Varèse Sarabande will release the Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans – Original Soundtrack digitally on November 6 and on CD November 13, 2015. The soundtrack features original music by composer Jim Copperthwaite. The film is a documentary that looks at the making of the seminal Steve McQueen film, Le Mans. As a special bonus, the album also includes selections of Michel Legrand's themes from the film Le Mans.
As a nod to McQueen's love for racing, composer Jim Copperthwaite turned towards the speedway. "The sound that begins the score is a wavering drone that I created from a recording of a Porsche 917 engine at full throttle," described Copperthwaite. "This sound became central. It's really got something of the era in it."
For his score, Copperthwaite also took several twists and turns, "It's quite a hybrid," he described. "I have a core string orchestra augmented by Piano and solo Flugelhorn along with processed electric guitars and lots of creative synth work. It has its thematic core, its dramatic moments, but is more often than not it is nuanced, atmospheric and beautiful. I felt the notion of a solo Flugelhorn could do a great job bringing some sense of the vulnerability of Steve McQueen."
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans will be in theaters on November 13, 2015.