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Composer Christopher Larkin says video games are popularising classical music among younger audiences. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>Ben Searcy<\/cite><\/p>\n Larkin, who created the music for Australian 2D action-adventure game Hollow Knight, <\/em>says it\u2019s not just classical music finding its way into digital worlds. \u201cYou have games like Ape Out<\/em> scored by an interactive drum kit, big band jazz in Cuphead<\/em>, and an interactive musical in Stray Gods<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical <\/em>was only released last month, yet its track Adrift<\/em> (created by Colorado composer Austin Wintory, best known for creating the score for Journey <\/em>and Assassin\u2019s Creed Syndicate<\/em>) already has over 156,000 views on YouTube.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a story behind the music, and we all love a good story,\u201d Larkin says. \u201cBut there\u2019s also something more personal. When a particular piece of music starts playing, it marks the player\u2019s own discovery of a place or thing in the game. So, when they hear that music later, their own memory and imagination, alongside the game\u2019s world and narrative, is felt again.\u201d<\/p>\n Adelaide-based Larkin <\/em>has over 546,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with his track Dirtmouth <\/em>claiming over 15 million streams.<\/p>\n \u201cGames are now accepted as a major form of entertainment alongside film, some might say even above it due to the fact that it\u2019s interactive and the immersion that comes with that,\u201d Larkin says.<\/p>\n Orchestra Victoria\u2019s artistic planning and engagement manager, Elise Lerpiniere, says game music is a natural extension of the orchestra\u2019s 50-year history of performing narrative art forms like opera and ballet.<\/p>\n The concert will feature music from independent games such as Journey, Hollow Knight, Celeste<\/em> and Necrobarista<\/em>. Lena Raine, an American-Canadian composer who created the soundtrack for the platform game Celeste, <\/em>says these concerts demonstrate to those who may not play video games how diverse and sophisticated video game music is.<\/p>\n Lena Raine performing her video game music live in Vancouver in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n Meena Shamaly, a composer and presenter on ABC Classic radio who will present Indie Symphony, agrees.<\/p>\n \u201cWe used to think that sophisticated music, aka classical music, was music made without electronic technology, forgetting that the term technology just describes any sort of advancement in tools. For example, the piano was a technological advancement on the harpsichord,\u201d Shamaly says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all part of the continuum of classical music … You could draw a straight line from Bach to Cardi B.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier games did draw directly from classical music. Nintendo\u2019s Tetris<\/em> features an electronic arrangement of Pyotr Tchaikovsky\u2019s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,<\/em> while music in Donkey Kong 64<\/em> was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach\u2019s Toccata and Fugue In D Minor<\/em>.<\/p>\n Shamaly believes many electronic video game scores \u2013 from the themes of \u201980s classics like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda<\/em> and Final Fantasy<\/em> to pieces featured in Indie Symphony \u2013 lend themselves to orchestral arrangements because they\u2019ve been well-conceived at their core.<\/p>\n For many gamers, Indie Symphony \u2013 which was arranged by Jessica Wells and Austin Wintory, and will be conducted by Vanessa Scammell \u2013 may be their first encounter with live orchestral music, and for many non-gamers it may be an introduction to the artistry behind gaming scores. Lerpiniere says she would be delighted to see the event travel to other parts of Australia after Melbourne, but no concrete plans have been set.<\/p>\n \u201cTo see firsthand the making of music by a live orchestra \u2013 with one\u2019s own eyes and ears \u2013 it\u2019s a great thing,\u201d Larkin says. \u201cVideo game music is a great entry point.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n