LOS ANGELES, CA (New Line Records) - 3-time Oscar-winner
Howard Shore's original score soundtrack to
Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" was released by New Line Records on December 5th. The disc features 14 tracks performed by renowned guitarists Sharon Isbin, known for her classical work; G.E. Smith; Larry Saltzman; and Marc Ribot. Shore wrote the score for this crime drama with these incomparable talents in mind, and the result is a piece of music that is as stark and evocative as the film it compliments. "The Departed" original score soundtrack is expected to attract the attention of Shore's incalculable fan base as well as admirers of the film, undoubtedly one of the year's biggest box office and critical successes.
Shore won 3 Oscars, 4 Grammys, and 2 Golden Globes for his unforgettable musical rendering of Middle-earth on the Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Prior to "The Departed," Shore collaborated with Scorsese on 4 other films including "The Aviator" (for which Shore won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score), "Gangs of New York," the documentary "Made in Milan" and "After Hours." Shore's other film credits include "A History of Violence," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Philadelphia," "Mrs. Doubtfire," and "Panic Room." Shore is currently writing an opera based on David Cronenberg's film "The Fly," to be directed by Cronenberg and staged for the 2007-2008 season of the Los Angeles Opera.
For "The Departed," Shore handpicked 4 of New York's most acclaimed guitarists to help capture the delicate entanglements of the film's narrative, each bringing his/her own unique musical sensibilities to the music for "The Departed." Sharon Isbin has been called the "pre-eminent guitarist of our time" and is the winner of 2 Grammy Awards for her work as a classical guitarist. G.E. Smith is remembered as the decade-long band leader for "Saturday Night Live," and has also played alongside such classic performers as Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Tina Turner. Larry Saltzman has played guitar on stage, in film, commercials, television, and the recording studio with Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, and Bette Midler, among others. And Marc Ribot has written and performed music for dance, film, and documentary, and has performed at the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., amongst other venues. Each guitarist provided Shore's composition with a unique instrumental translation that certainly affected the richness of the final score to Scorsese's film.
"The Departed" stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. The film opened in theatres on October 6th and has grossed over $200 million worldwide, making it Scorsese's most successful film to date and his fifth collaboration with Shore.
