Experience ‘The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness’ Score By Alex Heffes (Out Now)
Lakeshore Records has released Alex Heffes’ score to The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness — available now digitally on all major music services! The score by Golden Globe-nominated composer Alex Heffes (The Last King of Scotland, Black Mirror), is both grand and intimate. Heffes utilizes both a full orchestra and more folk-oriented instrumentation to reflect all of the moments captured by the incredible camerawork of National Geographic photographer Florian Schulz. Keep reading for album listening links and more about the spectacular film.
Cosmic Picture presents a film produced by Terra Mater Factual Studios, written and directed by veteran IMAX® producer Myles Connolly and award-winning nature photographer and cinematographer Schulz.
Soundtrack Available Now: [Download/Listen]
Track List
01. Opening Title
02. The Refuge
03. Photographing The Wild
04. Caribou Migration
05. The Mysterious Caribou / Aurora
06. Musk Oxen Battle / A Calf Is Born
07. Stuck On The Ice / Bird Migration
08. Little Miracles
09. Flying Above the Refuge
10. Golden Eagle / Finding The Herd
11. Baby Caribou Plays
12. Family In Paradise
13. Jaeger Bird
14. Wolf Hunt
15. Arctic Fall
16. Prudhoe Bay
17. We Can Protect
18. Polar Bears Play
19. This Place Has Stolen My Heart
20. The Arctic Theme Solo Piano Suite
Imagine a place in the far north of Alaska that is vast, wild, and magical – where one of earth’s greatest natural spectacles unfolds. Princess Daazhraii Johnson of the Gwich’in tribe reveals the land that has sustained her people for untold generations. Experience a world that has evolved intact and untamed since the beginning of time. Journey with National Geographic photographer Florian Schulz on his five-year quest to film the elusive 200,000 strong Porcupine Caribou herd as it migrates to the Arctic Coastal Plain, one of the longest animal migrations on earth. Filled with intimate moments featuring polar bears and musk oxen, wolves, grizzlies, golden eagles and more, The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness is the first cinematic exploration of a world few have truly seen until now. Experience this special place worth protecting.
For more information visit: https://www.protectthearctic.org/
Says Heffes: “One of the great parts of being a movie composer is working with people from many backgrounds and walks of life. It was exciting to work with incredible National Geographic photographer, director, and bona fide explorer of the wild Florian Schultz. The music captures Florian’s experiences living in the Arctic which is home to the great caribou herds, the exotic and alien-looking musk ox, and a vast amount of the world’s migratory birds.
We recorded full orchestra and choir at Vienna’s Synchron stage to capture the scale and majesty of the epic vistas on the giant IMAX screen. But it’s not all epic. We used mandolins, folk fiddle, and whistle for the more folky sound of the baby polar bears enjoying a play in the first snows of winter after a hard and unusually warm summer, and the stunning images of the Arctic Eagle are accompanied by dulcimers and breathy synths to give the feeling of being weightless on an arctic breeze.
This soundtrack celebrates one of the world’s last untouched wildernesses – the Arctic Refuge. It’s truly a magical wild place that needs celebrating and preserving for all.”
ABOUT ALEX HEFFES
Alex Heffes is a Golden Globe-nominated composer known for his scores to over 60 movies and TV series including Mandela Long Walk to Freedom, The Last King of Scotland, State of Play, Roots, Black Mirror, and many others. Originally rising to critical acclaim with his scores to Kevin Macdonald’s Academy Award-winning film One Day In September and Touching The Void, he has worked with many of cinema’s top filmmakers such as Stephen Frears (The Program), Mira Nair (Queen of Katwe, A Suitable Boy), Catherine Hardwicke (Miss Bala) and JJ Abrams (11.22.63).
Known for his great versatility, Alex has shown himself equally at home scoring fantasy (Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood), horror (Anthony Hopkins’ The Rite), WW II drama (Peter Webber’s Emperor) action (Escape Plan & The Take) as well as acclaimed nature and family films The Elephant Queen (Apple TV+) and the BBC’s Earth: One Amazing Day.
His unique ability to collaborate with artists from different countries and cultures has been been a trademark of his style. It was his iconic score to Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland that first sent Alex to Africa where he created a blend of world music and orchestral scoring. He would later return to South Africa to record sessions for Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. He collaborated closely with director Tim Burton on his screen adaptation of Sweeney Todd and his solo album Face To Face features duets with artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Regina Spektor.
Alex’s many awards and nominations include a Golden Globe nomination (Mandela Long Walk to Freedom) and a BAFTA nomination for the HBO drama Tsunami: The Aftermath. He has been nominated for three Ivor Novello Awards, winning for Best Film Score of the Year (The First Grader) and his score to Roots won Best TV Score of the Year at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards. In 2016 he was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness is set in IMAX® and Giant Screen Theaters (find a theater).
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