Why Austin Wintory Re-recorded Journey’s Soundtrack 10 Years Later

Thatgamecompany’s release of Journey was 10 years ago on March 13th 2012. The game’s slow, contemplative gameplay style and focus on multiplayer, which encourages interaction rather than competition, was a first for its time. It gained a large fanbase, numerous awards and was recognized by the entire art industry. 

It also changed Austin Wintory’s entire life. He’s a well-known name in the world of videogame soundtracks. He didn’t have a first job. However, he was working with Thatgamecompany for the soundtrack of Flow, the studio’s first ever commercial title. This project put him on the map. He has composed music for many films and the Assassin’s Creed Series, The Order 1886.

According to Wintory, it is all Journey’s fault. 

In celebration of the game’s 10th anniversary, today, Wintory released a re-recorded, somewhat re-imagined version of Journey’s soundtrack recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Voice choir, and cellist Tina Guo – who played on the original soundtrack. 

We spoke with Wintory to learn more about his revisiting of one of his best-known works 10 years later. This gave us a deeper insight into Wintory’s creative process.

The following interview was edited for clarity. 

Game Informer: How do you get started with brainstorming?

Austin Wintory It doesn’t sound like it’s a problem. It’s a blessing to have found one thing that has been so interesting in my life. You know, a lot of composers could go their whole career – even very successfully – and never have something that quite strikes a nerve with people in that way. This is all down to the game. My music is one example. I tried to stay true to the game’s music and was fortunate enough to get people to like it. The game, I believe is what draws me attention.

All that being said, Journey is constantly around and in conversation, so I started to think about what it was like seven months ago. […]”The game’s tenth year anniversary is near, so I should do something.” As a token of my thanks, I would like to express to the entire world that I am grateful. [for]The fact that people care so much about this song, this score and this video. What can I do to make it interesting and/or fun? Then I tried to envision what I might do. A few ideas converged. 

[The London Symphony Orchestra]I was actually contacted by someone many years back and told me, “If there’s ever anything, this is how you can reach us.” It’s possible to collaborate. While I do record in London almost every day, I rarely record traditional orchestra. Look at an example of Assassin’s creed Syndicate. We recorded it at Abbey Road with three violins and three violas. It’s a small group, but it is very visceral. Or Abzû we recorded there. The choir was recorded. One room was all harps. However, these aren’t the traditional orchestra. So I said, “I don’t actually do traditional orchestra very often.” It was something I used to do growing up. I still love it, even though it seems so outdated. Even though that music is my favorite, it’s not something I find myself doing much. It’s either modified or not. 

They were very open to my ideas, so I was determined to get to know them. I had this thought about six months before it hit me. [Journey’s 10th anniversary was coming up]. “What if they were to merge these two threads? A London Symphony re-imagining would be possible?” Just as I was looking for the right words, it happened. […]Someone tagged me on twitter and gave me the best succinct description possible of my work. They were more knowledgeable than me about what I was trying achieve. This Twitter account deserves credit [user]. Their Twitter handle is not even a memory of mine. In a tweet, they tagged me. Although they were replying to someone else, they basically said Journey was their top pick for going back in time and experiencing something new for the first-time again. The idea that, If I could erase my memory and Men In Black de-neuralize – or neuralize, I guess – and have the feeling of this thing that meant so much to [me]Yet, it is still fresh.

This project allowed me to do something that I didn’t want. However, it’s possible to achieve something close. It’s my goal. That’s my goal. But the aspiration is, for people who really care about this music – and if there’s even one person in the world, consider me grateful – hopefully, this gives them a chance to have that feeling of, “This is familiar, anThis is the first time I heard it. It’s not the same version that I have. This was the guide light. It was a way to offer something new, not just repeat it. You have to be open to offering something different.

GI: The moment we answered the call, When we spoke about the electronic components in the original music, it was obvious that they are much more numerous. What did you do to make it sound like a complete orchestra? 

A: It’s a lot of exploring and experimentation, which led to me feeling frustrated. The process involved a lot more exploring, experimenting, and feeling frustrated. [laughs]. The original form of new age music has no borders until the last. The music is very tranquil. It’s very easy to use the electronics. Except for a couple of key parts, the electronics are very smooth. [sand]The surfing section, which we call the “Road of Trials” or whatnot is very low-key and inwardly-oriented. 

