Doctor Zhivago (soundtrack)

Doctor Zhivago (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album composed by Maurice Jarre for the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago.

Doctor Zhivago (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Maurice Jarre
Released1965
Length34:07
LabelMGM Records

Background and composition

Composer Maurice Jarre had previously worked with director David Lean, scoring Lean's 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia and winning the Academy Award for Best Music Score - Substantially Original in 1963.[1]

Jarre drew inspiration from Russian composers Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov to score the film. Along with a traditional orchestra, Jarre utilized the harpsichord and balalaika to give the soundtrack its exotic feel; however, since no member of the MGM Studio Orchestra could play the balalaika, Jarre had to recruit players from a Russian Orthodox church in downtown Los Angeles. The Moog synthesizer, which had very recently been invented at the time of the film's release in 1965, was also used by Jarre in composing the soundtrack.[2]

Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the soundtrack is "Lara's Theme". "Lara's Theme" is used as a leitmotif and appears in various sections throughout the film. On Jarre's first attempts at composing a love theme for the film, director David Lean was dissatisfied, and instructed Jarre to "Forget about Zhivago; forget about Russia. Go to the mountains with your girlfriend and think about her and write a love theme for her." Lean was adamant that the love theme not be specifically Russian, but rather a universal theme.[2]

Legacy and accolades

At the 38th Academy Awards, the soundtrack won the Academy Award for Best Music Score - Substantially Original[3], and at the 9th Annual Grammy Awards, the soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show. It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.[4]

Doctor Zhivago is frequently used in competitive figure skating programs. South Korean figure skater Choi Da-bin used a medley from the soundtrack for her free skate at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[5]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Overture from Doctor Zhivago"4:10
2."Main Title from Doctor Zhivago"2:37
3."Lara Leaves Yuri"1:25
4."At The Student Cafe"1:30
5."Komarovsky And Lara's Rendezvous"3:49
6."Revolution"3:59
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Lara's Theme from Doctor Zhivago"2:50
2."The Funeral"3:05
3."Sventytski's Waltz"2:12
4."Yuri Escapes"2:16
5."Tonya Arrives At Varykino"3:39
6."Yuri Writes A Poem For Lara"2:35
Total length:34:07

References
  1. Riley, John (30 March 2019). "Maurice Jarre: Composer who won three Oscars for his work with David Lean". The Independent.
  2. Phillips, Gene (24 November 2006). Beyond the Epic: The Life and Films of David Lean. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813124155.
  3. "THE 38TH ACADEMY AWARDS: 1966". Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
  4. "1966 GRAMMY WINNERS: 9th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammys. The Recording Academy.
  5. Dure, Beau (23 February 2018). "Winter Olympics women's figure skating: 15-year-old Alina Zagitova wins gold – as it happened". The Guardian.
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