Tuesday, October 13, 2015

WSJ: How Videogames Are Saving the Symphony Orchestra

Francesca Buchalski as Link 
Classic tongue-in-cheek article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal this morning about how concerts of videogame music are keeping symphonic music alive & kicking for non-subscription audiences:  New Mission for Videogame Heroes: Save the Symphony Orchestra.

Sample Excerpts
Costumed attendees—dressed as dragons, wizards, princesses, fairies, knights and sorcerers—often engage in mock battles. Marriage proposals mid-show aren’t unusual.
“You can no longer just sit there and play Beethoven,”
“From a business-strategy perspective, it completely devalues the brand, ...akin to Mouton Rothschild using its wine to make and sell sangria.”
Heidi Harris, the associate concert master for the St. Louis Symphony, was surprised how much she enjoyed performing Zelda in a concert this year. “I thought it was very beautiful,” she said. “I dislike videogames less now.”

2 comments:

Civic Center said...

It is odd that the only times I see lines around the block at Davies Symphony Hall are for videogame live soundtrack concerts, complete with costumed concertgoers. Hey, if that's what it takes to get a younger crowd feeling comfortable in a concert hall, why not? I don't have to attend them, thank The Lord.

Axel Feldheim said...

These concerts do sound like great experiences for the fans. I 1st heard about them around 10 years ago, when I had a colleague who was into videogames & music of all kinds. The show then was at the Masonic Auditorium & combined live symphony orchestra, video & a laser light show. I'm sure costumes were involved too! This fellow went on to LA to work as a composer & arranger for film & tv. So maybe it's movies & videogames where symphonic music will continue to thrive.