2001: A Space Odyssey (soundtrack) 2001: A Space Odyssey (soundtrack) 2001: A Space Odyssey is a soundtrack album to the , released in 1968. The soundtrack is known for its use of many classical and orchestral pieces, and credited for giving many classical pieces resurgences in popularity, such as Johann Strauss II's 1866 Blue Danube Waltz, Richard Strauss' symphonic poem "Also sprach Zarathustra" (inspired by the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche), and György Ligeti's "Atmosphères". The soundtrack has been re-issued multiple times, including a 1996 version and a digitally remastered version in 2010. From very early in production, Kubrick decided that he wanted the film to
2001: A Space Odyssey (score) music would have been an improvement on the background music that Kubrick finally chose for the film." Conversely, in his notes for the Jerry Goldsmith recording, Kevin Mulhall argued that "there is no doubt that "2001" would have been better if Kubrick had used North's music. Even if one likes some of the choices Kubrick made for certain individual scenes, the eclectic group of classical composers employed by the director... resulted in a disturbing melange of sounds and styles overall." Film critic Roger Ebert noted that North's rejected score contains emotional cues to the viewer while the final music selections