Austin Wintory

Now, my thought was, “Okay. This is a new album. How can I create something that sounds almost like Joe Hisaishi?” [Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away] album?” It uses orchestral sounds in an expressive, colorful manner. What was once a single note held by a synthesizer may now become a note that floats in flutes, french horns, and violas. The same note is being passed around, but it now feels almost grayscale. Hopefully. Let’s see what happens to the rest of us. This was the end goal. 

It was easy to get carried away and it suddenly stopped feeling like Journey. It was easy to get excited, work hard, and then I’d feel like “Oh!” This is possible! And it would become this thing where the orchestra – especially the size orchestra we had, which was gigantic – it’s really easy to kind of unleash the fireworks. Because it is so much fun, it can be tempting. You know it’s very satisfying. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of hearing the off-the-hook orchestral forces mingling together. Journey, however, is not like that. Then it was, “Okay. How quiet can I keep that?” It’s over 100 musicians and I think if they can all be quiet together, then that will give me a great thrill.

GIYou’ll find one or two items in any creative work, including your masterpiece, that make you think, “Ah! I would have done that differently.” Did you have any Journey memories that you could recall for more than 10 years?

Q: It was funny because I couldn’t resist it. Once you do this kind of thing consistently, the little things that may seem imperceptible begin to add up and make you feel completely different. This could pose a problem. It could be a problem. I’m 37 now.” I’m a pretty different composer than I was then – hopefully a better one. I now see things clearlyer than I ever did back then. Journey’s innocence is what I believe is what gives it its uniqueness. That’s why I did not want to sacrifice it. It wasn’t something I wanted to make. This meant that I had to pick the moments when I could sneak in slightly more sophisticated stuff. 

However, there are other things that are obvious. For instance, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Lisbeth Scott, an absolutely amazing and talented singer. She’s a legend. Her most memorable accomplishment is the fact that John Williams composed a solo specifically for her for the Spielberg film. MunichThis is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen in a film. She was also the singing princess at that time. ShrekThe bird explodes when both the bird and the Princess sing louder and deeper. Lisbeth, the voice of the Princess in this moment, is her. Lisbeth is a part of a thousand soundtrack recordings and writes her own music. Her work was something I enjoyed. I worshiped her. I also hired her to perform “I Was Born For This.” The song “I Was Born For This” can be sung in five languages. It’s in Latin, French – and technically not modern French, because it’s Joan of Arc, so it’s more like Middle French, but it’s effectively French – Middle English, which is not the same thing as modern English at all, it’s a fully different language […]Japanese and Greek Ancient Greek. 

It was something I thought about for a long time: “How cool it would be to have every language represented by someone who is native to that language?” This was always one. [the things in the]Back of my mind. This piece would make a great redo. The only languages that I am able to perform the full version are the Japanese and French. However, I was successful in getting a Russian singer to perform the Latin portion. I also managed to find a fantastic French singer and a Greek singer. I then found a Japanese and a Greek singer. […]My Mexican friend is a good friend. We have collaborated a lot and now I want to find more reasons to do so. I said to her that you get the Beowulf Middle English, because that’s what nobody else speaks. Anyway, she’s a phenomenal singer. We get the last verse and this powerful declaration of the main theme. [of]Joan of Arc’s final words to her before she passed away were “Do Not grieve for Me, For I Was Born for This.” I reached out to people I have either known for many years, and loved working with, or that I had always wanted to do so. All in all, 11 singers piled on top of one another for “I Was Born For This.” 

It is as reflective of my career path. Journey allowed me to make connections with all these people during the past 10 years. All these incredible talents crossed paths because of my 10 year career. It was a great way to return all the glory and experience back at home. Let’s now get on with it. It’s quite a change. 

GIThatgamecompany and Sony are involved with this? 

A: Jenova [Chen, co-founder of thatgamecompany]Talking to him is a regular occurrence. He seemed excited when I said that I would do it. It’s huge. He’s basically 24/7 busy working on Sky. The feeling was a bit like “Oh! That sounds great!” Please let me know what happens. I invited him along to London. He said that he would love to come along and meet us while we record the orchestra. It would truly be an honor. His wife was due to give birth in 10 days, and he stated that he would not be able travel to London. It was exciting to him that he knew about it. 

