'Video Games Live' blends orchestra with the familiar beeping of game soundtracks
By Nicholas Slepnikoff
For our generation, music is played for not only for advertisements and on the radio, but also in video games. And this past weekend, the two mediums - video games and music - combined. At the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall last Saturday, Video Games Live, a symphony program playing video game hits, visited Portland.
Conducted by co-creator and executive producer Jack Wall and led by Tommy Tallarico, a video game industry icon, the concert showcased numerous songs from both early games and more recent releases.
According to InSymphony, a published work distributed by the Oregon Symphony, Tallarico is a composer who has revolutionized the gaming experience for many with his epic music, releasing soundtracks for games like "James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies."
Tallarico said that video games had always been his passion and that this combining of music and videogames had long been his dream.
Since Video Games Live began in L.A. in 2005, the concert has branched out. Visiting numerous cities in the world, last night's showing was one of the first in Oregon.
Kicking off the night with numerous old Atari, Nintendo and Sega game music in a back-to-back medley that would set the tone for the rest of the show, the crowd was dazzled by an extensive light display while watching a two-story screen on the old concert hall's stage. With visions of Pong, Mario, Sonic and other video game characters accompanying the music on the monitor, fans cheered as old jingles and images brought them back to the times spent button mashing in front of their TVs.
Pianist Martin Leung also joined the fun that night. Famous for playing video game songs while blindfolded, the masterful musician also managed to capture the retro jingles of Tetris, Pac Man and many more.
The night was also informal, and Tallarico told the audience to sit back, relax and recall the games they grew up with.
"If you see something or hear something that you like, go ahead and scream," Tallarico said in front of the diverse crowd. "This isn't like a normal symphony."
With thirty-somethings and families littering the crowd, the night was not just one for children, but also for the young at heart. Tallarico even played some of the music himself. In honor of the character in "Metal Gear Solid," Tallarico also snuck around in boxes while fake terrorists patrolled around him. These antics and the music added to the adolescent air of the night.
However, the night was not just a collection of old videogame images and short songs, but also something that took many adults back to times when they sat carefree in front of the television. Since not everyone likes videogames, the music may be criticized since it is not considered high art. The songs played Saturday night instead showcased more than the music, specifically both the talent of the Oregon symphony and the Pacific Youth Choir.
Negotiating the harmonious hymns of "Chrono Trigger," "Warcraft," "Halo" and "The Legend of Zelda," both the singers and musicians flexed their musical muscles as they managed to bring these songs to life with powerful performances complete with violins, guitars and pianos. Although not quite the same as the music playing out of TV speakers, the sheer magnitude and epic nature of an orchestra playing video game music made the night an entertaining one.
