Singing a different song at Planet Earth II Live

 

 

 

What were your favourite moments of Planet Earth II? The bizarre synchronised mating parade of the flamingos, the back-scratching bears having come out of hibernation in the Rockies, the swimming sloth, the baby iguanas fighting for their lives as they were pursued by Galapagos racer snakes, or other sights and sounds of the BBC's extraordinary Planet Earth II series?

 

I found the dawn chorus of sea creatures to be so mesmerising, that together with the stunning musical score of the Planet Earth series, they created an atmosphere which literally had me on the edge of my seat. And what a way to recreate some of that magic again, through the Planet Earth II Live concerts taking place in 2020 - this time with carefully selected film-footage on a gigantic high-definition screen, accompanied by an 80 piece orchestra, conducted by Matthew Freeman, playing a score composed by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and hosted by Science and Natural History presenter, Liz Bonnin!

 

I was lucky enough to speak to Liz about the up-coming tour and asked her about her personal favourites when it comes to nature sounds. "It has to be the incredible Planet Earth footage of an elusive Snow Leopard walking into shot and 'singing'. You don't hear this vocalisation often and it left me feeling very emotional, both when I watched it for the first time and when I saw it again the other day."

 

 

I was grateful she'd brought this back to mind - there seem to have been so many one-offs and firsts in the series and for anyone else that would like to reminded of their favourite sounds and mesmerising stunning action sequences, then I think this tour is a real treat. Why not buy tickets for yourself and your loved ones as a Christmas present idea and something to look forward to next Spring? After all, what's not to love about an uplifting evening of rousing music, in like-minded company?

 

The Planet Earth II tour, which runs from 26th March - 4th April 2020, as well as promising to be a feast for the ears as well as the eyes, aims to transport you around the globe (and all of this without any carbon emissions!) Liz and the musical team will visually and audibly take you from the steaming jungles of Madagascar swinging alongside our primate cousins, to the remote sandy deserts of Namibia to race alongside fearsome hunting lions and more... Hans Zimmer said that the landmark BBC series stands out amongst his work. "Planet Earth II is one of the most amazing things I've ever been involved in: some of the greatest action scenes ever put on film, some of the most emotional, epic, fragile scenes I've ever witnessed. Film-making at its absolute peak."

 

A real fan of Zimmer's musical scores, particularly his Hollywood films, Liz (who as well as being known for BBC's Drowning in Plastic, Big Blue Live etc was also a past presenter of Top of the Pops and RIISE) used to play the piano, sing in a band and enjoys listening to classical music as she cooks. She absolutely recognises the power of music to illicit an emotional response and says she's really excited to be part of this new venture bringing stunning imagery and a live orchestra to people in this way.

 

"I was blown away by the Planet Earth series when I watched it on television so I'm really thrilled about this opportunity of taking the audience through various scenes of Planet Earth II Live and this adaption of such a wonderful series into an even more immersive experience which whole families can enjoy", said Liz.

 

"Being part of something so powerful and beautiful that reminds us of who we are, our place in nature, the behaviour of the animals on our planet and feeling that love in an arena full of people who feel the same way is going to be very special. In a time when we are very disconnected it will be an incredible experience to be inclusive and together really feeling that love."

 

On a recent trip to Alaska, Liz was lucky enough to witness whales bubble-net feeding with their vocalisations being picked up using a hydrophone microphone in the water. "I love whale song anyway but the different sounds they used to bring up the herring were incredible," she says before enthusiastically demonstrating with a stunning impromptu vocal performance. If there's ever an unforeseen lull in the proceedings and Liz needs to step up to the mike, it's a guarantee that she'll have the audience even more rapt...

 

For a preview taster:

 

 

 

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