Lakeshore Records will release 41 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on Tuesday, July 3. The soundtrack features original music by Mark Kilian (The Ward, Rendition).
Former President George Bush, the 41st President of the United States recounts his life storyfrom his childhood in Kennebunkport, Maine to his service in World War II, from his time in the Directorship of the CIA to the White Housein the new HBO Documentary, 41.
Ascending to the presidency in 1989, Bush's years in office saw many historic events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the protests in Tiananmen Square. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, Bush says he knew America would have to act. The invasion was an "overt, crystal clear wrong," and though there was opposition, he felt the war was just, and was heartened when Saddam Hussein was driven out of Kuwait.
After losing his bid for re-election (which he believes was cost him by Ross Perot), George and Barbara Bush returned to a "normal" life in Kennebunkport. Today, he still makes public appearances, but has been slowed by Parkinsonism. He calls his beloved Kennebunkport the "anchor to windward." It's where the memories are, where his family comes to visit, where he's been coming his whole life, "And where," he says, "I will remain until my last days."
Because the film is an intimate look at the former president, Kilian's score features a more intimate approach, utilizing a 13-piece chamber group. Kilian said, "I wanted to have the music enhance what the doc is - which is an intimate and warm portrait of a man, his life and his family. It is not a critical study of the George H. W. Bush presidency in any way, nor is it political or even presents an opinion. So the music is not political and big and explosive or anything like that. It is intimate, warm and mostly classical in nature drawing on the Americana sound."
Born and raised in South Africa, Mark Kilian came to the USA to pursue a career in film scoring in 1994. His academic life in his native country (Masters Degree in composition) and a very active performing career (as a pianist who played with people like Darius Brubeck, Shirley Bassey, Airto Moreira and Ladysmith Black Mambazo) prepared him for his enrollment into USC's Film Scoring program. Upon completion he was hired by film composer Christopher Young as an assistant and then joined Machine Head in Venice where he wrote music for countless TV commercials for companies like Apple, Budweiser, American Express and Toyota.
Mark's first feature film Lovergirl was scored in 1997 and since then he has written scores for a wide variety of films including Traitor, Rendition, Before the Rains and Tsotsi which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. Some of his recent films include John Carpenter's The Ward, La Mission, Legacy, The Least Among You, Legacy and Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day.
Other visual media work includes the ABC TV series Don't Trust the B- In Apartment 23, Body Of Proof, Daybreak and Jake In Progress, Fox's Kitchen Confidential, the documentary The Last King, the Aztec Pantheon exhibit at the Getty museum and music for the games Full Spectrum Warrior and The Matrix: Path of Neo. He has recorded three albums under the name 'The Gravy Street' and two albums with Electronic outfit Ape Quartet.
41 debuts on HBO at 9PM, Thursday, June 14. The 41 - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Lakeshore Records will be available digitally on July 3.