K2 (Music Inspired By the Film)

Hans Zimmer's score for the mountain climbing adventure K2 goes in two directions: up and down. Divided into two epic cues, "The Ascent" (which runs close to 28 minutes) and "The Descent" (about half its predecessor's length), the music embraces Zimmer's familiar fusion of symphonics, electronics, and samples, but hinges more on mood than thematic structure. "The Ascent" follows anything but a linear progression, zig-zagging across styles and galvanized by periodic bursts of electric guitar from soloist Peter Haycock — there's no easy way down, however, and "The Descent" forsakes the triumph and heroism of its counterpart in favor of dark, dissonant sequences that culminate in a whimper, not a bang.