The music that has been created for video games from The Legend of Zelda to Super Mario Bros. has come to life with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra! This symphony has been revered as epic and incredibly elevating, perfectly capturing the adventure, heroism and triumph in video games. I’m proud to be part of the video gamer culture that simply thrives on superb visuals, the game play, and the storyline that draw the players into a whole other world.
Play! A Video Game Symphony was performed with a vibrant energy and passion that reached out to the youth that came out to attend this memorable event. When the bells tolled, the ominous and chilling story of Castlevania comes alive, when a flute soloist mimics the shrill of birds- you know that Link in the Legend of Zelda is at sea steering towards adventure.
Certainly there is not a video game song that cannot do without a fabulous choir, to add the sense of mystery and the glorious and ominous anticipation of what lies ahead, be it the final boss or an impossible mission. The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra certainly contributed a delightful and amazing steady flowing stream of sound that reached the rafters of the Jack Singer Hall and drew the audience further into the deep of the music.
The most memorable song and moment of the concert evening was the Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary medley. Three huge flat screen monitors were placed above the Orchestra, the middle screen showcasing soloists and the conductor’s leading movements, a great delight, since this rare treat allowed us to be able to focus on different parts of the Orchestra. The two other screens displayed cutting edge visuals from the Legend of Zelda series, early 2D versions of the hero Link fighting monsters to the impressively 3D images from Twilight Princess, Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass and Windwaker. The music chosen for the Legend of Zelda and conveyed by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra was unbelievably inspiring and fast paced, perfectly reflecting the familiar themes of adventure in the Legend of Zelda.
Though the evening program was performed by a superb live orchestra and genuinely captured the essence of heroism, triumph, and pure adventure in the pieces they performed, the reserved energy and atmosphere of the formal concert deterred me from fully enjoying the concert as a youth gamer. The formalized policies of classical music concerts, such as not being able to take pictures and clapping at the end of scores stifled the energy of rambunctious and energized youth. I would have like to have seen more of an audience interaction through on stage competitions, solo artists that are fellow gamers that wow the crowd, and more scores played in the program. I believe that for this video games concert, Play! A Video Game Symphony could improve this by emulating the excellent example set by Video Games Live, another video games concert.
All in all, a wonderful performance that truly uplifted and connected to the youth in Calgary! A thanks goes to the Calgary Philharmonic for providing me this wonderful opportunity to attend this positively exciting performance and I recommend all ages, young or old, to attend a performance with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, because the experience of hearing a LIVE orchestra is an experience of a life time!