Gareth Coker had the oppportunity to explore authentic music from China's Qin Dynasty in his soundtrack for Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realms, inspired by ancient Chinese myths. Gareth says having the help of the amazing team at Ubisoft Chengdu in China was key to using the correct instruments from the period 221-207 BC.
One of the challenges of using a small ensemble of ancient instruments was letting them sound like themselves while blending them with the other traditional Western instruments Gareth also used to create a fantasy feeling with the music. It was easier, he said, to adapt the Western instruments to the limitations of the Chinese ones. He relied on wind virtuoso Kristin Naigus once again to play many of the Chinese flutes, including the xiao, which was specific to the era of the Qin Dynasty.
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Much of the foundation for how the music would work in Myths of the Eastern Realms had already been laid when Gareth worked with Ubisoft Quebec on the original Immortals: Fenyx Rising game. Gareth says the process of creating music that can adapt to whether the player is exploring the world on foot, horseback or flying was much more streamlined for this new expansion, and even more seamless. Because of the different setting, Gareth describes it as similar to using a new language, with which he became quite fluent.
Episode tracklist:
all tracks by Gareth Coker
Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realms: Unity Shrine; Dawn Valley; Nuwa the Goddess; The Awakening; Devourer of Ancient Hearts; Tao Wu; Ni Hong; The Heavenly Kingdom; Song of the Crane; The Peace Forge
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Thanks to Greg O-Connor-Read, Top Dollar PR
