Search - Alan Silvestri :: Contact: Music From The Motion Picture

One of the most emotional soundtracks in history!

Patrick Prevenas | Los Angeles, CA United States | 02/02/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alan Silvestri's beautiful score for "Contact" moves me to tears every time I listen to it... as a deep believer in the existence of life beyond the Earth, "Contact" stirs emotions and ideas within me that no other film does, and Silvestri's score is the perfect accompaniment to those emotions and ideas! Where most film composers might have chosen to utilize a more bombastic orchestral score for certain parts of the movie, Silvestri instead takes an unexpected tug at your heart by using a few light piano notes, and the effect is magical. For its emotional content alone, "Contact" is easily one of the best soundtracks I have ever bought, and is also a beautiful tribute to the memory of Carl Sagan and his limitless sense of wonder about the universe."

A Piece of Work Taken for Granted

Patrick Prevenas | 08/20/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After watching the movie Contact and then listening to the soundtrack, I was delighted to hear just how much the music added to the entire film. Contact, which spoke to contact on so many levels from father-daughter, science-religion, man-woman, terrestrial-extraterrestrial, also spoke to the new contact between film and music. The soundtrack was as essential to the complete enjoyment of the movie as was the acting of Jodie Foster or the plot by Carl Sagan. Definitely a must for any Contact lover."

Subtle, moving score

Eight-Squared Squares | 09/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Silvestri's score for Contact is an understated, introspective meditation on the primary themes of the eponymous film. Silvestri's music lacks the grand aural declamations of a John Williams' soundtrack, but his approach is in this case equally effective and entirely appropriate. The brief but poignant statement of the main theme in track one sets the tone for the succeeding movements. Track 2 is frenetic and thrilling, while track 3 conveys a sense of mystery and suspense. Tracks 9-13 should really be listened to in one setting in order to experience the full emotional impact. Overall, the lush strings and the evocative musical themes fully won over this reviewer! The last scene of the movie alludes to William Blake's immortal words, which I think best sum up both the film and the sountrack: "To see a world in a grain of sand // and a heaven in a wildflower, // hold infinity in the palm of your hand, // and eternity in an hour...""