In a little church tucked away in London’s bustling Shoreditch, Inon Zur sits to the side of the London Symphony Orchestra, grinning. He is watching them record 10 suites of music that he has composed and orchestrated for Starfield, Bethesda’s latest role-playing game. As the French horns blare out the game’s six-note main theme, his smile widens. His hands dance in front of him as he leans forward. He is air-conducting the way you or I might play air guitar to our favourite riff. For a moment he closes his eyes. Two members of the LSO see him in their periphery and smile into their instruments as they play.
“The French horn has always evoked the sound of a journey to me,” Zur tells me later. “There is something primordial about its quality, but on the other hand it can also be a very majestic instrument. It can be performed as a primitive call to battle or it can perform complicated melodies in a sophisticated manner.”
