Previously unknown score by Titanic composer killed in plane crash to be released by Scottish orchestra

Now a newly discovered score by world-renowned film composer James Horner, who was killed in a light aircraft crash in 2015, is set to be released more than ten years after his tragic death - after being recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO).

The previously unknown score, Skyward Spirit, was originally written for aerobatic flight display and links to Horner’s keen interest in flying. A small aircraft pilot in his spare time, Horner was a member of the aerobatic flying team, The Horsemen, until his premature death in the California crash, aged 61.

Recorded by the RSNO in Scotland’s Studio, Skyward Spirit will be released on Friday on all streaming platforms, following its premiere at the International Ayr Show earlier that day.

Alistair Mackie, chief executive of the RSNO, said: “Having recorded this piece is a tremendous honour for the RSNO and we are all so happy to be playing this small part in James Horner’s enormous cultural legacy. We’ve a long history with Horner’s work, having re-recorded the music from his most iconic films such as Titanic, Braveheart and Aliens in the 1990s on the Varèse Sarabande label.

“More recently, we’ve recorded the scores for some major productions, and that Hollywood choosing to come here to Scotland to record is testament to our growing reputation. The organisation is so proud of the position we now have supporting Hollywood recording its scores in Scotland’s Studio.”

Skyward Spirit was rediscovered by Horner’s flying teammate Ed Shipley before it was orchestrated and arranged by Horner’s long-standing engineer and good friend Simon Rhodes last year.

Mr Rhodes said: “There’s been nothing more fulfilling than adopting these rediscovered ideas, channelling James, and crafting them into an epic orchestral flying work in his honour.

“I can’t think of a more befitting tribute to this much-missed Skyward Spirit.”

Horner was particularly well-known for his collaborations with James Cameron, having worked with the director on the two highest-grossing films in history, 1997’s Titanic and 2009’s Avatar. He co-wrote Celine Dion’s huge international hit My Heart Will Go On for the former, and his career awards included two Oscar wins and a further eight nominations.

At the time of his death, his output stretched to well beyond 100 projects, from the Walt Disney comedy Honey I Shrunk the Kids to the sting for the CBS Evening News, as well as Braveheart and Apollo 13.

The owner of a collection of small aircraft, Horner died when the two-seater aircraft he was piloting on his own over the Los Padres national forest near Santa Barbara crashed in June 2015.

The RSNO records at its bespoke in-house facility in Glasgow, Scotland’s Studio, where it has also recorded music for films including Nuremberg, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and Netflix series Uglies - as well as video games.