Review: Press Play @ Festival Theatre 02/08/25
“Through the beauty of auditory enrichment and entanglement, the capacity audience was transported to a breathtaking world of fantasy, albeit with some necessary boundaries.”
Words Will Oakeshott // Images Sia Duff
Press Play @ Festival Theatre 02/08/25
“I actually enjoy the fantasy world quite a bit. You have no boundaries.” - Ramin Djawadi.
Who better to express accurate, firsthand insight about the world of video game soundtracks (as well as film and TV series) than an award-winning composer in these esteemed fields?
Almost certainly, Ramin Djawadi is probably best known for his Emmy and Grammy Award-winning work with the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones. However, Mr. Djawadi has also composed and produced outstanding orchestration for critically acclaimed and commercially successful video games such as Medal of Honor, Gears of War, and Honor of Kings.
His message, quoted at the very beginning of this article, flawlessly illustrates what the gaming universe provides for its devotees - escapism. Reality, especially in the current global state of affairs, has the potential to become particularly overwhelming and terrifying. If one can abscond from these real-life horrors, even for only a short amount of time, that enjoyment is unparalleled.
This is essentially the entrancement and brilliance of the arts. It offers a channel to enter a universe without boundaries, driven by imagination and the ability to explore multiple realms of creativity that reality relinquishes in comparison. Video games have been an elite medium for this delightful distraction for decades, and millions around the globe are beyond thankful for their existence.
There is an incredible unification of numerous artistic avenues involved with the interactive gaming world, and one of the most vital that enhances the experience is the soundtrack. If one hears that infamous 1985 syncopated swing rhythm chiptune, or even its first six notes, an instantaneous connection with two heroic Italian plumber brothers is made – the Super Mario Bros. On this night, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was celebrating that very fundamental artistic element to video games: the soundtrack. Through the beauty of auditory enrichment and entanglement, the capacity audience was transported to a breathtaking world of fantasy, albeit with some necessary boundaries.
Presented by the charismatic ABC personality and video game soundtrack expert Meena Shamalay under the genius guidance of conductor Jessica Gethin, this journey was one that attracted a very diverse and wonderful range of aficionados. From primary school children and teenagers, cosplayers and game enthusiasts from almost every existing generation, to music enthusiasts and even the traditional passionate orchestral performance devotees, this was undeniably an event for practically everyone and anyone who would enjoy multiple facets of the arts, especially music.
The introduction was a reimagination of a theme song for a small spiny animal known for its hyper speed and rolling attack, the brilliant and blue Sonic the Hedgehog. A classical retrospective of the restrained Atari ST digitised four musical sounds available through Genesis hardware in 1991 (the theme was crafted by bassist and songwriter Matsato Nakamura from J-Pop group Dreams Come True), this reimagination was thrillingly theatrical. As the venue was illuminated by suitable bright blue lighting, the combination of deep brass tones, cinematic strings, playful high-pitched woodwind soundscapes and victorious horns transformed this contagious melody into an anthem of symphonic radiance.
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‘Metal Gear Sonnet’ fittingly altered the disposition to a darker motif astoundingly. The lighting’s colour tones changed to a cavernous red intensity as the percussion pulsated in a heart-rendering rock’n’roll fashion faultlessly. The string section escalated the drama of the auditory panorama immaculately and a militant aura adrenalised the onlookers into a frozen gaze of awe.
From the savage stealth semblances to goofily great goose games, ‘Untitled Goose Game’ was next celebrated in fantastic fashion. Original composer, Melbourne’s Dan Goulding, was nominated for an ARIA Award, as well as victorious at the Independent Games Festival Awards, the Game Developers’ Choice Awards and the British Academy Games Awards for his remarkable composition.
Host Meena Shamalay made his ASO debut as the “honk” performer, which he did with hilarious heroics. Dancing, mistiming, crowd involvement, instrument muting and playful interaction with the incredibly magnetic conductor Jessica Gethin escalated this orchestration to the level above dazzling; it must be acknowledged that this reimagination arguably reached the majesty of the Mary Poppins soundtrack, simply illustrious.
The tribute to Uncharted embraced a percussion-driven focus that caused the walls to tremor ever so slightly under blue/turquoise/white light luminosity; an almost tribal rhythm was certainly entrancing. The Halo 3 exploration amazingly fused elements of Tim Burton, AIR and even medieval sound excursions wonderfully.
Jessica Curry’s ‘Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture’ was enthralling and possibly as triumphant as the soundtrack to the Academy-winning film Braveheart. Shamalay’s accidental confusion between Avril Lavigne and Hannah Montana when introducing the sensational symphony was forgiven and nearly forgotten by the song’s bewildering grand resplendence.
Legend has it that Rovio Entertainment Corporation found the first “theme song” submission by composer Ari Pulkkinen for the Angry Birds game (well, franchise) a bit too “annoying”. Ironically, they agreed that the irritating sentiment suited the birds’ madness and playfulness. Now, at an uncountable number of sequel versions, multiple films, TV series, spin-offs and toy collectables, the madness is in the explosive success the flightless birds attained. Thankfully on this evening, the ASO were able to transform that “annoyance” to “invigorating”.
Forgetting the birds’ saving eggs from green pigs, imagine a coalescence of the classic version of Snow White with the historical fantasy sounds of The Witcher – the complete opposite of the cartoon craziness. This is what was delightfully derived and exhibited by the ASO in a poetic expression of magnificence.
Adelaide’s own Christopher Larkin was celebrated for his striking HollowKnight soundtrack. Highlighted by wondrous and practically fluorescent lighting, the duet introduction of piano and strings in a minimalist but magical atmosphere was perfectly immense. Impossibly merging musical moments of Ghostbusters with Middle Age classical interpretations was incredibly intoxicating and captured the “rush” of the game sublimely.
An intermission provided a rejuvenating landing back to reality, ensuring that the observers were able to remember planet Earth, if only momentarily. Upon return, an eager concertgoer yelled “GO GIRL!” when Ms. Gethin graced her podium again and this encapsulated the excitement for Part Two in its entirety. Vivacious voyages into the worlds of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Call Of Duty enraptured all within and brought upon emotional recollections of scintillating soundtracks spanning from Ferngully to Jaws to The Little Mermaid to The Lord Of The Rings and The Matrix, leaving Adelaide very moved and mesmerised.
Assassin’s Creed was a “rum dinger” of a time as a sea shanty orchestration if one can imagine it, but under the prodigious interpreted guidance of Christopher Nolan, with the mischievousness of Steven Spielberg’s Hook. The romantic, dramatic and frantic composition that was the Tetris theme song brought ache and adoration simultaneously, particularly with the clarinet, trombone and piano musical soundscapes governed by Russian instruction. Then to conclude, eclipsing the previously mentioned Italian Brothers Plumbers belter, the Super Mario Bros. theme inspired everyone in joy, as that game has consistently provided for decades and generations. The mushroom-shaped lighting and Mario Hat atop the Harp were unquestionably memorable.
“…You have no boundaries.”
Game on.
