres conservent la tête des ventes !" (in French). Ozap. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  11. ^ Steffen Hung. "Les charts français". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  12. ^ ":: MTV | Album Top 50 KW 2 | charts". Mtv.de. 2011-09-22. Archived from the original on 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  13. ^ "Ελληνικό Chart". Ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on 2003-08-06. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  14. ^ "Official Retail Sales Chart - Top 100". Polish Music Charts (in Polish). ZPAV. Archived from the original on 2012-04-07. Retrieved 2011-10-20.
  15. ^ a b c https://www.billboard.com/artist/soundtrack/chart-history/
  16. ^ "Leona Lewis - I See You - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2012-01-15.