Tonal Remixes Nature Theme

09.23.2009

2009-09-23-nature New York, NY (September 23, 2009)--Composer Alex Lasarenko has created two new remixes based on his original theme music to the venerable PBS show Nature.

"PBS wanted something with a sense of panorama to it, something with movement and energy, not some stilted, majestic score," said Lasarenko, founder/creative director of music and sound design house Tonal. "The melody is cinematic, but when paired with a powerful percussion groove, it takes it to a whole other level."

Soaring and memorable, the original :40 theme effortlessly blended an orchestral feel with a distinctly African rhythm section, but it was clearly scored to picture. For the remixes, Lasarenko gave himself license to further explore the rhythm and the groove, bringing in an array of different percussion instruments, all the while still maintaining the melodic hook that viewers over the years have responded to.

To create the remixes, Lasarenko and the Tonal creative team not only revisited the original recordings, using some elements and discarding others, but also bringing in some guest musicians, including Phil Meyers, a first chair French horn player in the New York Philharmonic orchestra, and noted percussionist Todd Schietroma.

"Even though we have an array of digital samplers, software and synths at our disposal, there is something about a real musician and the nuance and phrasing they bring to a performance that you can't recreate digitally," Lasarenko says. However, Lasarenko notes, expanding a small piece of music can be a tricky affair. The longer version had to maintain what people love about the original piece but also take it to a new place that offers listeners a deeper musical experience.

The remixes are available as free downloads at the PBS website: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/about-the-series/download-the-nature-remixes/5184/

Tonal
www.tonalsound.com