The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is forgoing the usual classical staples by the likes of Mozart and Beethoven this weekend for a radically different repertoire inspired by video games “World of Warcraft” and “Assassin’s Creed.” Andy Brick conducts CD Projekt Red’s "The Witcher 3" during a Game On! concert with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, in Seattle, in a Sept. 16, 2023, handout photo.
“It’s really important to us that the music that we’re choosing from the various games that we’re showing has something the orchestra can really dig into,” said Brick, originally from the Chicago area.While some video game music is already symphonic to begin with, other pieces require radical translations, says Brick, who brings the second of two shows to Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday.
Other Game On! pieces, including songs from “The Witcher 3,” “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” and “Guild Wars 2” were easier to rework, says Brick.A similar show planned for Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra will perform the “Final Fantasy” soundtrack on Jan. 10 and 11, 2025. “I think generally livens up the offerings and shows that they are attentive to a younger generation,” says Deaville.“From what I know, they tend to be one-offs and there’s not necessarily a strong correlation between subscriptions and participation in these concerts,” he says.The performing arts sector was hit especially hard by pandemic restrictions that temporarily shuttered music halls and capped attendance.