Ilan Eshkeri is the featured guest on this Score to Screen podcast. The award-winning composer highlights the importance of narrative and story when it comes to crafting score music. Eshkeri provides an in depth look at his soundtrack to the documentary series, A Perfect Planet as well as the admired video game, Ghost of Tsushima.
A Perfect Planet is a unique fusion of blue chip natural history and earth science that explains how our living planet operates. This five-part series shows how the forces of nature drive, shape and support Earth’s great diversity of wildlife. It takes us on a stunning visual journey, from lands drenched by the Indian monsoon to the slopes of fiery Hawaiian volcanoes, from the tidal islands of the Bahamas to the frozen wastes of Ellesmere Island. From Arctic wolves prowling moonlit landscapes in winter, to frozen wood frogs magically thawing back to life in spring; from the vampire finches of the Galapagos who drink the blood of seabirds, to the African flamingos who gather in their thousands every year in a vast volcanic lake to breed.
The video game, Ghost of Tsushima, takes place in the late 13th century, when the Mongol empire has laid waste to entire nations along their campaign to conquer the East. Tsushima Island is all that stands between mainland Japan and a massive Mongol invasion fleet led by the ruthless and cunning general, Khotun Khan. As the island burns in the wake of the first wave of the Mongol assault, samurai warrior Jin Sakai stands as one of the last surviving members of his clan. He is resolved to do whatever it takes, at any cost, to protect his people and reclaim his home. He must set aside the traditions that have shaped him as a warrior to forge a new path, the path of the Ghost, and wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima.
Ilan Eshkeri is an award-winning composer, artist, songwriter, producer and creator. Eshkeri’s work is performed in concert halls, theaters, galleries, on film and television and in video games. Recent projects include A Perfect Planet, his fourth collaboration with the legendary naturalist David Attenborough and The White Crow which he worked on with Ralph Fiennes. Both followed the creation of a ballet, Narcissus and Echo, choreographed by famed dancer Sergei Polunin with set designs by David LaChapelle and a ballet commission from Rambert Dance Company. Eshkeri has collaborated with Burberry on a landmark fashion show, where he composed and conducted a choral symphonic suite, Reliquary, which then reached No. 1 in the UK classical chart. Before this, he worked with astronaut Tim Peake and the European Space Agency on a film documenting his mission to the International Space Station. He continues his collaboration with Tim Peake and ESA with his spellbinding show Space Station Earth, last performed in Stockholm to an audience of 10,000. Eshkeri’s many creative partnerships include artists such as Annie Lennox, David Gilmour, Sinead O’Connor, KT Tunstall, Tom Odell, Ash and The Cinematic Orchestra. Amongst his extensive catalogue of film and television are multiple Oscar & BAFTA winning films, such as Still Alice, Stardust and Shaun The Sheep.
The Score to Screen podcast series is produced and hosted by Crossover Media's Max Horowitz.
Listen to the Soundtrack to A Perfect Planet here.
Listen to the Ghost of Tsushima Soundtrack here.
List to the official Ilan Eshkeri Spotify playlist here.
To learn more about Sony Soundtracks visit https://lnk.to/son
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