Eduard Artmiev: Solaris OST (Superior Viaduct)
I think I bought this used at Mind Cure Records
I went through a soundtrack-buying jag a few years back, and continue to look for interesting examples. Buying as many as I did, well, they're not all winners. Labels like Mondo/Death Waltz and Waxworks have made available obscure or even otherwise unavailable works, and usually packaged beautifully. The problem is, they're often pretty expensive too.
It's not that I can't afford it, but even I hesitate to spend $30 (and often far more) for a beautifully packaged piece of vinyl that I'll spin once or twice. As such, I've tried to edit myself a bit, be more particular, choose composers or films that interest me, or if something just strikes me as being especially interesting.
But then second market vinyl, used, sweetens the deal. And even so I try to be particular, not spend the money just because I have it in hand.
It's fortunate this turned up used. I don't know if this is the case here, but Mike at Mind Cure would sometimes open a new LP he'd bought, put it on in the store so he could listen to it, then would knock a few bucks off the price and sell it as used. I know he did this for the Dawn of Midi album, he told me so. And he got a sale out of me too. Still, not the best business model.
It was fortunate in this case. I might have noticed this album anyway. If I had noticed the credit on the back: " Music and noise recorded on the photoelectron synthesizer ANS", I might have snagged it anyway (depending on the price).
Solaris for me is unique: I've seen the original film, read the novel on which it's based, bought and listened to the original soundtrack album, and watched the Soderbergh remake. I suppose if I was to complete the set, I should see if the remake soundtrack is available.
The premise is tantalizing, in part it can only exist in a sci-fi world. There's a distant planet, Solaris, which has been determined to be one giant living organism, a planet-sized brain. When an investigator travels to the planet due to problems, he wakes up next to his dead wife. Clearly Solaris is responsible; but what does the wife simulacrum think?
I will apologize in that in some version it's possible it was a divorced wife and not one who committed suicide, I am blanking on some details.
But what a concept to explore! It's deeply disturbing.
Andrei Takovsky's original film moves slowly. Very slowly. There's been a descriptor "Slow Films"? Tarkovsky defines the term in many ways. I find it fascinating why some films move very slowly and iIfind them fascinating, and others move faster and I couldn't be more bored. I find myself involved in the empty spaces in conversation in Jim Jarmusch's best films, for example. I didn't care so much for Tarkvosky's Stalker, despite it being lauded by many film fans. But I was on board for this one, maybe because the tenseness of the very situation kept me engaged.
After seeing the film, I read the book. I preferred the film. The author, Stanislaw Lem, I'm told did not like the film at all. But then, how often does the author like the film adaption? (JG Ballard thought Cronenberg's adaption of Crash was more extreme than his book! And I don't think he meant it as a put-down.) I found Lem's narrative got too bogged down in trying to create (pseudo-)scientific explanations for how this being could occur. I'm not interested in that, to be honest. I wanted to see the exploration of the psychic trauma that would occur under those circumstances.
The music. There's an organ theme opening, not at all this obscure electronic instrument noted on the cover. It's a lovely, slow theme, sounding like Bach (if not the genuine article). This is then followed by the sound of this ANS synth. It's analog, noisy, obscured, textural and ambient. All the things I'd expect from a period-synth playing to a disturbing sci-fi feature.
I'm completely unfamiliar with the ANS, and I have a pretty reasonable base of knowledge on the topic of early electronic instruments. The 120years.net site (highly recommended!) has a page devoted to the instrument. It dates to 1957 and is indeed Russian, like Tarkovsky and Artemiev. I can't tell you what distinguishes it from other analog instruments of the time, but it does its job.
The organ theme resurfaces on the second side of the album, and there are a few moments of acoustical instruments and even someone singing "Oh, Susanna!" in Russian! I assume that's part of the narrative, I don't remember. the side is still dominated with the electronically generated sounds, which demonstrate timbral variety.
Both sides are broken up into shorter "movements." The slowly progressing noisy ambient pieces could have gone on longer for me, but I assume it's either the cues as they fit with the timing of the film, or the limitations of LP sides, or both.
I find noisy ambient, dark ambient, attractive. Sounds that aren't necessarily sweet, have a noise profile, yet aren't harsh and exist in a slowly-moving state. it's why I continue to listen to MB/Maurizio Bianchi, even if his methods are almost ridiculously primitive, and certain of his recordings abysmally bad.
Final note: I'm going to go out on a limb here. Steven Soderbergh was not asking for an easy route by remaking this film. I would have been shocked if it was successful. I liked the film, liked. There was an important plot point I didn't like at all.
But I will say this: the very conclusion of the film was the best of the three, in my opinion. I'd bet some people would have an issue with that, but I'd defend that opinion.
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