A collaborator for everyone from
Sir David Attenborough to
Coldplay, the renowned and award-winning composer
Ilan Eshkeri will release the new album
‘Space Station Earth’ on
May 13th via
Sony Masterworks. The album will be accompanied by an immersive, out-of-this-earth tour created in collaboration with the
European Space Agency (ESA), which will debut at
London’s Royal Albert Hall on
May 15th. Today
Eshkeri continues to build anticipation towards the release of the new album by sharing the new single
‘Stars’. Listen
HERE. Watch the video
HERE.Eshkeri explains, “Stars is the piece of music that closes the show, it’s about hope and inspiration, it’s about discovery and adventure but also about trying to understand our place in the universe. It’s about the micro and the macro and the connections between them. The relationship between the International Space Station and the Earth is like this too. For over 20 years the ISS has been a place of peaceful collaboration between nations, no matter what has been happening on the ground. If we could achieve the same here on earth then humanity and our planet would be better for it”.
The ‘Space Station Earth’ album uses Eshkeri’s evocative blend of modern electronic and vintage acoustic instrumentation to convey through music the extraordinary emotional voyage that astronauts experience in space. Eshkeri recently unveiled the official video for his single ‘Aurora’ which sets his beautifully touching and expansive music to dazzling footage of the aurora borealis: better known as the northern lights. Watch it HERE.
The project began when the astronaut Tim Peake contacted Eshkeri to say that he was a fan of his work. That initial connection eventually resulted in Eshkeri being granted unprecedented access by the ESA, which provided him with an invaluable source of inspiration for the album.
Eshkeri says, “I got to see rocket launches, a zero-gravity flight, and a chance to get lost in their video archive, as well as the opportunity to get advice from ESA scientists and astronauts. I started creating the music with synthesisers and then I started to add strings, brass and choir to deliver the awe-inspiring, epic scale that only an orchestra can. I never imagined I’d have the privilege of collaborating with astronauts to try to impart the experience of space travel through music, of looking out into the darkness of space and back upon our beautiful and fragile planet.”
The ‘Space Station Earth’ live show is a music-led, multimedia experience that allows the audience to see through the eyes of astronauts and to contemplate our planet, the stars and the exploration of the universe. For this unique show, Eshkeri’s exceptional new music will be complemented by images he shot at various ESA locations, as well as rare footage filmed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
These stunning images will be projected across three massive screens together with a stunning light show to create an incredible audience experience. Without dialogue or narration, audiences can expect to lose themselves in the wonderful combination of emotionally charged music and extraordinary visuals, and leave filled with awe and wonder.
The Royal Albert Hall event will open with a pre-show Q&A featuring Ilan Eshkeri and special guest Tim Peake. Tickets for the show are available here. Subsequent shows will feature different special guest astronauts: Andreas Mogensen in Denmark and Sweden, and Matthias Maurer at all three shows in Germany.
Tim Peake says, “There aren’t many words that can truly describe the beauty of seeing Earth from space and ‘Space Station Earth’ attempts to do this by using music and video to capture the emotion of human spaceflight and exploration. Featuring previously unreleased footage from ESA astronauts and accompanied by a live orchestra, the show creates a unique experience, one that celebrates space and unites the audience, just as exploration unites humankind.”
Ilan Eshkeri is an award-winning composer, artist, songwriter, producer and creator whose work features in concert, theatre, film, television and video games. His eclectic body of work is united by his love of narrative. He has won and been nominated for many awards, including two BAFTAs and two Ivor Novellos. His extensive catalogue includes music for diverse projects such as ‘Still Alice’,‘Stardust’, ‘A Perfect Planet’ and ‘Ghost of Tsushima’.
Eshkeri’s long-term collaborators include the legendary naturalist Sir David Attenborough and actor/director Ralph Fiennes. His other creative partnerships include Annie Lennox, David Gilmour, Sinead O’Connor, KT Tunstall, Tom Odell, Emeli Sandé, Ash, Take That and Coldplay.
‘Space Station Earth’ tour dates:
May 15th UK, London, Royal Albert Hall with special guest Tim Peake
August 17th Denmark, Copenhagen, Royal Hall with special guest Andreas Mogensen
August 19th Sweden, Rättvik, Dalhalla with special guest Andreas Mogensen
October 7th Germany, Stuttgart, Porsche Arena with special guest Matthias Maurer
October 8th Germany, Düsseldorf, Mitsubishi Electric Halle with special guest Matthias Maurer
October 9th Germany, Bremen, OVB Arena with special guest Matthias Maurer
‘Space Station Earth’ tracklist:
