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Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey

by Brian Skutle

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1.
"Beyond the Infinite" Overture 02:56
2.
The Planets Align 01:37
3.
Dawn of Man (Introduction) 01:54
4.
A Frightening Awakening 02:54
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5.
The Dawn of Intelligence 01:33
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6.
Weightless Waltz in F 05:38
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7.
Weightless Waltz in D 07:23
8.
A Mysterious Lunar Discovery 06:58
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9.
The Minutiae of Space 07:13
10.
Entr'Acte 02:45
11.
Searching for the Mysteries 17:27
12.
A Place Among the Stars 01:39
13.
Angels Watching (Finale to "Beyond the Infinite") 03:58
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about

Probably more than any other work of art, “2001: A Space Odyssey” has had the greatest influence on me as an artist. It was my introduction to the cinema of Stanley Kubrick; it introduced me to the music of Gyorgy Ligeti; and it enthralled me to greater possibilities in cinematic and musical storytelling than any other film I’ve seen. Back in 1999, I wrote a little composition entitled “Beyond the Infinite,” which would be included on my album, “Dark Experiments.” From that 207 seconds of music- inspired by Kubrick’s use of Ligeti in “2001,” and in its’ final surreal sequence in particular- would come the catalyst for this project.

Conceived in part as an “alternative soundtrack” to “2001” as much as it is a tone poem, “Beyond the Infinite” takes its’ cues, on a musical level, as much from Alex North’s elegant unused score for “2001” as much as it does the collection of Ligeti, J. Strauss, R. Strauss , and Khachaturian Kubrick used in his epic. The goal was to meld the tonal continuity of North’s music with the experimental amalgam of Kubrick’s chosen selections. Another goal was to use both old-fashioned performance techniques (i.e. live performers) and modern ones (electronically-derived sounds) to achieve this, depending on whether we’re watching primitive man discover tools or watching the travel modes of future generations. So you have waltz-like works performed by synthesized sounds instead of strings, motifs performed in both chamber and electronic configurations, and pieces that carry a more traditional musical structure programmed next to ones of a more avant garde nature.

The result is a work that may not quite replace Kubrick’s choices in your mind, nor may it make you forget the beauty of North’s work on the film, and lament its’ exclusion from the film less. By not committing to an original score for his masterpiece, however, Kubrick opened up a possibility for me to challenge my own artistic impulses, and pay homage to what he achieved by thinking outside the box…which is exactly what Kubrick did in the first place. –Brian Skutle, 7/6/08

credits

released August 3, 2010

Composed, performed and produced by Brian Skutle
Piano on "A Frightening Awakening" and "The Dawn of Intelligence" by Dawn Echols

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Brian Skutle Kennesaw, Georgia

Brian Skutle's passion is for storytelling, be it through music, film, or creative writing, with the story dictating the medium that best brings it to life. In his music, though, it may not be a specific story that inspires him but a feeling; a sense of longing; of mystery; of tension; of serenity; of sensuality; of something beyond the humdrum normalcy of life. ... more

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