Modern video games have taken on a whole new level of game play. Characters and story plots can range in complexity from a bird flapping up and down on a screen to entire universes of creatures and adventures spanning centuries. The graphic art that goes into these games is celebrated the world over, but what about the music?
Incredible soundtracks accompany video games of all varieties, and much of the music is composed specifically for the type of game play. In their concert titled “Game On: Live Video Game Music,” The Kennesaw State University orchestra brought these unique musical scores to life in an outstanding performance Friday night.
Accompanied by members of the wind ensemble, choir, a bass guitar, harpist, and pianist, the orchestra showcased the music from video games like Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and even Tetris, as well as many others. The performance, which was only paused momentarily to recognize Chris Rickwood, the composer of the score to Smite, ran just about two hours, including a ten minute intermission. To connect the music with their various video games, a large projector centered above the stage displayed images from the games. Each was introduced with a title scene, followed by live action sequences set in sync with the rhythm of the music.
To add to the fanfare of an otherwise overwhelmingly loud and energetic performance, the auditorium lights were cued to move and change with each score, making the concert hall seem more like a rock show. The overall affect was a level of excitement that made the performance both seem like forever and only a few minutes. Compositions like the one for Call of Duty incorporated vocals that were haunting and beautiful. At one point the choir blended so well with the orchestration that it was difficult to distinguish the human voices from the string instruments.
The highlight of the event, by far, was the second movement from World of Warcraft. Percussionists showed out with drummers wailing, each on their own set of snare drums. The rhythm filling and surrounding the Morgan Concert Hall, rocked by the perfect synchrony of the five percussionists accompanied by strings, and brass harmonizing the rhythm, was an intense musical experience.
Not all of the works were serious and awe inspiring though. After the lights went down to a cool blue following the intense reds, oranges and growling bass harmonies of Bioshock, a blank screen accompanied a plucky violin intro. As the music brightened, the laughable and lovable Angry Birds appeared on the projector. Like Tetris, the score to Angry Birds was surprisingly complex in its orchestration.
Rounding out the performance was Legend of Zelda, a name familiar to generations of gamers. The theme, which has been around for over 25 years, incorporated all the ensembles: orchestra, winds, and choir. It was also a nice capstone piece for the evening, accompanied by a nostalgic video compilation that demonstrated the dynamic progress of video game graphics over four decades of game play.