Sony also did not participate in creative or pragmatic ways. They were only aware that I was doing this. My shenanigans were always supported by my family. They have always supported my attempts to live perform some tracks.

GI: So, does that mean – were you self-funding this whole thing? 

A: [laughs]. Yeah. Yes. [Ready At Dawn co-founder Andrea Pessino]. I had originally envisioned a simpler version. My imagination began to run wild and I realized that I was beginning to reach a financial point where I could afford it. 

[Andrea]I simply said “How can you be involved?” We met in London. I sought his input throughout the entire process. He is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Ready At Dawn. The engine of The Order [1886]He basically designed everything himself and runs in. He’s a programmer and engineer. You can see that he is a true genius. He’s also a talented and intuitive musician. [He was a] conservatory student growing up in Italy as a kid – essentially a child prodigy pianist. Although he could easily have chosen a career as a musician, he chose to do something completely different. […]He wanted to get more involved with music and the plan was “Well, let’s make this album together.” That meant that we split the cost, but also that he was creatively confidant and an ear for me. He attended all the sessions and assisted every step of it. It was a great experience and I am forever grateful. Without him, it would have been different. 

GI:Which musicians contributed to the original song’s music? 

A: Perhaps 22, 23 or more players? The original score has 30 players. 

GIBasically, 70 more people are needed to jump up the new music.

Q: Around 100. It’s more than 130 musicians total, I believe. We had a 91-piece orchestra, and 32-voice choir. Then, we had 11 people singing. 

[In the song “I Was Born For This,” there is]There is a moment when the orchestra builds and you then hear only two violins going just before the big finale and the Japanese section begin. This is actually an individual musician. Taylor Davis, a Detroit-based violinist. She’s also a popular YouTuber and someone I have worked many times with. Her featured soloist in the Banner Saga trilogy was hers, and she is still one of my favorites. Live shows have been done together and she is an absolute joy to me. 

The Journey

We met because she performed one of the greatest Journey covers anyone has done. YouTube video shows her in full Journey costume playing her violin, as she plays in the sand, then again in the snow. [She]It is simply amazing. When that came out, it was the first time I had seen somebody go to that length – with a full music video and everything – of my work. She was so impressed that I reached out, and has been a friend of mine ever since. When Assassin’s Creed Syndicate was released, she did an incredible music video with another musician. And I thought, “I need to find some place where Taylor can be part of this.” Also, you can find a small bit in “I Was Born For This.” 

All in all, it’s not a complete count. You can find it in the same neighborhood. 

GIThis is a big jump, regardless.

Answer: Yes. It is a totally different animal. It’s about 135  

GIIs it all the people playing on one track? Live tracking 135 persons? Did you break it up? 

A: Almost. All the instruments are playing in concert. The choir had to be done separately. There are many reasons, but the most important one is Covid. [laughs]. To record 91 musicians as soon as we did was hard enough. [the Omicron variant]London began to see signs. Every day, we had to test. Each member of the orchestra was required to take daily tests. This is how it works. 

We were at the London Symphony’s recording studio, which was the one we used. It is a former 18th-century church, located in central London, that they purchased and renovated to be their main recording studio. […]We recorded their tour in the area. It is their territory. 

You could even fit the whole choir there, if that was your desire. It would have meant that we were allowing fate to dictate our actions. When you record, you can lose control of how you mix your recordings. It’s like “Whatever happens inside the room, is what you get.” It’s easy to imagine that if you have a large number of songs, the audience can move their ears around. You can’t say, “Oh, that french horn is way too loud. Let’s lower them,” as they will filter into each microphone. The only way to reduce them is to lower the entire thing. You can reduce the volume and control of video and film clips. For this type of stuff, however, I felt that it would be so much more enjoyable to do things the traditional way. 

GI: This recording is for Journey’s 10th anniversary. Do you believe there will be stories or anecdotes about this journey that will stick out 10 years later? 

A: It’s such a wonderful question. It occurred to me that out of all of the people I had left off my initial list this was the most humiliating and embarrassing. Tina Guo comes back, however, and she plays cello solos yet again. Her recording was done at Capitol Records, Los Angeles. She also remained separate from the orchestra. Because she is the heart and soul, it would be blasphemous not to mention her. The cello and the music have been rearranged by me. 

