Magically Masterful

A little warning up front: this is going to be a long one. Not only because Skyrim , as the fifth and currently last game in the main Elder Scrolls-series, is probably the best-known role-playing game of the recent past. Though hits such as the fantastic The Witcher 3 or the no less amazing Baldur’s Gate 3 are slowly ousting the now 13-year-old game from the top spot, publisher Bethesda's constant re-releases ensure that the excursion to Skyrim is not forgotten quite so quickly.

No, Jeremy Soule's soundtrack should also, as usual for the series, burn itself into the collective memory of the gaming community - and represent the composer's last great work in the video game sector. In my review of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , I had already talked about the allegations of sexual abuse against Soule that caused him to disappear from the scene. If you want to read more about my view on the subject of artists and artwork, check out my related About Cancel Culture.

Other entries in the The Elder Scrolls -series

Soundtrack

The Elder Scrolls: Arena (1994)

Soundtrack

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996)

Soundtrack

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002)

Soundtrack

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)

Soundtrack

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

Soundtrack

The Elder Scrolls Online (2014)

The score

With that out of the way, let's get straight to the soundtrack. This comprises a whopping 53 tracks and is therefore unusually extensive - unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome. The duration of just under 3.5 hours can be somewhat misleading. Because not only do we have, as with the predecessors, a few 'trivial' ambient pieces between all the masterpieces. No, there is also a 42-minute track called Skyrim AtmospheresJeremy Soule1 with ... atmospheric fantasy world impressions, who would have thought?

In terms of quality, Soule was able to draw on the full potential and at least match the already great The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. While I also love the music of the predecessor and look back on it with even more nostalgia, it is, if you want to be mean, typical fantasy fare. Very high-quality fantasy fare, mind you, but somewhat stereotypical. The sound composition, the feeling, everything seems highly stylized and therefore artificial because it describes a fictional scenario.

Skyrim Skyrim, however, manages to throw off this cloak of expectation by transporting us into the mundane. The score takes us, not unlike Unravel nicht unähnlich (Imperial ThroneJeremy Soule4), hoch in skandinavisch anmutende (Klang-)Regionen. In denen zeichnen Sonnenstrahlen die Umrisse der schneebedeckten Gebirge nach, während auf der Alm und unten im Tal das Leben stattfindet … eben wie im Spiel. Wir sehen dieses Bild vor unseren Augen, während uns der Score in einen, fast schon trügerischen, Entspannungszustand versetzt – und dann bricht der Kampf los, als ein Drache am Himmel auftaucht. Träumerisches Idyll und erbitterter Überlebenskampf liegen bei diesem Soundtrack so dicht beisammen, wie es nur vielleicht bei Gothic 3 when all hell broke loose because of a boar.

Unlike its direct predecessor, however, the battle tracks are less dramatic - or even more so. What sounds paradoxical can be explained quite well by tracks such as Blood and SteelJeremy Soule5 and Watch the SkiesJeremy Soule5 Massive drums and deep brass announce the approaching danger, the battle seems 'barbaric', more raw than we get in Elder Scrolls . It is an almost primeval battle, man against beast, the fight for survival. This spectacle is accompanied by a choir whose male voices reinforce the archaic impression, while the high female counter-voices, like the Valkyries, elevate it to a spiritual level.

This discrepancy works excellently here, which is probably why Assassin’s Creed Valhalla uses a similar approach. In its quieter moments, however, the latter's score is nowhere near the quality with which Soule spoils us. Where Oblivion with pieces like Through the ValleysJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion5, Harvest DawnJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion5 and Watchman’s EaseJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion5 to take us through carefree valleys, picturesque coastlines and densely populated towns, Skyrim introduces us to a magical and barren landscape characterized by natural beauty.

As I've already talked in my Top 50 best battle tracks in detail about One They FearJeremy Soule5 and the other battle accompaniments (Tooth and ClawJeremy Soule4, Death or SovngardeJeremy Soule4) are literally in the same vein, I'd like to devote myself to the quieter, no less fantastic tracks at this point.

First and foremost, The Streets of WhiterunJeremy Soule5, which made it into my first Top 100 Video game tracks with its thoughtful piano melody. Since I play the piano myself, to a greater or lesser degree, pieces like this usually get a little closer to me than an exciting guitar solo can. However, the piano is not a soloist but, together with the strings and the choir, reaches heavenly spheres that always move me to tears. Hardly any other piece gives me such a homely feeling, this untouchable sense of security that I sink into while I look back on my days in Skyrim . This track is simply beautiful.

Similarly beautiful, but in a different way, is Ancient StonesJeremy Soule5. What describes the motif of return, of safety, in The Streets of WhiterunJeremy Soule5 is here the spirit of adventure, the sheer endless expanse. Soule knows how to give this world a feeling of welcome, an invitation to stare and discover. Wonderful! AwakeJeremy Soule5, is equally enticing, blazing towards us and announcing the start of our journey to the edge of heaven.

Dem entgegen stellt SecundaJeremy Soule5 (benannt nach einem der beiden Monde der Welt von Tamriel) eine Form des Innehaltens für mich dar: Die Harfe, begleitet von dem Klavier, fügt eine fast schon meditativ spirituelle Ebene hinzu, wie ein leiser Tanz im Mondlicht. SolitudeJeremy Soule5 verfolgt einen ähnlichen Ansatz, geht durch seinen Einsatz von Streichern und Vocals jedoch sogar fast in Richtung Bedauern. Wie eine Klage erhebt sich das Orchester in der Mitte des Stücks und lässt bei mir Erinnerungen an Howard Shores Arbeit für The Lord of the Rings wachwerden.

Trotzdem bleibt Soule dem Stil der Elder Scrolls-Serie treu: Nicht zuletzt in Form des bekannten Motivs im Theme Song DragonbornJeremy Soule5, das er schon bei Morrowind as a Nerevar RisingJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind5 (or Call of Magic) einführte und in Reign of the SeptimsJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion5 from Oblivion fortsetzte. Das Theme vom Letztgenannten taucht dann erneut in Unbroken RoadJeremy Soule4 auf, während Wind Guide YouJeremy Soule4 eine Anlehnung an Minstrel’s LamentJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion5 darstellt (ebenfalls Oblivion). The Jerall MountainsJeremy Soule3 wiederum greift das Theme aus Through the ValleysJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion5 (Oblivion) auf, was seinerseits ein Nicken in Richtung Rise to Reality (or Silt SunriseJeremy SouleThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind4) aus Morrowind darstellte.

In this way, the TES TES-DNA, which Soule established in 2002 with Morrowind , has continued right up to the latest installment of the main series. Whether this will carry on with the sixth part, rumored to be released sometime in 2028, remains unclear. After all, this has also been achieved with the mobile offshoot Blades (Inon Zur) and the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (Brad Derrick, Rik Schaffer), which continues to be supplied with expansions and high-quality music in equal measure.

So let's come to the conclusion: the soundtrack to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is absolutely top class. This is not only due to the enchanting motifs and powerfully unrestrained action tracks, but also to the foresight in setting the music closer to reality. It simply never gets boring to immerse yourself in this auditory idyll that Soule conjures up with this album. Personally, I can sink every time one of the cautious notes is heard - only to jump up with a hair-raising chest at the next track and face the battle. A sight worth seeing for a score worth hearing!