Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Live Performances: Video Games Live

Yesterday was a long travel day for me as Vince and I headed down to my parents house to visit them before we start our usual summer work in the Berkshires.  The drive gave me a chance to listen to another of The Game Audio Podcast's, which I'm really loving so far-- I'm up to episode 4 now.  

I've also been thinking about the Video Games Live!/ Distant Worlds, etc phenomenon a lot recently.  Whenever I mention to a classical musician that I'm studying this music, they ask if I know of these concerts.  Somehow, these concerts have permeated the game culture bubble to non-gamers.  Probably in part because classical musicians understand how film music concerts work and these aren't far from that.  

This music tries to distance itself from classical symphonic music, and I can certainly see why.  A regular classical symphony orchestra might not enjoy an event like this, so the distinction is important in selling the concert to the right audience.  Tommy Tallarico is right in describing the event as a part symphony, part rock concert.  The lights, effects, multimedia, incorporation of audience members, interviews with composers, and historic speakers...  there are lots of things this performance has going right.  In many cases, with widely consumed classical music, the creators are long dead and can't be interviewed and brought up on stage.  That will happen to video game music, of course, but right now they have a huge advantage in an aging generation that we can see and talk to.  There are before and after events with the concerts too, much the same as classical music's pre-show lectures and afterward meet-and-greets.  

I hadn't considered that there are celebrities in this style of music, for instance, the pianist who plays Super Mario music blindfolded, Martin Leung.  There's a whole culture to the live performance of this music that's somewhat different from those who play it in games.  I suppose that's one of the ways these concerts win: mom and dad (or at this point, grandma and grandpa!) may still feel like they're taking the kids to the symphony, while the younger generation is thrilled to hear music they've grown up loving.  

The marketing of these concerts is a fine line to walk, though... there's no need to disparage classical music or concerts.  I've been to plenty of classical concerts that made use of multimedia, special effects, etc, to great effect.  I've also been to plenty of classical concerts that were in that traditional "stuffy" atmosphere and were absolutely brilliant-- and, in fairness, some I've hated for having that atmosphere.  That's all in the eye of the beholder anyway.  In some ways, with VGL!'s various acts and discussions, it's even more true to what I know of historic classical performances.  I'm thinking here of Baroque opera houses, where pieces were broken up, excerpted, and there was a whole event to the performance; in the corners of the houses, there were people eating, having sex, selling things, etc.  

I do hope for a day when we can hear this music a bit more expressively live.  I understand the need for the click track with the visuals, but think that combined with the hiring of orchestra members who sometimes look (and sound) as if the music is beneath them can hurt the performance.  We need to invent a way to lock the visuals with the music instead of vice-versa.  And make sure that the performing orchestra members actually love the music they're playing.  

In any case, I need to see one of these concerts live some day soon to drink it all in in-person.  



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