The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station

Composer: Ben Foster – View bio »

Release Date (digital): 3 December 2021

About the album

This is composer Ben Foster’s (Our Girl, The Good Karma Hospital) soundtrack to the documentary film ‘The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station’ directed by Clare Lewins (I Am Ali, Kareem: Minority of One, The Lost Tapes of Memphis) and produced by BAFTA and Emmy-nominee George Chignell (Citizen K, Searching for Sugar Man, I Am Ali). The film features personal testimonies from the men and women who’ve been part of the International Space Station – a remarkable achievement of technology, worldwide collaboration, scientific endeavour and human bravery.

Ben’s stunning soundtrack for the film skilfully combines orchestral music, atmospheric synths performed by Toby Pitman and ethereal vocals by Eurielle, to perfectly capture the beauty of space.

‘I recorded the first draft of a theme for the film in one day shortly before lockdown 2020 in my room at Air Studios with my brilliant neighbour and friend Toby Pitman who conjured up the most beautiful sounds from his epic modular synths. This day of recording was to become the backbone for the score. Eurielle also brought her beautiful pure voice which was so well matched to the essence of the human nature of the score. The main influence on what I was to write was footage of the Space Station flying round the earth and discussions with the director Clare Lewins about all the wonderful and personal stories she had gathered from its’ various inhabitants. Flying at 17,000 miles per hour, the Space Station hurtles round the earth taking only 93 minutes to complete an orbit. Yet the images of the earth seem serene and stately. This juxtaposition is represented in the two main elements of the score – on the one hand the bubbling arpeggiated synths and on the other the slow majesty of the orchestra and vocals. The marriage of synthetic and human orchestra felt exactly right. This score is also about the people that work on the Space Station. Their journey to this point. Their reason for being there’. – Ben Foster

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  1. The Wonderful – Main Theme – 3:22
  2. The Next Frontier – 02:56
  3. A Joint Expedition To The Moon – 1:20
  4. Building The Space Station – 1:16
  5. A Foothold In The Heavens – 0:50
  6. The First Expedition – 2:01
  7. Peggy’s Theme – 2:01
  8. My Father Was A Cosmonaut – 2:17
  9. A Burst Of Light – 2:09
  10. Home from Home – 2:54
  11. The Only American Off The Planet – 3:29
  12. Samantha’s Theme – 2:09
  13. Wild Horses – 1:34
  1. Sunrise from Space – 1:21
  2.  Planet Earth – 1:24
  3. The Loss of Columbia /Return to Earth – 2:45
  4. Traditions and Superstitions – 1:44
  5. Christmas in Space – 1:05
  6. Clarity – 1:20
  7. A New Star in the Sky – 2:40
  8. Silence in Space – 1:16
  9. A Little Blue Marble – 2:52
  10. The Legacy – 2:21
  11. This Fragile Earth – 1:17
  12. Hymn Of The Cherubim (Arranged by Ben Foster) – 2:09
  13. Ready For The Wonderful – 1:58