This digital release from Solo Musica brings together two powerful soundtracks composed and conducted by Enjott Schneider: STALINGRAD (film by Joseph Vilsmaier, 1992) and STAUFFENBERG (film by Jo Baier, 2004). Both are set in the historical context of the Second World War and define themselves as anti-war films: STALINGRAD deals with the downfall of the 6th Army on the Russian Eastern Front, where the attempted conquest of the city of Stalingrad ends in chaos and unspeakable suffering. All that remains of the initial optimism and ideology-driven aggression is retreat, homesickness, pain and horrific death. STAUFFENBERG, subtitled ‘Aufstand des Gewissens’ (Revolt of Conscience), is about the assassination attempt by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, who tried to kill dictator Adolf Hitler with a bomb he detonated himself on 20 July 1944. The coup, planned with friends, failed because Hitler survived the assassination attempt. The rebellious heroes are shot by firing squad. The soundscape of STALINGRAD was elaborately orchestrated with a large orchestra in Gustav Mahler’s instrumentation, expanded with sampled ‘steel and metal sounds’ and, together with the crowd scenes, forms a huge epic arc. In comparison, STAUFFENBERG is a personal and at times chamber music-like soundtrack, often capturing the multi-layered psychology of the protagonists in quieter tones.

Both soundtracks were edited from the original soundtrack material in new proportions and remixed. The Dolby Atmos® remixes are elaborate and new, creating iconic soundscapes in a previously unattainable spatial dimension. Sound engineer David Merkl comments:

“The special added value of the Stalingrad remix lies in the fact that, for the first time, the soundtrack can be experienced in its pure form, detached from the image, in that evocative spatial magic that was previously reserved exclusively for the Dolby Digital format in the cinema. What used to be confined to the cinema auditorium now unfolds freely in space: a deeply cinematic listening experience that allows the emotional and dramatic power of the music to be experienced directly.”