Music composed by Stephen Baysted, performed by London Metropolitan Orchestra and Mezzo Soprano Susan Legg.
London, United Kingdom (October 3, 2017) – Red Rocca releases the cinematic soundtrack for Project CARS 2, the next evolution in the award-winning racing series developed by Slightly Mad Studios. The epic, neo-classical operatic score by English film and television composer Stephen Baysted was recorded with the London Metropolitan Orchestra at AIR Studios and features the vocal talents of lustrous mezzo soprano Susan Legg. Nominated for Best Audio in the 25th Golden Joystick Awards (vote here), the Project CARS 2 original soundtrack is out now on Spotify and iTunes.
Renowned for his versatility, emotionally charged and expressively powerful music, Stephen Baysted’s acclaimed music scores have been enjoyed by audiences worldwide in a succession of award-winning films and video games including the 2015 best-selling racing title Project CARS, EA’s Need for Speedseries and Phil Grabsky’s ‘Exhibition On Screen’ series of films bringing blockbuster art exhibitions from galleries around the world to the cinema, in stunning high definition. For Project CARS 2, Baysted reprises his role as composer and audio director for Slightly Mad Studios.
“For as long as I can remember I’ve been mildly obsessed by cars and a big fan of motor racing, so to have the opportunity to write music which involves both passions is fantastic. My approach, and the underlying aesthetic of the music, is to try to capture the range of human emotions and the psychology of the racing driver; why is it that these brave individuals risk their lives in their unerring pursuit of victory? What motivates racing drivers to go faster and to brake later than their opponents even though it could cost them everything? I interviewed several racing drivers to get a real sense of how they think and how they approach racing, and one of the most telling statements came from Ben Collins (racing driver and former BBC Top Gear Stig): ‘The fear of losing is far greater than the fear of being hurt’. Those are the questions I began with and as a consequence the score is dramatic, epic in scale and scope, and at times reflective but always emotionally charged.”
– Stephen Baysted, Composer
In addition to his video game work, Baysted is an in-demand film and television composer whose credits include two seasons of Blink Film’s epic documentary series “Ancient Mysteries” for Channel 5, Blink’s “Volatile Earth” for Channel 4 and Nova, and “Graveyard of the Giant Beasts” for Channel 4 and PBS. Earlier this year, Baysted also reunited with award-winning filmmaker Phil Grabsky and Seventh Art Productions to score “I, Claude Monet,” a new documentary feature in the acclaimed ‘Exhibition On Screen’ series. Their previous collaborations include “Renoir: Reviled and Revered,” “The Impressionists – And The Man Who Made Them,” and the Royal Television Society award-winning “Matisse: Live from the Tate and MoMa”. His scores for these important landmark factual documentary series have been nominated for three Jerry Goldsmith Awards for Best Score. Stephen is currently scoring a new three-part series exploring Tutankhamen’s treasures with Blink Films for Channel 4 and a six-part factual series with Bone Soup Productions for BBC2 and Michelin Star chef Tom Kerridge.
Born in London, Stephen Baysted’s passion for music began during his school years singing, touring and recording with the internationally acclaimed Wandsworth School Boys’ Choir and playing clarinet in the London Schools’ Symphony Orchestra. Stephen studied music at Southampton University and at Dartington College of Arts, where he was awarded a PhD. In addition to his scoring career he is Professor of Film Composition at the University of Chichester.
Project CARS 2 is the next evolution in the award-winning racing series, featuring the most iconic cars racing under the most thrilling conditions to deliver the Ultimate Driver Journey. Created by gamers, tested by world-class racing drivers from Team SMS-R, and the definitive choice of Esports pros…Project CARS 2captures the essence of real racing in the most beautiful, intense, authentic, and technically-advanced racing game on the planet.
