Inon Zur (born July 4, 1965) is an Israeli American award-winning music composer for movies, television, and video games. He currently lives in Encino, California, in the United States.
Biography
Inon Zur was born in Israel. He learned to play piano and french horn as a child, and was studying composition by the age of ten.[1] He graduated from the Music Academy of Tel Aviv, and emigrated to the United States in 1990 to study at the Dick Grove School of Music for a year, and then under private tutor Jack Smalley for two years,[2] as well as the University of California, Los Angeles.[1]
Work
Zur began by working on soundtracks a couple of movies, one Yellow Lotus featured at the Sundance Film Festival. He was then signed to Fox Family for six years, and made soundtracks for various children's television shows, including Digimon and Power Rangers before making his first video game soundtrack for Star Trek: Klingon Academy.[1] The soundtrack was considered well-done and dramatic, creating a uniquely operatic Klingon atmosphere during combat.[3] Other early works include the D&D adventures Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal of 2001, the 2002 release Icewind Dale II. The latter game saw him working with Jeremy Soule, the composer for the first Icewind Dale, to maintain the tone of the music.[4] He also has subsequently worked on several video games in the Warhammer 40k series.
His work is orchestral in the most part, and similar to the works of Hollywood composers like Steve Jablonsky and Hans Zimmer, with his compositions containing heavy brass usage and complex, relentless percussion patterns.[citation needed] He has often collaborated with the Northwest Sinfonia from Seattle.[1]
Zur worked on the score for the 2004 adventure game Syberia II, in which he recalled being greatly moved by the artwork which influenced his composition.[1][5] It was well rated by Gamespot, although a discontinuity between game and score was noted.[6]
Collaborating with Stuart Chatwood, Zur was the lead composer for the score of the Prince of Persia, in which he combined classical orchestral music with Arabic flutes and the woodwind duduk.[7]
The work saw him get two nominations from the Game Audio Network Guild for Best Original Instrumental and Best Original Vocal - Choral. It was also nominated for the Imagine Games Network's award for Best Soundtrack of 2008.
Zur composed the orchestral music for Fallout 3 in 2008, using electronic orchestral sounds and sampling;[8] where his music was combined with vintage songs from the 1940s.[9] The score gained a nomination for Best Original Score at the BAFTA Games Awards, and the Spike TV Video Game Awards.[10]
Discography
- Dragon Age: Origins (2009)
- Prince of Persia (2008)[7]
- Fallout 3 (2008)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm (2008)
- Crysis Warhead (2008)
- Crysis (2007)
- Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (Panzer Elite campaign) (2007)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade (2006)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (2006)
- Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (2005)
- Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (2005)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault (2005)
- Champions: Return to Arms (2005)
- Men of Valor (2004)
- Power Rangers: Dino Thunder (2004)
- Shadow Ops: Red Mercury (2004)
- Combat Task Force: 121 (2004)
- Crusader Kings (2004)
- Syberia II (2004)
- Champions of Norrath (2004)
- SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs (2003)
- Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (2003)
- Lineage II (2003)
- Run Like Hell (2002)
- War and Peace (2002)
- Icewind Dale II (2002)
- Star Trek: Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates (2001)
- Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001)
- Au Pair II (2001)
- Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2001)
- Star Trek: Starfleet Command II: Empires at War (2000)
- Final Descent (2000)
- Escaflowne (2000)
- Escaflowne: The Movie (2000)
- St. Patrick: The Irish Legend (2000)
- Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000)
- Power Rangers in 3D: Triple Force (2000)
- Star Trek: Klingon Academy (2000)
- Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (1999)
- Au Pair (1999) (TV)
- Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999)
- Star Trek: New Worlds (1999)
- Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998)
- Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog (1998)
- Ramadhan in Indonesia (1998)
- Ke lanh nan (1998)
- Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
- Beetleborgs Metallix (1997)
- Big Bad Beetleborgs (1996)
- Yellow Lotus (1995)
- Valley of the Dolls (1994)
References
- ^ a b c d e "Interview - Inon Zur". GSoundtracks - a video game music website. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^ McCarroll, John (2002). "Inon Zur interview". RPGFan website. RPGfan. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^ Klingon Academy review, IGN, June 23, 2000.
- ^ "Icewind Dale II Q&A". Gamespot. February 04, 2002. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Calvert, Justin (2004-01-24). "Inon Zur score for Syberia II - News at GameSpot". Au.gamespot.com. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ^ Search: (2009-06-02). "Syberia II Review for PC: Syberia 2 is a rough diamond... cut the wrong way". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ a b "Prince of Persia Soundtrack composed by Inon Zur and Stuart Chatwood". Music 4 Games.net. 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ Spence D. (2008, November 3rd). "Inon Zur Talks Fallout 3". IGN website. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
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(help) - ^ "Fallout 3 Review: Wasting Away Again In Radiationville". October 29, 2008.
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(help); Text "last-Fahey" ignored (help) - ^ "Spike TV Video Game Award Nominees for Best Original Score and Soundtrack 2008". 2008, 13th November. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
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