Lara's Theme

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"Lara's Theme" is the generic name given to a recurring musical cue written for the film Doctor Zhivago (1965) by composer Maurice Jarre. It has become an internationally known tune and remains a favorite to this day.

[edit] Original Composition

While working on the soundtrack for Doctor Zhivago, Maurice Jarre was asked by director David Lean to come up with a theme for the character of Lara, played by Julie Christie. Initially Lean had desired to use a well-known Russian song but could not locate the rights to it, and delegated responsibility to Jarre. After several unsuccessful attempts at writing it, Lean suggested to Jarre that he go to the mountains with his girlfriend and write a piece of music for her. Jarre says that the resultant piece was "Lara's Theme", and Lean liked it well enough to use it in numerous tracks for the film. In editing Zhivago, Lean and producer Carlo Ponti reduced or outright cut many of the themes composed by Jarre; Jarre was angry because he felt that an over-reliance on "Lara's Theme" would ruin the soundtrack.

Jarre's fears proved unfounded, however, as the theme became an instant hit and gained fame throughout the world. Paul Francis Webster later took the theme and added lyrics to it to create "Somewhere My Love", which became a major hit when performed by Ray Conniff. Various other versions of it have since been released. "Lara's Theme" remains to this day one of the most recognizable movie themes ever written.

[edit] Variations

On the soundtrack album for Zhivago, there is no one track listed as "Lara's Theme". A variation of the piece appears in numerous songs, however. Some tracks briefly "cite" it, while others are made up entirely of the song.

The piece is performed on various instruments, most notably the balalaika with orchestral backing. Although never credited, Edgar Stanistreet of Philadelphia was asked to play the song over the phone to an MGM executive, and was later taken into the studio to record.

One of the main reasons the theme is featured in so many tracks is that Jarre had hired an impromptu balalaika orchestra from several Russian Orthodox Churches in Los Angeles; the musicians could only learn 16 bars of music at a time, and could not read written music.

Tracks which feature it include (from the 1995 Extended Soundtrack release):

1) Overture - a fast-paced march version of it plays during part of the pre-credits overture
2) Main Title - a significant portion of the Main Theme is devoted to "Lara's Theme"
3) Kontakion/Funeral Song - briefly cited at the end of the piece
12) After Deserters Killed The Colonel - again, a brief "quote" from it appears at the end of the song
14) Lara Says Goodbye To Yuri - The first extensive use of "Lara's Theme" is a sad version played with heavy balalaika and violin sections
23) Yuri Follows the Sound of the Waterfall
24) Tonya and Yuri Arrive At Varykino - briefly cited in the middle of the track
27) Yuri and the Daffodils - plays during the "changing of seasons" part of the film, the montonous winter theme builds into a full-fledged rendition of "Lara's Theme"
28) On A Yuriatin Street - a complete rendition with full orchestral backing
29) In Lara's Bedroom
30) Yuri Rides To Yuriatin
33) Yuri Is Escaping - a gloomy military march is punctuated by a quote from "Lara's Theme" which ultimately turns into a climax
37) Yuri Is Trying To Write
39) Lara Reads Her Poem
42) Then It's A Gift (End Title) - very similar to "On A Yuriatin Street", a complete, triumphant final rendition of the song

This soundtrack also includes jazz, rock 'n' roll, and swing versions of "Lara's Theme" which were performed by the MGM Studio Orchestra between takes.