POPOL VUH - Nosferatu : The Vampyre (Original Soundtrack) (1978-2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Florian Fricke's soundtracks always added a distinctive dimension to the films of Werner Herzog and that's especially true of his recordings for Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (starring Klaus Kinski as the most spectacularly grotesque Count Dracula ever). This CD brings together Brüder des Schattens, Söhne des Lichts and Nosferatu: Fantôme de la Nuit, two 1978 Popol Vuh albums containing material for Herzog's film. The director drew initially on the first of these records but subsequently asked Fricke for more music conveying fear and dread. In response, Fricke raided his archive of unused work -- this was the origin of the second record. Featured prominently in the film, "Brüder des Schattens, Söhne des Lichts" moves from a spectral choral beginning to a lighter, almost pastoral conclusion with piano, guitar, and sitar, echoing the chiaroscuro dynamic of its title ("Brothers of Shadow, Sons of Light"). That brighter, expansive mood recurs on several tracks with a more pronounced Eastern groove: "Through Pain to Heaven," for example, with its mesmerizing interplay of guitars and droning, billowing sitar. Darker numbers like "Mantra 2" -- which combines choral voices and organic drones in a mournful, subtly menacing fashion -- resonate more explicitly with the film's gothic aesthetic. Among the dark tracks, the most striking pay homage to early electronic soundtrack experiments: for example, "Die Nacht der Himmel" with its spooky theremin sound and the supremely eerie "Der Ruf der Rohrflöte." To call this a soundtrack CD is slightly misleading: not all the music features in the movie and it omits non-Popol Vuh material heard in the film (portions of Wagner's "Das Rheingold" and Gounod's "Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cècile," for instance). That said, it holds together as a coherent album in its own right and includes some exceptionally strong, memorable material. by Wilson Neate  
Tracklist:
1    Brüder des Schattens 5:43
Florian Fricke
2    Höre, Der du Wagst 6:00
Danny Secundus Fichelscher / Florian Fricke
3    Das Schloss des Irrtums 5:37   
Danny Secundus Fichelscher / Florian Fricke
4    Die Umkehr 5:58
Danny Secundus Fichelscher / Florian Fricke
5    Mantra 1 6:15   
Florian Fricke
6    Morning Sun 3:21   
Danny Secundus Fichelscher
7    Venus Principle 4:41
Composed By, Lyrics By – Gromer       
8    Mantra 2 5:22
Florian Fricke
9    Die Nacht Der Himmel 5:03   
Florian Fricke
10    Der Ruf Der Rohrflöte 3:39
Florian Fricke
11    To a Little Way 2:34   
Florian Fricke
12    Through Pain to Heaven 3:47
Danny Secundus Fichelscher / Florian Fricke
13    On the Way 4:05   
Florian Fricke
14    Zwiesprache Der Rohrflöte 3:22   
Florian Fricke
Credits:
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Daniel Fichelscher
Choir – A Chorus From Munich
Oboe – Bob Eliscu
Piano, Synthesizer – Florian Fricke
Sitar – Alois Gromer
Tambura [Tamboura] – Ted De Jong