Guys,
First, HZ and JNH composed over two hours of music for the film. Since the studio wouldn't release a 2-CD set, the composers edited together what they thought were the "highlights" of the score, arranged to make a coherent, 1-hour listening experience on CD. (And no, it's not mainly "noise" and sound effects.)
Second, some of the pieces people are suggesting were omitted ARE on the CD; you just have to listen for them (they're mixed in with other cues.)
Below is the FIRST public preview/review of the "BB" score, published on June 6th, written by Matt Scheller. It'll help readers pick out what actions go along with the specific cues on the CD.
http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=150
1. Vespertilio (2:52)
This music accompanies the opening of the film. The cue starts off percussively - each percussive hit sounding like a giant bat flapping its wings. As the music "flaps" through the left and right channels, the listener feels almost as if a creature is lurking in the darkness. This part accompanies the Warner Brothers and DC Comics Logos. As the percussion fades away, a brass chord (similar to the brass samples of past Zimmer scores) transitions the piece into a low but fast string rhythm interwoven with a subtle electronic pulse. A brass chord rises followed by a descending chord through out the track. This brass motif is a central theme.
2. Eptesicus (4:20)
Thomas and Martha Wayne are brutally gunned down in an alley leaving young Bruce all alone. Much like the soft tender moments of Snow Falling on Cedars, James Newton Howard utilizes the strings to reflect Bruce's loneliness and guilt. A calm piano melody enters as Bruce remembers his father. Halfway through the track, Zimmer takes over with a building structure of strings reminiscent of "Journey to the Line" from The Thin Red Line and pieces from The Last Samurai. This music accompanies the training montage where Ducard (Liam Neeson) teaches Bruce Wayne the way of the ninja.
3. Myotis (5:46)
A cello starts off this cue and creates a moody atmosphere. Ambient orchestrations are heard until the action kicks in around the 2 minute mark, where Bruce Wayne attempts to escape the clutches of the evil Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) and his ninja clan The League of Shadows. We also get to hear the main theme for the first time which is tragic at the same time, driving and confident. After the action subsides, the track concludes with strings reminiscent of the training montage.
4. Barbastella (4:45)
This cue begins with a gloomy tone. A boy soprano vocalizes the main theme and some more string material enters followed by a solo piano rendition of the main theme. The string rhythms from the first track return as Bruce investigates the well he fell into as a little boy. Inside the well, he finds an opening which leads him into a cave. Bats swarm through out the vast cavern and the brassy two note chord motif returns along with goose bump inducing percussion as Bruce stands among the bats, understanding his destiny.
5. Artibeus (4:19)
One might think this cue would be suitable for a horror film. Dissonant voices chant as the lurking bat-wing flaps. The music is played at a low register when suddenly, ferocious string clusters, much like George Crumb's "Night of the Electric Insects" used in The Exorcist, accompany the scary hallucinogenic images of the Scarecrow's (Cillian Murphy) victims.
6. Tadarida (5.05)
Martin Tillman's cello work opens this piece which is overcome by the bat-wing flaps. Batman has his first confrontation with the Scarecrow and things don't go so well. Scarecrow gasses the Bat with his hallucinogenic chemical and the Dark Knight begins to see what he fears most: bats. A bat-wing flutters and harsh voices are whispered as terrifying images of these winged creatures cloud our hero's vision. A tragic string piece along with a solo soprano is heard as Batman fails for the first time.
7. Macrotus (7:35)
The first two minutes of this cue are clearly JNH's music. The music sounds like dramatic pieces from Snow Falling on Cedars and The Village. A beautiful melody comprised of strings builds as a solo piano accompanies the motif until it crescendos into Zimmer's synth material. This is a perfect track to hear the two composers' styles blend together. [Note: the first half of the music accompanies Bruce's monorail ride into Gotham near the beginning of the film. The second half, I believe, is either Ducard threatening Bruce, or Crane threatening Falcone, then some additional "sad Rachel" music.]
8. Antrozous (3:59)
Around the one minute mark, the action kicks in once again... The trailer for the film featured a really cool action theme that unfortunately is only heard in the end credits of the film. Even more unfortunate, that particular piece of music is not on this disc but a variation of the theme is briefly played through a Martin Tillman cello solo played against some interesting percussion. Aggressive string rhythms play as trademark Zimmer brass strike.
9. Nycteris (4:25)
A percussive electronic loop plays underneath some cool string writing. The opening title music appears once again in a different variation, building to a string version of the two note chord motif and JNH's soft string/piano theme is heard once again.
10. Molossus (4:49)
By far the coolest track on this disc; the action starts and never quits. An aggressive electronic pulse is looped underneath striking brass notes as the strings go crazy with a forceful rhythm. Batman's main theme is heroically played by the brass and the two note brass chord also makes a comeback. The music is constantly building and driving full force. Also throughout the track, the Hans Zimmer "Black Rain" action motif provides an extra jolt of adrenaline as Batman fights his way through ninjas and glides through the night sky to catch an elevated transit train. [Note; This is also the Batmobile chase cue.]
11. Corynorhinus (5.04)
JNH's wonderful string material is heard once again after a gentle solo piano opens the cue. This piece reflects the troubled fate of Bruce's relationship with love interest Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). Bruce reminisces about his father and the calm piano melody heard in "Eptesicus" plays along the images of Bruce's memories. The opening theme returns as Batman meets Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) on top of police head quarters, after being summoned by the bat-signal for the first time (yay!), where Gordon explains that strange "theatrical" villains are starting to emerge as a result of Batman's victory. Strings and brass build to a heroic crescendo as Batman makes an iconic exit.
12. Lasiurus (7:27)
The majority of this track is tonal and atmospheric featuring most of Zimmer's string work. The strings constantly build until they reach an emotional catharsis, once again akin to "Journey to the Line." After the catharsis culminates, a rousing vibrato of strings begins from silence to a loud climax. This inspiring music accompanies the iconic image of Batman standing atop a skyscraper watching over Gotham- the city he has sworn to protect against evil. The disc concludes as the flapping of bat-wings fade out.
NOTE: the film's end credits feature a reprise of all the major themes in the film, including some variations of the "action/Molossus" theme, but most egregiously, this cue isn't on the CD. I'm going to rip my own personal copy of it from my "BB" DVD when it comes out this fall.
-- Admiral Nelson