Award-winning composer Lorne Balfe’s dramatic soundtrack to the BBC’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy HIS DARK MATERIALS released digitally today from Silva Screen Records and will be available on CD in January 2020.
“It’s an epic work that perfectly foreshadows Lyra’s journey, and could easily belong in Assassin’s Creed or Tomb Raider…There’s been a lot of love for Balfe’s music for HIS DARK MATERIALS, with one Twitter user saying it’s been “playing and replaying in their head”, and another calling it their “favourite intro for a TV show in 2019.” – Classic FM
“This is fantasy the way it should be done: sumptuous, inspiring both wonder and a sense of adventure, beautifully scored (by Lorne Balfe), with world-building that is an impeccable as it is effortless.” – First Post
The main themes from HIS DARK MATERIALS have already been introduced to the listeners through The Musical Anthology of His Dark Materials, released on Silva Screen Records in November 2019. For this concept album, the principal themes were reworked, moulded and explored as each character’s theme is on a separate musical journey through the series. The themes are never fixed, there are no rules and they are constantly evolving. HIS DARK MATERIALS original score provides a musical narrative drive across all 8 episodes. The album presents the music, including main character themes, as they appear through the series.
The score is performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Matt Dunkley. The leading cast for HIS DARK MATERIALS includes Dafne Keen as Lyra, Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Coulter, Lin Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, Clarke Peters as The Master of Jordan College, James Cosmo as Farder Coram and Anne-Marie Duff as Ma Costa, with Will Keen as Father McPhail and Ariyon Bakare as Lord Boreal.
Loren Balfe (Mission Impossible: Fallout, The Lego Batman Movie, Churchill) is a Grammy Award-winning, EMMY and BAFTA-nominated composer. Whether on an impossible mission, the heartbreak of the Queen, the perils of the cape crusade or the soul of a genius, Lorne Balfe creates a musical voice that reflects the characters and the stories that embody them. Originally from Inverness, Scotland, Balfe has created music in virtually all genres and for all visual media with projects ranging from major studios to independent films, tentpole video game franchises, beloved animated feature films, critically acclaimed television series, and documentary features.
HIS DARK MATERIALS is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema for BBC One and HBO. The series’ global premiere was on Sunday 3rd November on BBC One and on Monday 4th November on HBO. For more on HIS DARK MATERIALS, check out our review here. You can stream the HIS DARK MATERIALS soundtrack here.
TRACK LISTING
CD 1
- Iorek’s Armor
- The Great Flood
- Lyra’s Jordan
- Everyone is Special
- The Golden Compass
- Where Is Roger?
- Readying the Boats
- Leaving Jordan
- Tell Me Where He Is
- Voyages
- Cocktail Party
- I Will Succeed
- There Was a Gyptian Nurse
- Daemons to Dust
- Clear Your Mind
- The List
- Look to the Stars
CD 2
- Gateway to the North
- You Loved a Witch
- Iorek Breaks Loose
- Some Sort of Ghost
- Polar Adventure
- The Silver Guillotine
- Battle of Bolvangar
- Parting Ways
- Armored Claws
- Assuming The Mantle
- Airships Approaching
- Fog and Ice
- Bridge to the Stars
- The End of the Magisterium
- Crossing Worlds
- Into the Sky
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