The soundtrack of the show KÀ is the most ambitious musical project produced by Cirque du Soleil to date. While remaining firmly rooted in Cirque du Soleil musical tradition, the recording features a symphony orchestra and a 40-member choir, as such creating a unique musical universe both epic and lyrical.
The powerful percussion and distinctive sound invites comparisons with classic movie soundtracks creating "a rich soundtrack that lives up to the overarching eye-candy on display", says Variety. To create this sound, KÀ was recorded at the renowned Paramount Studios in Los Angeles and in Montreal, where Cirque du Soleil is based. Hollywood veteran Simon Leclerc, the conductor for Star Trek: Voyager and Enterprise and the play Les Misérables, conducted the orchestra in Los Angeles.
Composer René Dupéré has been part of Cirque du Soleil since the very beginning. KÀ is the first work Dupéré has composed for Cirque du Soleil since 1994’s Alegría, the best-selling Cirque du Soleil recording to date. "We pulled out all the stops in the making of this album, and the result is, I believe, a record of the highest quality," says Dupéré. The album KÀ is worthy of the show that Time magazine called "bigger than Vegas."
Both the stage production and the soundtrack called for highly innovative use of musical technology. Says Martin Lord-Ferguson, co-producer of the recording: "Technological innovation, artistic audacity and technical prowess are all features of KÀ that the soundtrack had to reflect."