In its July 2022 listing of the 20 best video game soundtracks of all time, British classical music radio station Classic FM said, “Video game music is one of the most exciting areas of contemporary music, with composers like Austin Wintory, Jessica Curry, and Nobuo Uematsu winning fans the world over with their game soundtracks.”
Thanks to video game scores’ popularity with musicians, fans, and critics alike, it’s no wonder that music from this entertainment genre is increasingly making its presence known on symphony stages around the world in a variety of ways:
- Licensed symphony experiences. These are immersive events produced by a licensee. Tied to a particular game, they tour concert halls around the world. Ubisoft and Overlook Events are debuting Assassin’s Creed Symphonic Adventure in Paris in October 2022—after a pandemic delay—to commemorate the property’s 15th anniversary. The multimedia event, which will travel the world after the premiere, includes an orchestra, a choir, and high-definition video footage from the game. Meanwhile, Square Enix paired with AWR Music Productions back in 2008 (the property’s 20th anniversary) and since then the two have created a number of touring multimedia productions. They include Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, the Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestra World Tour, and Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Coral. The last is a new addition to the partners’ portfolio. These types of performances offer gamers a new way to experience a favorite property, generate publicity for the brand, and drive ticket sales for the producer, among other benefits.
- Orchestras performing video game-themed concert programs. Professional groups ranging from the Ottawa Pops in Canada to the Royal Philharmonic in London have started putting together concerts focused on video game scores. The former recently did a program consisting of pieces from Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Tetris, Kingdom Hearts, and several others, while the latter brought video game music into Royal Albert Hall by performing scores from Final Fantasy, Halo, The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, Fortnite, Fallout 4, and many more. (Many of the scores on both orchestras’ programs are well-regarded classical music pieces that were included on Classic FM’s list.) These types of performances are a great way for orchestras to pull in new, young audiences who may like the experience enough to give other symphony concerts a try.
- Orchestras specializing exclusively in video game music. These are typically volunteer community groups, encompassing both orchestras and choirs, that host periodic concerts and sometimes open rehearsals. Examples include The Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra, the Norwalk (Connecticut) Gamer Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Gamer Symphony Orchestra. The University of Maryland has a similar group, the UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra, billed as the first video game-specialist orchestra at a college or university. For these groups, the focus on video game music entices both audiences and musicians.
Individual performers can get into the act as well, acquiring sheet music from companies such as NinSheetMusic, which specializes in selling video game-based pieces for amateur and professional pianists.
Symphonies’ entry into pop culture is not limited to video games. A number of films, TV shows, and other IP have made their way into the orchestral performance space through licensing deals. But video games have become among the most popular, due to their loyal, mostly younger fan bases, who may be ripe to become lovers of classical music in general, not to mention their innovative scores, which classical musicians love to perform.
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