This April, video games will come to life. Well, the music of video games will, at any rate. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is performing two concerts entitled "Video Games Unplugged: Symphony of Legends", in which you can hear the epic battle and adventure tunes of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; Assassin's Creed II; Civilization IV; World of Warcraft; and StarCraft II, plus many others.
Some members of the MSO waiting to perform
The concerts will be held in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre's Plenary Hall, which is a huge venue, so it's going to be massive. I went to a similar MSO spectacular the other week, where they played the music of Doctor Who, and it was immensely exciting to sit in a giant hall filled with thousands of people all cheering for the orchestra. In these concerts, the ordinary rules for classical music appreciation do not apply. You can cheer, whistle, clap between movements - it's part night at the orchestra, part rock concert. Of course, merchandise will be available at the concert, and if the one I went to is anything to go by, a lot of people will turn up in costume.
In short, it's an epic night out. However, you probably do have to be majorly into computer games to really appreciate this one.
Ticket prices range from $49.00 up to $139.00 for an adult and $29.00 up to $139.00 for concession. The event goes for two hours, and tickets can be booked at the
MSO website,
Ticketmaster, or by calling 13 61 00.
I think it's really interesting that high cultural organisations such as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are embracing popular culture in their concerts. It shows that orchestral music doesn't have to be stuck in the past, but can be relevant to everyone in our society. Plus, it's really exciting to hear music that directly relates to your interests and hobbies being played on an epic scale.
