Christopher Larkin (composer) explained

Christopher Larkin
Birth Place:Adelaide, Australia
Instrument:Piano
Genre:Video game music
Occupation:Composer, musician
Years Active:2012–present

Christopher Larkin is a composer for video games, film, and television, best known for his work on Hollow Knight and the upcoming sequel . Some of his other works include Pac-Man 256, Outfolded, TOHU, and Hacknet.

Education

Larkin studied composition at Brighton Secondary School, then at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide. His mentors were Mr. John Polglase, Prof. Charles Bodman Rae, and Prof. Graeme Koehne.[1] [2]

Career

Larkin began composing music at a young age and collaborated with filmmaking students while he attended the Elder Conservatory of Music. He now works as a professional composer and sound designer for visual media such as Film, TV, and Video games. Larkin had known Ari Gibson, the director of Team Cherry, before starting work on their game, Hollow Knight. Larkin found out about the project when it was still a Kickstarter and decided to send in a demo for the project.[3] [2] Larkin worked with Team Cherry to produce a full soundtrack to the game, and it was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. He is continuing his collaboration with Team Cherry on Hollow Knight's upcoming sequel, .[4]

Larkin was asked to speak at the High Score 2023 conference hosted by APRA AMCOS alongside Yoko Shimomura, in which he closed out the conference.[5]

Compositional style

In his music, Larkin integrates elements of his classical training with a diverse range of musical styles. He draws inspiration from classical composers such as Debussy as well as visual-media composers such as James Newton, Joe Hisaishi, and Koji Kondo.[6]

Larkin's most notable work, the Hollow Knight soundtrack, is characterized as conveying "dark elegance and melancholy." The soundtrack is largely orchestral and employs recurring leitmotifs throughout different tracks, each often corresponding to a location or character. Larkin also incorporated textural and instrumental themes into the score, such as using guitar harmonics to represent the glistening environment of the in-game location "Crystal Peak".

For the adventure game TOHU, produced by Fireart Games,[7] Larkin used the Digital Audio Workstation Cubase to create a musical score that reflects the game's whimsical story and visuals. His process involved observing the gameplay sent to him by the developers, and sonically interpreting those visual elements.

List of works

Larkin has composed music for the following productions:

!Year!Title!Genre
2012The Adventures of Figaro Pho[8] TV series
2012Wastelander Panda: Exile[9] Movie
2013University of Adelaide

"Seek Light"

Commercial
2015Pac-Man 256[10] Video game
2015Expand[11] [12] Video game
2015The New Adventures of Figaro Pho[13] TV series
2015HacknetVideo game
2016Outfolded[14] Video game
2017Barbecue[15] Documentary
2017Hollow Knight[16] [17] Video game
2021TOHUVideo game
TBA[18] [19] Video game

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About . 2022-01-30 . Christopher Larkin . en-AU.
  2. Larkin . Christopher . Christopher Larkin (composer) . Matthew Forde . How Hollow Knight composer Christopher Larkin got the gig . . 2019-10-23 . Steel Media . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230926050125/https://www.pocketgamer.biz/interview/71748/how-hollow-knight-composer-christopher-larkin-got-the-gig/ . 2023-09-26 . 2024-04-04.
  3. Web site: Hollow Knight Soundtrack Interview . Larkin . Christopher . Valdiva . Angelo . 2017-02-07 . YouTube . 2022-01-30 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213151144/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB4zw0DgVbk . 2024-02-13.
  4. Web site: Hollow Knight: Silksong . . n.d. . . Team Cherry . 2024-04-04 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240402123217/https://hollowknightsilksong.com/ . 2024-04-02 . Hollow Knight's award-winning composer, Christopher Larkin, brings melancholy melodies, symphonic strings and heart-thumping, soul strumming boss themes to Hornet's adventure..
  5. Web site: High Score 2023 . . n.d. . . . 2024-04-04 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240404163638/https://www.apraamcos.com.au/about/supporting-the-industry/programs/high-score/high-score-2023 . 2024-04-04.
  6. Web site: Inside Christopher Larkin's Darkly Elegant "Hollow Knight" Score . Goldner . Sam . 2018-11-02 . Bandcamp Daily . 2022-01-30 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231209141814/https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/christopher-larkin-review . 2023-12-09.
  7. Web site: TOHU on Steam. 2022-02-06. store.steampowered.com. en.
  8. Web site: Figaro Pho. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  9. Web site: Wastelander Panda. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  10. Web site: PacMan 256. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  11. Web site: Expand. 2022-02-13. Expand.
  12. Web site: Expand. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  13. Web site: The New Adventures of Figaro Pho. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  14. Web site: Outfolded. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  15. Web site: Barbecue. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  16. Web site: Hollow Knight. 2022-02-13. Hollow Knight. en-US.
  17. Web site: Hollow Knight. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  18. Web site: Hollow Knight: Silksong. 2022-02-13. Hollow Knight: Silksong. en-US.
  19. Web site: Hollow Knight: Silksong. 2022-02-06. Christopher Larkin. en-AU.
  20. Web site: Best Composition . SASA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160228023340/http://mrc.org.au/assets/14ba6a91b3c4afd38d8a645842a98cb62aec5971/2015-sasa-winner-list_150515.pdf . 2016-02-28 .
  21. Web site: Best Sound Design . SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SCREEN AWARDS WINNERS . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170216151720/http://mrc.org.au/assets/31f04aefd095a6f2489311bb0e86ff19ee309eef/2016_sasa_winners.pdf . 2017-02-16 .
  22. Web site: The 2017 ASSG Award Winners . Australian Screen Sound Guild . . en-US . 2020-02-21 . 2021-12-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211214084235/http://assg.org.au/the-2017-assg-award-winners/ . dead.
  23. Web site: SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SCREEN AWARDS 2021 WINNERS NAMED AT MERCURY CX GALA Mercury CX . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230323232740/https://www.mercurycx.org/2021/12/03/south-australian-screen-awards-2021-winners-named-at-mercury-cx-gala/ . 2023-03-23 . 2022-02-12 . en-US.

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