ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK FOR VAN HELSING
COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY ALAN SILVESTRI TO BE RELEASED ON DECCA/UMG SOUNDTRACKS MAY 4, 2004

(New York, NY- April 28, 2004) The soundtrack for this summer’s epic action-adventure, Van Helsing, starring Hugh Jackman, is slated for release May 4th on Decca/ UMG Soundtracks. Conducting and composing the epic original score is Grammy-winner, Golden Globe and Oscar® nominee Alan Silvestri, whose credits include The Mummy Returns, Forrest Gump and What Lies Beneath. The package also includes a mini-poster and a special enhanced CD containing a photo gallery, preview of the Van Helsing comic book, interactive game trailer and clues to unlock the secrets behind the Van Helsing video game.

Orchestrating the score is Mark McKenzie, who has worked on several films with Silvestri including: Lara Croft - Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Lilo and Stitch and The Mummy Returns. McKenzie was quoted as saying, “the themes, the level of raw energy, color and percussion in this score are electrifying. Alan is composing a classic thriller / action score that I believe is going to be temped in movies for years to come." An exhilarating listen, the score captures the excitement and suspense of the film from start to finish.

Alan Silvestri’s amazing career spans over three decades boasting over 70 film scores since its inception. He attended Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music before dropping out to join a Las Vegas band as a guitarist. He soon relocated to Los Angeles where he where he landed a job writing music for the television show, Chips. This led to his first major film score, Romancing the Stone, and the rest is history. As an accomplished film composer whose credits include some of the best-known movies in recent years, Silvestri has received Grammy nominations for Back To The Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump and won a Grammy for his Cast Away score as best instrumental composition in 2001.
Stephen Sommers, the innovative filmmaker behind the worldwide successes of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, now takes audiences to an action-filled, fantastical world, where the iconic monsters of cinema legend meet the famed monster hunter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman). Charged by a secret organization to seek out and defeat evil the world over, Van Helsing is dispatched to the shadowy world of Transylvania to terminate the seductive and undefeatable vampire, Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), one of the last of a powerful royal family, is bent on avenging her ancestors and ending an ancient curse by killing the vampire.
Joined by a common foe, Van Helsing and Anna set out to destroy Dracula along with his empire of fear. But in challenging an enemy who never dies, Van Helsing uncovers a secret he never imagined and comes face-to-face with the unresolved mysteries of his own enshrouded past. Universal Pictures will release Van Helsing on May 7th in theatres everywhere.

Also look for the perfect companion to the original soundtrack album- Van Helsing: The London Assignment on Decca June 8th, featuring original music composed and conducted by John Van Tongeren. The all new animated film will be released straight to DVD May 11th.
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