Press Play

Gaming has had a bad rap of late in the media with concerns of young people spending a large amount of time ‘glued’ to their screens or being in danger of being groomed by unscrupulous players.

While the content of the games may occasionally be questionable, the music is not. Gaming music has changed dramatically from the monotonal beeps of the early games to some of the most beautiful and powerful soundtracks produced today. They add another dimension to the imaginary worlds created by programmers and composers who are tasked with adding ambience to the gaming experience.

Press Play is an homage to gaming music ranging from the haunting beauty of Hollow Knight to the memorable melodies of Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda, and the fan favourites of Super Mario and Tetris. It is a must for gamers and any lovers of orchestral music!

This was my first non/classical orchestral experience and I will be back for more. The stage of the Festival Theatre is filled with South Australia’s best orchestral players, moving lights creating patterns that spread throughout the theatre and a light display that is a nod to the pixels of early gaming constantly changing colour and pattern. It is truly an immersive experience!

Press Play is hosted by the legendary Meena Shamaly, composer, session musician, poet, lecturer, and radio presenter and the host of ABC Classic's Game Show. He is also a ‘master musician’ playing the ‘honk’ in Claude Debussy & Don Golding’s Untitled Goose Game: Untitled Concerto for Orchestra and Honk, an audience favourite.

The programme is varied and features salutes to nineteen games from the early days of gaming right up to today.

Conductor Jessica Gethin is the perfect choice for this programme, whether she sets her stance with legs apart or ‘grooves’ along to the beat, she is in total control and obviously revered by the orchestra. The balance is perfect!

What better way to start the program than the unmistakable music of the Sonic the Hedgehog Suite by Masato Nakamura.

The Metal Gear Suite (by Harry Gregson-Williams) features a drum kit almost hidden in the percussion section.

I particularly enjoyed Unchartered: Drake’s Fortune Theme (by Greg Edmondsen) for its power, Jessica Curry’s Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture: An Early Harvest with its delicate harp solo and almost Lord of the Rings feel, and Adelaide born Christopher Larkin’s Hollow Knight Suite which starts slowly and builds to a powerful climax.

The first half also features Martin O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori’s Halo 3: One Final Effort and of course the wonderful Angry Birds theme (by Ari Pulkkinen).

The second half of Press Play contains some truly stunning scores – The Legend of Zelda (by Koji Kondo), Suite from Final Fantasy IX (by Nobuo Uematsu) with its alternating grandeur and comedic sections, Journey: Nascence/Apotheosis (by Austin Wintory) featuring a haunting cello solo and the Disneyesque Kingdom Hearts: Hikari (by Hikaru Utada).

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Theme (by the incredible Hans Zimmer of film scorer fame) is a highlight with its eerie theme as is the inspiring Celeste: Reach for the Summit (by Lena Raine) as its surges to a triumphant finish.

The last three pieces are as popular as they are memorable – Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Suite (a piratical swashbuckling delight by Brian Tyler), one of the first game scores, the Tetris Theme (by Hirokazu Tanaka) which the orchestra clearly enjoyed playing judging from the smiles on their faces, and lastly the quintessential game score the Theme from Super Mario (by Koji Kondo), complete with a Mario hat perched on top of the harp, a fitting ending resulting in thunderous applause.

Press Play is a night of varying musical styles, all masterfully handled. From the sweeping melodies of the string section, to the majesty of the brass, the heavenly sounds of the woodwind and the amazing miscellany of the percussion, there was not a beat missed or a note that wasn’t in tune. A tribute to the orchestra and their conductor, Jessica Gethin!

The ASO are to be congratulated for their varied choices in their current season. They are bringing new audience goers to the theatre. I heard many patrons say it was their first time in the Festival Theatre. These insightful concerts are creating a new audience to live performance and ensures that the arts lives on in years to come.

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (or ASO) have a concert season which is sure to have something for every theatre goer ranging from the classics to modern and popular music. Press Play is a joy from start to finish, iconic scores played by a masterful orchestra, sorry if you weren’t there! Bravo ASO!

Barry Hill OAM

Photo credit - Sia Duff @siaduff