Silva Screen records release Ben Foster’s soundtrack to the BBC Natural History’s landmark wildlife series. Two years in the making and billed as ‘Pixar meets Life’, Hidden Kingdoms uses blue screen technology and ground-breaking camera techniques to re-create the lives of tiny creatures. From chipmunks to dung beetles, the African sengi to the Southeast Asian tree shrew, the three part series immerses the viewer in a unique and unexplored miniature world...

Ben Foster's score to Hidden Kingdoms represents a wonderful, and huge, collection of themes. The score contains 48 tracks (1 hr, 19 min) and there are so many beautiful themes that it's hard to pick favourite tracks. However, I found the following to house some of the most impressive themes: 'Africa' (which in places reminded me of Alan Silvestri's score for Back to the Future); 'Exploring the Trail'; 'Life'; 'Tom vs the Lizard' (which has a Spaghetti Western feel to it); 'Running Free'; 'It's a Fight!!'; 'Fight Fight Fight!'; and 'The Seasons Change'.

There are a few tracks that wouldn't sound out of place in a James Bond movie. Tracks like 'It's a Fight!!' and 'Fight Fight Fight!' sound like some of John Barry's best work on that movie franchise.

You couldn't ask for a better collection of tracks. Foster pulls out all the stops to ensure this is a score you'll be listening to for years to come.

10

Darren Rea