The World’s Greatest Classical Music Festival Finally Embraces Game OSTs

Here’s the $1,000,000 question (and with a gun to your head for good measure): what’s the best gaming soundtrack ever? It’s subjective, of course. Opinions vary, especially on Dualshockers, but there are a few iconic melodies that have stood the test of time long after the credits rolled. You know the ones: catchy ear-worms, sweeping scores and 8-bit gems.

With those precious tunes in mind, the time has come for a handful of them to take center stage and delight the crowd at Prom 21: Gaming Prom-From 8-Bit to Infinity, held at the Royal Albert Hall on August 1st. But why now and what’s so great about Proms, the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest classical music festival”?

Since August 10th, 1895, BBC Proms concerts (short for “promenade” concerts) have been synonymous with exemplary classical music composed and conducted by the best of the best. The venue has always been the Royal Albert Hall, which was opened and commissioned 14 years prior by Queen Victoria herself. Not too shabby.

Throughout the decades, expectations remained high—as well as ticket prices—and Prom patrons’ tastes rarely deviated from a strict diet of Beethoven and Bach, but the winds of change were destined to blow. It took some time, but in 2018, the Philharmonic Orchestra performed Playstation In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The hits included select tracks from fan-favorites like Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, God of War and Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture (more on that little gem later). That was four years ago, so what was the holdup for more video game concerts?

According to Proms’ director, David Pickard, the issue wasn’t with the prolific amount of video game music, but with the lack of composers in the video game music genre. “Now we can be there on the front foot and say that there’s a huge range of music here, appealing to a new audience, and of a very high quality that we’re really happy to have at the Proms.”

But the answer may not be as easy as a lack of baton-wielding composers. In a 2016 BBC interview, Jessica Curry, the composer behind the Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture OST, agreed that snobbery and disdain towards video game music may have kept Proms from fully embracing the genre. About game music, she believes it’s possible to bridge the gap. “What I’m really hoping for in the next couple of years is that classical music will realize that we have a really rich crossover of music that people who love classical could explore and enjoy.”

Video game covers are nothing new. Want to hear a guy play Mario theme songs on violin (with all the sound effects)? You got it. Ocarina of Time soundtrack on actual ocarinas? Done. There’s also no shortage of one-man acapella versions of Cuphead songs, if you’re into that (and I am). If it’s a mind-blowing performance with an epilepsy-inducing light show you want, look no further than Video Games Live. With so many options to experience video game music, how is Proms any different?

Easy. The event is being officially labeled as the first ever Gaming Prom, which speaks volumes. The minds behind Prom aren’t fanboys/girls. They couldn’t care less about video games or their soundtrack counterparts. However, 8-Bit to Infinity seems to be the equivalent of the New York Times doing a whole spread on the relevance of comic books. The seemingly stiff atmosphere that previously clouded the event is now being replaced with more open-mindedness about what qualifies as ‘high art.’

From what we know, attendees will be treated to five performances (that we know of) from sci-fi and electro wizard/conductor Robert Ames:

1. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s/Sam Slater: Battlefield 2042 – Theme
From the Oscar-winning talents behind the Joker and Chernobyl soundtracks comes the eponymous 14-minute Battlefield 2042 suite, arranged by Robert Ames. While the game itself may have a few kinks to work out, the tumultuous and jarring soundscape will keep you on the edge of your seat.

2. Jessica Curry: Dear Esther – I Have Begun My Ascent

Set on a desolate island off the coast of Scotland, The Chinese Room’s stark game, Dear Esther, works best when paired with its beautiful yet bittersweet music. Curry would go on to compose another heartbreaking ethereal soundtrack for 2015’s Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture – music that will make you rethink your life, on or off the console. 

3. Yoko Shimamura: Kingdom Hearts – Excerpts
Renowned for composing memorable music for both Capcom and Square Enix (Street Fighter, Parasite Eve, Super Mario RPGs, Final Fantasy XV, etc.), one of Shimomura’s crowning composing achievements has been the music for the Disney-themed RPG, Kingdom of Hearts (basically Final Fantasy, but with Donald Duck and Goofy). Shimomura’s goosebump-inducing soundtrack has won over players young and old with its diverse range of beautiful piano melodies and emotional scores.

4. Kow Otani: Shadow of the Colossus – Excerpts
Composed by Kow Otani (also in the name of love), the action-adventure soundtrack has all the feel of an epic movie, due to the game’s cinematic feel. Otani is a master craftsman in capturing the game’s contrasting moods ranging from intense battle sequences one minute, to lonely stretches of pensive travel the next.

5. Nobuo Uematsu: Final Fantasy VIII – Liberi Fatali

Which Final Fantasy are we on now? Fourteen? Fifteen? It’s actually sixteen. Since its inception, music has been an inseparable element of the game. This can be attributed to mastermind Nobuo Uematsu, who has been at the composing helm since Final Fantasy’s debut in 1987. Then in 1999 Final Fantasy VIII dropped, changing the series forever. Liberi Fatali (“fated children” in Latin) is one of the main themes of the game, incorporating both an orchestra and an ethereal chorus for full dramatic effect.

The Prom 21: 8-Bit to Infinity concert sets a refreshing precedent that will hopefully continue in the future. With ticket prices ranging from £14-62 ($16-73), both beginners and bourgeoisie can come together to appreciate the sheer talent of the musicians on stage, regardless of the source material.

The show starts on Monday, August 1 at 7:30pm at the Royal Albert Hall. If you can’t make it, no worries. You probably already know all the songs by heart anyway.