| Doctor Zhivago: The Original Sound Track Album | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the original 1965LP release | |
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1965 |
| Length | 34:07 |
| Label | MGM Records |
Doctor Zhivago: The Original Sound Track Album is thesoundtrack album composed byMaurice Jarre for the 1965 filmDoctor Zhivago. The soundtrack garnered critical acclaim and won theAcademy Award for Best Music Score—Substantially Original and theGrammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show.
ComposerMaurice Jarre had previously worked with directorDavid Lean, scoring Lean's 1962 filmLawrence of Arabia and winning theAcademy Award for Best Music Score - Substantially Original in 1963.[1][2] Although the two had not been in contact sinceLawrence of Arabia, Lean summoned Jarre to theDoctor Zhivago set inMadrid in 1965.MGM Records's music director was initially hesitant about Lean's choice of Jarre as composer, stating that, "Jarre is very good for open spaces and sand. We have better composers here in Hollywood for Russia and snow."[3]
Jarre drew inspiration from Russian composersTchaikovsky andRimsky-Korsakov to score the film. To give the soundtrack its exotic feel, in addition to a traditional orchestra Jarre utilized aharpsichord, azither, akoto, twoshamisens, a 6-footgong, asonovox, aNovachord, anelectric piano, and 24balalaikas;[1] however, since no member of theMGM Studio Orchestra could play the balalaika, Jarre had to recruit players from aRussian Orthodox church in downtownLos Angeles.[4] TheMoog 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.[5] In addition to his unique instrumentation, Jarre also utilized a chorus of 40 voices that required 20 microphones and sixaudio engineers to record the score.[1]
Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the soundtrack is "Lara's Theme". "Lara's Theme" is used as aleitmotif and appears in various sections throughout the film. It was quickly composed by Jarre after it was discovered that a Russian folk song that Lean wanted to include in the film was not in thepublic domain as Lean had originally thought.[3][6] On Jarre's first attempts at composing a love theme for the film, director David Lean was dissatisfied and instructed Jarre to "Forget aboutZhivago; 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.[5]
Jarre conducted a 110-piece orchestra for ten days to record the soundtrack.[1][7] He finished recording the soundtrack on 14 December 1965, only eight days before the film's world premiere.[4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  link |
At the38th Academy Awards, the soundtrack won theAcademy Award for Best Music Score—Substantially Original,[8] and at the9th Annual Grammy Awards, it won theGrammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show. It was also nominated for theGrammy Award for Album of the Year.[9] According toBillboard in 1967, the album sold more than 1.4 million copies.[10]
The soundtrack debuted at No. 139 on theBillboard 200 on March 19, 1966.[11] It reached theBillboard 200 number-one position on November 5, 1966, almost one year after the film's release.[12] In 2015,Billboard 200 ranked the soundtrack eighth on their "GreatestBillboard 200 Albums of All Time" list.[13] InCanada the album peaked at No. 2, and was in the top 5 for 17 consecutive charts (January 2–April 29).[14]
In 2013, the soundtrack ranked sixth on theABC Classic FMClassic 100 Music in the Movies.[15]
Doctor Zhivago is frequently used in competitive figure skating programs. South Korean figure skaterChoi Da-bin used a medley from the soundtrack for herfree skate at the2018 Winter Olympics.[16]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture fromDoctor Zhivago" | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Main Title fromDoctor 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 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lara's Theme fromDoctor 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 | |
Credits are adapted from LP booklet notes.[1]
| Chart (1966–67) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italian Albums (HitParadeItalia)[17] | 1 |