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.
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. 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 today unveils the new video for ‘Aurora’, which sets his beautifully touching and expansive music to dazzling footage of the aurora borealis: better known as the northern lights. He adds, “Seeing the aurora borealis is an epic experience and I wanted to express the scale and majesty of it in music. The astronauts have also shot mind-blowing footage of the aurora borealis, which we use in the concert, so until space tourism becomes an everyday occurrence, ‘Space Station Earth’ is the closest you’ll get.” Watch BELOW:
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:
1. ‘Maps’
2. ‘Sun’
3. ‘Day’
4. ‘Rocket’
5. ‘Launch’
6. ‘International Space Station’
7. ‘Astronauts’
8. ‘Night (Part 1)’
9. ‘Night (Part 2)’
10. ‘Aurora’
11. ‘Stars’
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