In any event, it was because she and I were the first to think of going into the studio together. We have been friends for years. [for]About 15 years. It was 13 years ago that we started Journey. The book was published 10 years ago. This was an important launching platform for us both. It’s no surprise that she is now one of most active musicians on the planet. This is not because Journey. Journey may be the most important at this moment. My God! She is a featured soloist. DuneShe also uses a multitude of signals to boost her performance. It’s very nostalgic, and it is a good thing for both of us.

As a recording professional, it is natural for me to get into some battle mode while I record. I can be very cavalier. I also joke around. Jokes are my favorite thing to tell. When I first joined the London Symphony, they were very skeptical of my jokes and kept their distance. They started to open up and were having fun with me by day 2. They were much more humorful than I usually am and more irreverent. Just enjoying the moment! Because I say, “Look, we’re making music! Is this not crazy? It is our job to make it sound beautiful. You may find yourself in dangerous, grueling, or boring work. We have to do this job today, so —–g hell let’s be fun. Let’s ensure it is fun without being too serious. You’ll be late if your project isn’t on time. You can’t just take as many recordings as you like and then run the clock to midnight. It can get quite pricey. [laughs].

So I am very specific and plan everything very carefully. I was aware that we might have more time than we expected, so we could take our time. I therefore wanted to finish with “Apotheosis”. Just thinking about that 7 minute and change piece completely changed my life. This one is the perfect way to end this nearly spiritual recording session. And as focused and warrior mode as I can get while I’m working – despite the joking – when we first recorded it, we do what’s called a sight-read. This is similar to a rehearsal. They are unable to see the music and have never practiced it. This is the first time that they have read the music sight-by-sight, and the first performance. They didn’t have a rehearsal yesterday or anything like that. They walk into the studio and look at the music. [go], “Okay. Ready.” They can even play it nearly perfectly in the first attempt. This is magic. This shouldn’t be possible. Even though Journey’s music is minimal, it’s still difficult to enjoy. “Apotheosis” is a particular favorite. […]It’s not a random note they play; it is a specific piece of music that they must perform. Everyone can hear if they are playing a wrong note. 

It’s not difficult, but not simple. It’s not enough to do it correctly. You want it to sing. You want it to feel expressive, beautiful and as though it has been practiced for years. As a conductor, my responsibility is to prepare them for this. Let’s read the entire thing down. This is like an actor reading a book from a television show. Let’s simply read the contents around the table. There’s no need to fret about acting in character. It’s not necessary to be concerned about your body language. The first thing we want to do is find out what each word tastes like. After that, we will start to put it all together. In a recording session, we do something very similar. It was so similar that I decided to just read the script and run it through. Tina plays the role of the character walking towards the light in “Apotheosis”. Warning! 

GIYou can play it now, I know how to do that.

A: Yeah, I suspected you did. The principal cellist for the London Symphony tells me, “For the moment, this part will be recorded at Los Angeles. I’ll return home when that happens.” You will play this part, however, in order to let the other members of the orchestra know the truth. For now, we’ll just be playing it for the first time.” This is why he must be able to see-read it very high and delicate. [part]. As you all know cello can be played as a very low instrument. [this is a]This is a really expensive part. Tina is a master at this; her ability to play where violins are playing makes Tina a formidable player. Cellists are not normal cellists. These cellists are world-class, and they all can handle it. 

It was then that we read it. They played all seven minutes and a quarter of this music very close to perfect from beginning to end, Tina’s solos being a placeholder. While I was conducting, my eyes grew wide. The overwhelming feeling wasn’t like I burst into tears. The piece is not something I feel the same way as someone else, but I am too conscious of the process that it required to create it. But the piece’s become – it’s like this old friend. The feeling is similar to a college friend you once spent all day with. You keep in touch with them, but it’s been a while since you last saw each other. 

All of it came together in one, with an old friend coming to visit for the first-time in many years and me realizing how much this was missing. It was incredible. I’ll never forget it. […]The London f g Symphony Orchestra has me conducting it. This piece changed my entire life. We’re creating music together. It’s amazing to me that this all is true, and it is my entire life. That moment was a turning point for me. It was all about stacking. This made me feel very vulnerable. That is something I will never forget.