Requiem for a Dream cover

Requiem for a Dream

Clint Mansell · 2000

51 min · 33 tracks · classical music

Ethereal strings and haunting melodies intertwine with unsettling rhythms, creating an immersive soundscape of tension and despair.

Top tracks — play these first

  • →
    Lux Aeterna — This track encapsulates the emotional weight of the film, featuring a powerful blend of orchestral swells and choral harmonies that evoke a sense of impending doom.
  • →
    Summer: Summer Overture — As the opening piece, it establishes the thematic motifs that permeate the score, setting an immediate tone of beauty contrasted with tension.
  • →
    Winter: The Beginning of the End — This track serves as a climactic culmination of the score's themes and emotions, providing a haunting reflection on loss and despair.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
77 /100
Summit
Higher than 99% of albums we've rated

The album's innovative orchestral arrangements and emotional depth create a compelling listening experience.

What we noticed

  • The album features a recurring motif that evolves through variations, creating a sense of continuity across its tracks.
  • Many tracks utilize a build-up of tension through layered strings and rhythmic elements, often culminating in climactic moments.
  • Several pieces are structured around contrasting dynamics, alternating between quiet, introspective sections and loud, intense crescendos.
Composition 25% of the score
8/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
9/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
7/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
8/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
8/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • haunting, atmospheric soundscapes
  • gradual builds and payoffs
  • immersive emotional journeys
  • contemplative late-night reflections
  • steady, consistent tension

Where this album fits

Career context
Released in 2000, Requiem for a Dream marks Clint Mansell's transition from a musician in the band Pop Will Eat Itself to a prominent film composer. This soundtrack followed his acclaimed work on Darren Aronofsky's previous film, Pi, establishing Mansell's unique style in scoring emotionally charged narratives.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Summer: Summer Overture 2:35
  • 2 Summer: Party 0:28
  • 3 Summer: Coney Island Dreaming 1:04
  • 4 Summer: Party 0:36
  • 5 Summer: Chocolate Charms 0:25
  • 6 Summer: Ghosts of Things to Come 1:33
  • 7 Summer: Dreams 0:44
  • 8 Summer: Tense 0:37
  • 9 Summer: Dr. Pill 0:42
  • 10 Summer: High on Life 0:11
  • 11 Summer: Ghosts 1:23
  • 12 Summer: Crimin’ & Dealin’ 1:44
  • 13 Summer: Hope Overture 2:32
  • 14 Summer: Tense 0:28
  • 15 Summer: Bialy & Lox Conga 0:45
  • 16 Fall: Cleaning Apartment 1:28
  • 17 Fall: Ghosts-Falling 1:11
  • 18 Fall: Dreams 1:02
  • 19 Fall: Arnold 2:35
  • 20 Fall: Marion Barfs 2:22
  • 21 Fall: Supermarket Sweep 2:14
  • 22 Fall: Dreams 0:32
  • 23 Fall: Sara Goldfarb Has Left the Building 1:17
  • 24 Fall: Bugs Got a Devilish Grin Conga 0:57
  • 25 Winter: Winter Overture 0:19
  • 26 Winter: Southern Hospitality 1:23
  • 27 Winter: Fear 2:26
  • 28 Winter: Full Tense 1:04
  • 29 Winter: The Beginning of the End 4:28
  • 30 Winter: Ghosts of a Future Lost 1:51
  • 31 Winter: Meltdown 3:56
  • 32 Winter: Lux Aeterna 3:54
  • 33 Winter: Coney Island Low 2:13

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata