An Aug. 3 Business article referred to Clear Channel Communications as a concert promoter. Clear Channel sold its live-entertainment division last year.
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Mario's New World: Symphonies
The Chicagoland Pops Orchestra performed "Play: A Video Game Symphony" in May. "Play" rolls into Wolf Trap tomorrow night.
(Courtesy Of Paul Natkin)
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"I'm a huge fan of Beethoven, but if I go to a local symphony and I'm watching Beethoven, I get bored," Tallarico said. "Video games are all about visuals; they're all about excitement; they're all about having fun."
Paul, for his part, complains that "Video Games Live" has hurt his business, and he finds the competition's approach annoying. "My whole goal is to keep the arts alive in a way that is classy," he said.
"We were on the verge of taking over the market," Paul said. "But because of the confusion they caused in the marketplace, I've had to scale back my vision. I can't afford a cancellation."
The "Play" program tomorrow night will feature music from the Elder Scrolls game series, the hit franchise from our local guys at Bethesda Softworks. Some of that title's designers are planning to attend tomorrow night's show.
The Elder Scrolls orchestral score -- like much of the other music on the program -- is actually quite good. Composer Jeremy Soule said this week that he is working on some more music for the game to be included with an upcoming addition to Oblivion, the latest entry in the Elder Scrolls series. An avid gamer, Soule recently finished playing the action game Prey, for which he composed the music.
Soule said he hopes the video game music performances will educate some parents and significant others that game music isn't just a bunch of bleeps and bloops. And that's a two-way street -- the National Symphony Orchestra is also hoping that it may win a new young fan or two in the audience of the show.
The NSO's associate conductor, Emil de Cou, said in a cheery phone interview that he's looking forward to the "Play" performance, which he dubbed "a weird, cross-generational cyber blind date" between young gamers and the older musicians of the NSO.
"The arts really do need a kick in the butt, and this helps shake things up," he said. "Maybe I'll buy an Xbox after it's all over."
