Game Music Festival is an international music festival[1] dedicated to the popularization of video game soundtracks and promoting them as a form of art.[1] The event was held at the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw, Poland, from 2018.[2] In 2022, the fourth edition of the Festival took place in London's[3] Royal Festival Hall.[1] Third edition of Game Music Festival was streamed on Twitch platform. Fifth edition is planned for 4 May in London.[4]
| Game Music Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Video game music |
| Location(s) | Narodowe Forum Muzyki in Wrocław, Royal Festival Hall in London |
| Years active | Since 2018 |
| Organised by | Game Music Foundation |
| Website | https://gmfest.com/ |
Format of the Festival
editEach iteration of the Game Music Festival is focused on a series of live concerts based on newly created arrangements of the soundtracks from a particular game franchise. These concerts are often monographic in character, aiming to present the music attributed to a selected game or composer in a coherent manner. The performance itself can assume various musical forms, such as a symphonic suite, a concerto grosso, or a jazz big-band[3] piece.
Concerts of each Game Music Festival are not accompanied by visualizations. Sound is not amplified electronically[1] unless this is required by a particular instrument. Game Music Festival also includes multiple auxiliary events such as masterclass workshops, panel discussions, case studies, meet-and-greet sessions.[1] For each edition, organizers are inviting composers and special guests connected to presented games and soundtracks, who then join aforementioned panels and workshops.[5]
| Year | Concert title | Soundtracks | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Symphony of Heroes | Heroes of Might and Magic series (including parts II III, IV) | NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic |
| The Jazz of Grim Fandango | Grim Fandango | Bartosz Pernal Orchestra | |
| The Symphony of the Forest | Ori and the Blind Forest | Sound Factory Orchestra | |
| The Symphony of the Storm | Diablo, Diablo 2, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, StarCraft II | NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic, NFM Choir | |
| 2019 | The Symphony of the Desert | Journey, Abzû, The Banner Saga | Sound Factory Orchestra |
| The Symphony of the Colossus | ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian | Sound Factory Orchestra | |
| The Symphony of the Shadows | Assassin's Creed 2, Hitman series (including Codename 47, Silent Assassin, Contracts, Blood Money) | NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic, NFM Choir | |
| 2020 | The Symphony of Four Worlds | Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, Hades | Sound Factory Orchestra |
| The Symphony of Sin | Divinity: Original Sin II, Baldur's Gate III | Opole Philharmonic Orchestra, Medici Cantantes Choir | |
| 2022 | The Jazz of Cuphead | Cuphead[3] | Bartosz Pernal Orchestra |
| The Symphony of the Spirits | Ori and the Blind Forest[3] | Philharmonia Orchestra, Hertfordshire Chorus | |
| 2024 | The Symphony of the Realms[4][6] | Baldur's Gate 3 | Philharmonia Orchestra, Hertfordshire Chorus |
| The Sounds of the Fireflies[4] | The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Part II | Philharmonia Orchestra, Gustavo Santaolalla[7] | |
| The Sounds of the Fireflies - Wrocław[8] | The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Part II | NFM Filharmonia Wrocławska, Gustavo Santaolalla[8] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Unfinished symphony". Edge. No. 371. Bath: Future Publishing. November 2014. pp. 14–15.
- ^ Talik, Magdalena. "Game Music Festival w NFM w październiku". www.wroclaw.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-09-29.
- ^ a b c d Haider, Arwa. "The music most embedded in our psyches?". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
- ^ a b c "Game Music Festival: Exquisite video game music concerts and more". Game Music Festival. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ "ARCHIVE". Game Music Festival. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ Dave Jones (2023-10-31). "The Baldur's Gate 3 soundtrack is hitting the concert hall". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ Bolt, Neil (2023-11-16). "The Last of Us Composer Gustavo Santaolalla Performing Soundtracks in the UK in 2024". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ a b Editors, DLH Net. "DLH Enterprises". DLH.net. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
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