Crossing Worlds & Seasons on “His Dark Materials”

Crossing Worlds & Seasons on “His Dark Materials”
November 23, 2020 Tom Ito

HBO’s Season 1 Recap of “His Dark Materials” with The Hit House’s Music

How to best convey the vast magnitude & riveting drama of crossing between worlds & seasons for HBO’s His Dark Materials series? The stunning visual cinematography & superb acting performances were already there, but the music to tie the character’s emotional hills & valleys to the ever evolving plot was still needed… So The Hit House was grateful for the opportunity to have our composers David Andronico & William August Hunt contribute their work “Adelaid” & “Alinas” from our “TALES V” album. Ultimately the ebb & flow of the orchestral score helped enhance the visual & story elements from Season 1 to prepare the fans for Season 2 of His Dark Materials.

Season 2 of HBO’s His Dark Materials arrived in 2020 upon the heels of a critically lauded & fan adored Season 1. Crafted from the trilogy of books by author Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials tells the tale of the young orphan Lyra Belacqua (played by Dafne Keen), a resourceful & courageous girl who discovers twisted plots of power & darkness by devious entities across multiple dimensions. It all begins with Lyra’s adventure to find her missing friend, which results in her uncovering secrets involving her previously unknown family, magical “Dust,” an array of other-worldly tools with powerful capabilities, & an eclectic blend of evil, questionable, & good characters that sometimes assist & other times hinder her journey. Witches, daemons, & other trans-dimensional beings abound in a reality that is at once both mesmerizing & terrifying. The series also stars smashing ensemble & individual performances by Ruth Wilson, Anne-Marie Duff, Clarke Peters, James Cosmo, Ariyon Bakare, Will Keen, Lucian Msamati, Gary Lewis, Lewin Lloyd, Daniel Frogson, James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruta Gedmintas, Amir Wilson, Nina Sosanya, Jade Anouka, Sean Gilder, Simone Kirby, & Andrew Scott.

Magical worlds deserve ethereal tales & Philip Pullman’s written concepts certainly delivered as does HBO’s adaptation of His Dark Materials. Similarly, other worldly series deserve the requisite music to enhance the viewer’s experience of the journey. The Hit House is excited to watch the rest of the His Dark Materials Season 2, & is honored to have been able to contribute David & Will’s music to the Season 1 recap. Going on journeys to different worlds through visual storytelling is what we love, & getting to create music for it is simply something else. There are infinitely more stories to tell & tracks to create, so when your next adventure strikes, be sure to give us a shout. Surely we’ll be able to collaborate & contribute to enhancing & easing that glorious journey you’re on.