While Reza Safinia’s been heavily involved in film soundtracks in recent years, his background is in pop and rap music—the composer has recorded, produced, and toured with the likes of Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, and Dr. Dre before scoring movies, including the recent Nic Cage/Elijah Wood vehicle The Trust. Today the composer is announcing that he’ll be setting out on his own in 2021 with a pair of LPs under his own name with the twin releases Yin and Yang.
The first taste of Yin arrives today with the brooding cello-and-piano composition “Surya,” which, according to Safinia, is a bright spot on an even moodier record. “‘Surya’ is the Sanskrit word for ‘sun,’” he shares. “Even though most of this album has a feel of darkness, this piece came to me as counterbalance to the feeling when I wrote ‘Kali.’”
The track also marks an experimental point in an album largely composed of post-classical arrangements, while Yang promises a more electronic sound. “This is the first track to introduce some electronic elements,” he continues. “I used a Juno synthesizer to create a sound like a celesta to interpret how I perceive the rays from the sun and orchestrated strings and piano around it.”
Hear “Surya” below.
