It’s not too soon to ponder what to get your gaming-obsessed friend for Christmas. EMI Classics has collaborated with Video Games Live and IMG Artists to release an album celebrating some of the best known, most popular video-game music of all time.
The optimistically-named Video Games Live: Greatest Hits – Volume One highlights some of the best show segments exclusively created and arranged with the original composers, most of which have previously never been released. The album is available from 15 October.
Video Games Live: Greatest Hits – Volume One includes medleys from the games as diverse as Zelda, Mario, Halo, Warcraft, Sonic and Final Fantasy.
Mixed and recorded at Abbey Road studios, the CD was compiled by renowned video game composers and Video Games Live co-creators Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. It features the Slovak National Orchestra as well as the Crouch End Chorus and “Video Game Pianist” Martin Leung.
The release coincides with the Video Games Live event on October 19 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and on 22nd October as the opening event of the London Games Festival where it will be performed by members of the Philharmonia Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Music in the interactive entertainment industry has come a long way in the past 25 years, from beeps and electrical impulses to early digital synthesis and sampling to pre-recorded rock and orchestral soundtracks.
The debut performance of Video Games Live took place on July 6th, 2005 at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic. Over 11,000 people attended making it the biggest video game concert in the world.
By Joe Griffin
