Summary
National Geographic’sEarth Day specialSuper Reefsdetails a coral reef’s stunning recovery from a bleaching event, andScreen Ranthas a first listen to key pieces from the documentary’s evocative soundtrack. Developed by National Geographic’s Pristine Seas ocean conservation project,Super Reefsshowcases the value in protecting marine areas as it highlights a specific coral reef in the seas of the Southern Line Islands. The documentary was released on Earth Day 2024, and is available to stream now on YouTube.
Screen Rantis excited to present two tracks from the soundtrack album forSuper Reefs,complete with behind-the-scenes video of the recording sessions themselves. Theocean documentarytells an important—and uplifting—story, and composer Christian Heschl was able to write a musical score that aptly transports viewers into the undersea world of the Southern Line Islands. Check out the videos, below, and listen to the soundtrack forSuper Reefsin full when it releases July 5 courtesy of Silva Screen Records.
“Backstory”:
Why The Score For Super Reefs (And Nature Documentary Music) Is Worth A Listen
The soundtrack for National Geographic’sSuper Reefswill be released on July 5th and will surely worth a listen even by those who haven’t seen the special. Although many film and television scores are effective on their own, the unique musical opportunities provided by nature documentary programming can often lead to beautiful scores that are less reliant on a picture to succeed. One simple reason for this is that whilenature documentarieslikeSuper Reefsoften have voiceover and interviews, the fact that they are not dialogue-driven means that composers like Heschl have more room to create memorable, melodic music.
The sights and sounds of documentaries likeSuper Reefsalso prompt a type of score that isn’t as often heard in fictional projects. InSuper Reefs, Heschl is able to write music on a scale that is as grand as the world it explores. Composers have always found inspiration in the natural world (for a classical example, check out Gustav Holst’sThe Planetssuite), and nature documentaries offerfilm composersa chance to explore musical ideas that may reflect forces of nature more than human emotions.
Of course, for those who did see National Geographic’sEarth DayspecialSuper Reefs, Heschl’s soundtrack can act as a trip back to the documentary’s stunning visuals and important message. As the videos above show, the recording of theSuper Reefssoundtrack was a huge endeavor, and the accompanying visuals from the documentary itself only highlight how well Heschl’s music helps viewers connect with what’s on screen. With even more tracks soon to be available, listeners can get a full scope of what Heschl was able to contribute to the project.
Super Reefsis out on YouTube now. Christian Heschl’s soundtrack for the documentary will be available July 5th on digital platforms.
