NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Music
announces the release of Mychael
Danna's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Life of
Pi, a journey of adventure and a tale of personal discovery
based on the best-selling novel by Yann
Martel. The soundtrack recording of Life of Pi
is available from Sony Classical on Monday,
November 19, 2012.
Life of Pi takes place over three continents, two oceans,
many years, and a wide universe of imagination. Director
Ang Lee's vision, coupled with
stunning 3D visuals, has turned a novel long thought un-filmable
into a thrillingly audacious mix of grand storytelling and powerful
and provocative themes.
Since Mr. Lee came aboard the project almost four years ago, he
has worked to create a singular vision of author Yann Martel's unforgettable tale of courage,
perseverance, inspiration and hope. The film takes us through
a young man's incredible adventure – at turns thrilling and
spiritual; harrowing and triumphant; humorous and
inspirational.
The main character Pi (as a 17 year-old) is played by newcomer
Suraj Sharma. Suraj is a student who
at the time lived with his parents in the suburbs of South
Delhi. With no previous acting experience, Ang Lee cast Suraj for the role of Pi following
an extensive, months-long search throughout India.
The contemporary (adult) Pi is portrayed by esteemed Indian
actor Irrfan Khan, who was recently honored by the Indian
government with a 2011 Padma Shri award recognizing his
contributions to the Indian Cinema. Mr. Khan's many notable film
credits include Maqbool, Haasil, The Warrior
(winner of the BAFTA award for Best Film in 2003),
Partition, A Mighty Heart and the recent hit
The Amazing Spider-Man.
Mr. Lee, an Academy Award ® winner for Brokeback
Mountain in 2006 and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in
2001, carefully selected the international cast – and a composer
whose talents and experience perfectly match the project:
Mychael Danna, with whom he
previously collaborated on The Ice Storm and Ride
with the Devil. Danna is one of the most original composers in
the world of film music, a pioneer in combining non-western sounds
with orchestral and electronic sources. He has worked with such
esteemed directors as Atom Egoyan, Terry
Gilliam, James Mangold,
Mira Nair, Bennett Miller and Marc
Webb. Danna has been nominated 13 times for Genie Awards and
won the Original Score award five times. He has strong personal
connections to India: Danna's wife
is Indian and he has travelled and worked there extensively.
Mychael Danna's sensitive
composition and innovative choice of instrumentation reflect the
international character as well as the religious and philosophical
aspects of Life of Pi. The music, in the composer's words, "guides
viewers by means of emotions through a film that raises big
philosophical and religious questions." His thoughtful
instrumentation also lends structure to the movie. The Indian
flute, for example, is associated in the music with Pi himself, the
mysterious woodwind sound of the Persian ney with the tiger. A
Los Angeles studio orchestra
recorded the score, while the use of an Indonesian gamelan and
typically French instruments – celeste, accordion – also does
justice to the cultural breadth of the story. Indian elements are
recognizable in the sitar, percussion, and the mantras chanted by a
choir. In addition to writing the original score, Danna co-wrote
the film's original song "Pi's Lullaby" with Indian vocalist Bombay
Jayashri, who performs the song in her native Tamil
language.
SOURCE Sony Music