Star Trek: Nemesis Coming to Multichannel SACD

Varese Sarabande has announced that they will be releasing a Hybrid Multichannel SACD of the Star Trek: Nemesis Soundtrack by film composer Jerry Goldsmith. As with Goldsmith’s prior soundtrack albums, the sound for Star Trek: Nemesis was recorded, mixed and edited by veteran recording producer/engineer Bruce Botnick.

The Multichannel SACD version of the Star Trek: Nemesis is now in production and is scheduled for release on February 11, 2003. Since it is a Hybrid Multichannel SACD, it will feature Multichannel SACD, Stereo SACD and Stereo CD versions of the album’s music and will be playable on SACD and CD equipment.

This is the second time Goldsmith has recorded a film soundtrack with the Sony/Philips Direct Stream Digital (DSD) technology for Varese Sarabande. However, it is the first time that the soundtrack music is being made available on SACD. (An earlier movie entitled «Hollow Man» was also scored by Goldsmith and recorded in DSD. However, there was no SACD release of that soundtrack.)

An SACD Special Edition
The Multichannel SACD of Star Trek: Nemesis is being called a «Special Edition» by Varese Sarabande. When I asked about that designation, Varese Sarabande officials indicated that was meant to denote that the album is already available in a Stereo CD version so the SACD version will be a «Special Edition».

Varese Sarabande Comments on The Star Trek: Nemesis SACD
Commenting about this upcoming SACD release, Varese Sarabande officials said: «In 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture became the very first digital recording of a motion picture score. Now, 23 years later, Star Trek: Nemesis takes the next quantum leap in recorded music’s infinite frontier.

Taking full advantage of all this new technology has to offer, the score for STAR TREK: NEMESIS, by the legendary Jerry Goldsmith, features a 96-piece orchestra and an extensive array of synthesizers. This is unquestionably the most aggressive Star Trek score ever. Ingeniously dark textures are mixed with action music that soars to apocalyptic heights.»

Earlier SACDs by Jerry Goldsmith
As many of you know, Goldsmith and his long-time engineer Bruce Botnick (well known for his work with the Doors and Kenny Loggins, among others as well as his 5.1 DVD-A mix of the Doors album «L.A. Woman») were pioneers in recording 5.1 Multichannel music for SACD. Goldsmith recorded a series of Film Scores with the London Symphony Orchestra in the Sony/Philips Direct Stream Digital (DSD) system in January 2000.

The result of those sessions was an SACD that was given away as a free sampler for purchasers of the Philips SACD-1000, the world’s first Multichannel SACD player. Later, this album was remastered for release by Telarc on Multichannel SACD as «The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith» (Telarc SACD-60433).

Telarc has also released a second Multichannel SACD by Goldsmith entitled «Christus Apollo» (Telarc SACD-60560). That SACD features two original Goldsmith compositions (Music for Orchestra and Fireworks) as well as Christus Apollo: A Cantata Celebrating the Eighth Day of Creation and the Promise of the Ninth, set to a text by world renowned science fiction writer Ray Bradbury and narrated by Anthony Hopkins.
Star Trek: Nemesis Original Soundtrack Special Edition by Jerry Goldsmith (Varese Sarabande SACD 0302-066430-2)