Video Games Live with the RPO

members of Concentus who volunteered their voices
for the VGL concert

I’ve always dreamt of performing a choral soundtrack piece (preferably Koyaanisqatsi or La Double Vie de Véronique), but I guess Video Games Live is as close as I’ll ever come. There’s something about incidental soundtrack music that can be rich and compelling, with its tendency to use the chorus as an instrument – an extension of the orchestra. In the case of the VGL music, complexity was not a factor, although the lyrics were tricky – some seemed to be Slavic and others perhaps made-up, and by the end of the performance, I know most of the chorus had made up their own words to fit the fast-paced music! But it was rollicking. When Concentus’ conductor, Gwen, asked if I wanted to participate in what would be a motley crew of chorus members, I didn’t hesitate, even though it meant learning the music on my own (to mp3s sent by the concert coordinator) and an all-afternoon rehearsal immediately prior to the concert.

the orchestra watches as an audience member plays
Guitar Hero to mostly recorded music

This was the first time I’d been on stage with the RPO (singing the Holst didn’t count, since we were offstage behind a wall), and it was an amazing perspective on the musicians, conductor, and audience, whose energy we could see and feel. It was exhilarating to feel a part of the RPO, even though we were situated behind them and we feared our sound might not carry. The conductor and many of the musicians had earpieces that clicked the tempo for them, so they would stay together with the video projection (and the backtrack – there was obviously some electronic music that was being played simultaneously, perhaps even supplementing the chorus…).

There wasn’t a lot of finesse to this type of music – it was more theatrical (the music was really in support of the video) than interpretive – and it showed in the more casual approach of the conductor. At our choral rehearsal, we skimmed through the pieces, and received only minimal guidance from Maestro Fratianni about dynamics and entrances and cutoffs. The orchestra rehearsal was similarly lacking in subtlety – it really was all about the tempo – and the earpieces almost made the conductor redundant.

the audience are invited to shine their
cellphone flashlights

The event itself resembled a rock concert more than a traditional RPO performance. The audience was overwhelmingly young (people who were familiar with games like Tron, World of Warcraft, Tetris, and Skyrim), the songs were short, and there was a great deal of audience participation. This was probably the first exposure to the RPO for many, and it will be a challenge for the organization to find ways to continue to engage them in live orchestral concerts. At dinner between rehearsal and the performance with other Concentus participants, as well as principal clarinetist Kenny Grant (husband of one of the singers), we chatted about the need for more John Williams-type concerts, which stealthily expose a new generation to classical music.

conductor, creator/guitarist, and soloist
take bows as the orchestra departs

The final song was performed just by the show’s creator/guitarist (who had quite an ego…) and the soloist, as an audience sing-along. Many of the younger men in the chorus didn’t even need to twist around to see the words displayed on the giant screen behind them to add their voices. It made me think that there had been a lost collaborative opportunity for the RPO with a local college or high school choir. Not only would such a group have had more volume, they might also have been familiar with the genre, if not the specific music. And they could have brought additional audience to the hall in the form of family and friends. Their loss was my gain!