Classical Californians: Inon Zur

This week our Classical Californian is composer Inon Zur – who’s written for film and television, but is best known for the scores he’s written for video games. Growing up in Israel, he was introduced to some of the pieces of music that he’s going to share, imagining stories that would accompany works by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, and Stravinsky and more. His most recent videogame score is for Starfield, which he describes as a space-exploration game, in which you get to “fly anywhere… everywhere, time is not a limit, distance is not a limit.” We’ll hear some of his works as well.

He begins, by way of introduction, with a piece of his own from his most recent video game release, Starfield. Click the play icon to hear his introduction!

Then it’s on to some of the composers who he was introduced to at a young age… starting with Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

Jumping right into things with Brahms, from his fourth symphony…

While Antonin Dvorak takes a more roundabout approach in his Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”

If you want to know what the “Sound of Doom” sounds like, here’s Mozart’s take on the Dies Irae from his Requiem.

And the plaintive bassoon becomes a wounded animal crying for help in Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring…

Some closing words of gratitude from Inon Zur…