Lara's Theme
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Lara's Theme is the generic name given to a recurring musical cue written for the film Doctor Zhivago (1965) by composer Maurice Jarre. It has become an internationally known tune and remains a favorite to this day.
[edit] Original Composition
While working on the soundtrack for Doctor Zhivago, Maurice Jarre was asked by director David Lean to come up with a theme for the character of Lara, played by Julie Christie. After several unsuccessful attempts at writing it, Lean suggested to Jarre that he go to the mountains with his girlfriend and write a piece of music for her. Jarre says that the resultant piece was "Lara's Theme", and Lean liked it well enough to use it in numerous tracks for the film. In editing Zhivago, Lean and producer Carlo Ponti reduced or outright cut many of the themes composed by Jarre; Jarre was angry because he felt that an over-reliance on "Lara's Theme" would ruin the soundtrack.
Jarre's fears proved unfounded, however, as the song became an instant hit. The instrumental version of the song gained fame throughout the world. Ray Conniff later took the theme and added lyrics to it for his song Somewhere My Love, also a major hit, and various other re-written versions of it have since been released. "Lara's Theme" remains to this day one of the most recognizable movie themes ever written.
[edit] Variations
On the soundtrack album for Zhivago, there is no one track listed as "Lara's Theme". A variation of the piece appears in numerous songs, however. Some tracks briefly "cite" it, while others are made up entirely of the song.
The piece is performed on various instruments, most notably the balalaika with orchestral backing.
Tracks which feature it include (from the 1995 Extended Soundtrack release):
- 1) Overture - a fast-paced march version of it plays during part of the pre-credits overture
- 2) Main Title - a significant portion of the Main Theme is devoted to "Lara's Theme"
- 3) Kontakion/Funeral Song - briefly cited at the end of the piece
- 12) After Deserters Killed The Colonel - again, a brief "quote" from it appears at the end of the song
- 14) Lara Says Goodbye To Yuri - The first extensive use of "Lara's Theme" is a sad version played with heavy balalaika and violin sections
- 23) Yuri Follows the Sound of the Waterfall
- 24) Tonya and Yuri Arrive At Varykino - briefly cited in the middle of the track
- 27) Yuri and the Daffodils - plays during the "changing of seasons" part of the film, the montonous winter theme builds into a full-fledged rendition of "Lara's Theme"
- 28) On A Yuriatin Street - a complete rendition with full orchestral backing
- 29) In Lara's Bedroom
- 30) Yuri Rides To Yuriatin
- 31) Yuri Is Escaping - a gloomy military march is punctuated by a quote from "Lara's Theme" which ultimately turns into a climax
- 37) Yuri Is Trying To Write
- 39) Lara Reads Her Poem
- 42) Then It's A Gift (End Title) - very similar to "On A Yuriatin Street", a complete, triumphant final rendition of the song
This soundtrack also includes jazz, rock 'n' roll, and swing versions of "Lara's Theme" which were performed by the MGM Studio Orchestra between takes.
