PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

Scores from world-renowned video games such as The Legend of Zelda, The Last of Us, Final Fantasy VII and more are set to be performed by Brussels Philharmonic during the concert PRESS PLAY: Music in Games on Thursday 19 October 2023 at Film Fest Gent. The festival - home to the World Soundtrack Awards - announced the concert and its host, composer Austin Wintory, back in March, and now releases the first line-up of the night, including the first-ever orchestral live performance of Lena Raine’s score for indie hit Celeste.

There’s no denying that video games are a global phenomenon with a lasting cultural impact. They immerse players in virtual worlds, taking them on a journey to distant or less distant universes. Despite the enormous success of video games in our contemporary multimedia society, their original music is far less recognised. Which is why Film Fest Gent - for the first time ever in its fifty-year history - is putting video game music front and centre during its annual concert.

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games will showcase the incredible diversity of the genre, embracing both popular franchise entries and influential indie games. Linking these two is Austin Wintory, who wrote music for arguably the most beautiful indie game of the 21st century: Journey (developed by Thatgamecompany). The adventure game proved to be a commercial and critical success with fans and professionals alike. An inspirational and emotionally rich parable, Journey leaned heavily on Wintory’s compositions that were responsive to the gameplay and guided the narrative and emotion of the player experience. Alongside music from Journey and Abzû (developed by Giant Squid Studios), another enchanting indie game, Brussels Philharmonic will perform a suite from Wintory’s score for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, the ninth instalment in Ubisoft’s beloved Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Appealing to both fans of niche and mainstream games, the concert will present scores from lesser-known titles next to scores from some of the biggest games out there, including The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo), Final Fantasy VII (Square) and God of War: Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio). All of them are best-selling games that are imprinted in the memory of millions of people and offer a wildly creative ride through worlds different from ours. In particular, composer Koji Kondo’s iconic themes for The Legend of Zelda are central to any discussion of music in games. Kondo became an overnight sensation in 1985 when he scored Super Mario Bros. He became the first composer specifically hired to write music for video games by Nintendo.

Line-up:

  • Abzû (Austin Wintory)

  • Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Austin Wintory)

  • Celeste (Lena Raine)

  • Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (Jessica Curry)

  • Final Fantasy VII (Nobuo Uematsu)

  • God of War: Ragnarök (Bear McCreary)

  • Hearthstone (Peter McConnell)

  • Journey (Austin Wintory)

  • L.A. Noire (Andrew & Simon Hale)

  • The Last of Us (Gustavo Santaolalla)

  • The Legend of Zelda (Koji Kondo)

  • Medal of Honor (Michael Giacchino)

  • Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (Gordy Haab & Stephen Barton)

Date: Thursday 19 October 2023

Location: Capitole Ghent

For more information, visit the website of Film Festival Ghent.

Olivier Vandeputte