‘Shutter Island’ Soundtrack Scares Up Brian Eno, Max Richter, Krzysztof Penderecki, Györgi Ligeti & More

In preparations for its February 19th release, the score for Martin Scorsese’s new thriller “Shutter Island” was released by Rhino Records on Tuesday.

From the looks of it, Scorsese has abandoned his oft-used classic rock soundtrack habits and, almost positively taking a queue from Stanley Kubrick’s soundtracks, adopted a selection mostly of various modern classical pieces. Contemporary composers such as Brian Eno and Max Richter (whose score for “Waltz With Bashir” we loved) are used, as well as Stanley Kubrick modernist favorites of Krzysztof Penderecki and Györgi Ligeti, amongst others. Pre-rock & roll singer Johnnie Ray, blues legend Lonnie Johnson, and jazz singers Kay Starr and Dinah Washington are the few moments that hearken back to Scorsese’s typical soundtrack milieu.

Color us certainly intrigued. The film has been casually pegged already as containing B-movie elements, but this set of pieces certainly suggests a different mood rather than a conventional score. Depending on how it is used in the film, the soundtrack presented here for “Shutter Island” could create an entirely unsettling and chilling atmosphere for the film. This certainly bodes far better than a manipulative score riddled with clichés (see “The Wolfman”) and we are eager to see if the pieces work successfully in the film. Full tracklisting and sample tracks below. – Jon Davies

“Shutter Island” Soundtrack Listing

Disc: 1
1. Fog Tropes – Orchestra of St. Lukes, conducted by John Adams
2. Symphony #3: Passacaglia – Allegro Moderato – National Polish Radio Symphony, conducted by Antonio Wit
3. Music For Marcel Duchamp – Philipp Vandre, prepared piano
4. Hommage a John Cage – Nam June Paik
5. Lontano – Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Claudio Abbado
6. Rothko Chapel 2 – UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus
7. Cry – Johnny Ray
8. On The Nature Of Daylight – Max Richter
9. Uaxuctum: The Legend Of The Mayan City Which They Themselves Destroyed For Religious Reasons – 3rd M – Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra; Peter Rundel, conductor
10. Quartet For Strings And Piano In A Minor – Prazak Quartet

Disc 2
1. Christian Zeal and Activity – John Adams / Edo de Waart & San Francisco Symphony
2. Suite For Symphonic Strings: Nocturne – The New Professionals Orchestra, conducted by Rebecca Miller
3. Lizard Point – Brian Eno
4. Four Hymns, II For Cello And Double Bass – Torleif Thedeen & Entcho Radoukanov
5. Root Of An Unfocus – John Cage
6. Prelude – The Bay – Ingram Marshall
7. Wheel Of Fortune – Kay Starr
8. Tomorrow Night – Lonnie Johnson
9. This Bitter Earth / On The Nature Of Daylight – Dinah Washington & Max Richter

Brian Eno – Lizard Point

Max Richter – On The Nature Of Daylight

Johnny Ray – Cry