Ad Astra

Label: Deutsche Grammofon
Barcode: 028948375189
Release Year: 2019
Country: UK
Product Type: CD (Used)
Score or Soundtrack: Score
Composer: Max Richter and Lorne Balfe

The Ad Astra soundtrack, released in 2019 to accompany James Gray’s space epic starring Brad Pitt, is a strikingly atmospheric score composed primarily by Max Richter, with contributions from Lorne Balfe, Nils Frahm, and additional music by Richard Strauss and Ludwig van Beethoven. Richter’s signature minimalist style—already familiar from Arrival, The Leftovers, and Sleep—infuses the film with a meditative, otherworldly quality, particularly in pieces like “To the Stars” and “Terra Incognita.” Nils Frahm’s piano and electronic textures, drawn from his album All Melody, provide moments of haunting stillness, while Balfe’s cues add intensity to action-driven sequences.

Classical works such as Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 appear in key moments, linking the film to a lineage of cosmic cinema from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Interstellar. The Ad Astra soundtrack stands out for its balance of avant-garde sound design, intimate instrumentation, and sweeping orchestral gestures, making it both a contemplative listening experience and a vital part of the film’s emotional architecture.

Track Listing

To The Stars
Max Richter

Encounter
Max Richter

Cosmic Drone Gateway
Max Richter

I Put All That Away
Max Richter

A Trip To The Moon
Max Richter

Terra Incognita
Max Richter

Ex Luna Scientia – Requiem
Max Richter

Journey Sequence
Max Richter

The Rings Of Saturn
Max Richter

The Wanderer
Max Richter

Erbarme Dich
Max Richter

Forced Entry
Max Richter

Preludium
Max Richter

Resonantia
Max Richter

Let There Be Light
Max Richter

Ursa Minor – Visions
Max Richter

Event Horizon
Max Richter

Musurgia Universalis
Max Richter

You Have To Let Me Go
Max Richter

Tuesday (Voiceless)
Max Richter

Opening
Lorne Balfe

Briefing
Lorne Balfe

Space Journey
Lorne Balfe

Rover Ride
Lorne Balfe

Pirate Attack
Lorne Balfe

Orbs
Lorne Balfe

Underground Lake
Lorne Balfe

Trip To Neptune
Lorne Balfe

Says
Nils Frahm

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