2001: A Space Odyssey (soundtrack) mankind's eventual replacement by overmen ("Übermensch") in Nietzsche's work "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". "Gayane's Adagio" from Aram Khachaturian's "Gayane" ballet suite is heard during the sections that introduce Bowman and Poole aboard the "Discovery", conveying a somewhat lonely and mournful quality. In addition to the majestic yet fairly traditional compositions by the two Strausses and Khachaturian, Kubrick used four highly modernistic compositions by György Ligeti that employ micropolyphony, the use of sustained dissonant chords that shift slowly. This technique was pioneered in "Atmosphères", the only Ligeti piece heard in its entirety in the film. Ligeti admired Kubrick's film but, in addition
Interpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey "The cyclical evolution from ape to man to spaceman to angel-starchild-superman is complete". The monolith appears four times in "2001: A Space Odyssey": on the African savanna, on the moon, in space orbiting Jupiter, and near Bowman's bed before his transformation. After the first encounter with the monolith, we see the leader of the apes have a quick flashback to the monolith after which he picks up a bone and uses it to smash other bones. Its usage as a weapon enables his tribe to defeat the other tribe of apes occupying the water hole who have not learned how