Last night the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra assembled in the Royal Albert Hall for a ground-breaking event. Led by conductor Robert Ames, the group performed music from the world of gaming as part of the annual BBC Proms for the very first time. Known as ‘From 8-Bit to Infinity’, the concert charted a diverse course through the decades-long history of music in video games.
What Are the BBC Proms?
The BBC Proms, often shortened to the Proms, are frequently billed as the world’s greatest classical music festival. It’s made up of several concerts over eight weeks with performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall for chamber music, and special Proms in the Park around the UK. It’s a landmark of British culture that garners international interest, making gaming’s involvement in 2022 all the more significant.
As an added fun fact, you can astound your friends and family with, the name is an abbreviation for Promenade concerts, informal and inexpensive events that presented passersby with the opportunity to stop, stand, and listen.
A Landmark for Gaming
The 21st Prom of this year’s event, ‘From 8-Bit to Infinity’ marked the first time that scores and compositions originally written for video games would be featured as part of the festival. The announcement was a big headline for the BBC and they treated it with respect through their coverage, praising the work of gaming composers as highly as they would any symphony or film score. This was an exciting moment for gamers who have long waited to see the medium receive more recognition as a form of art.
The BBC officially described this concert as such;
“Fantastic worlds, epic adventures, complex characters and huge moral choices – the universe of computer gaming is a natural match for orchestral music, and in the 21st century games have created a huge and passionate global audience for some of the most vivid, ambitious and inventive music currently being written for symphony orchestra. In this first ever Gaming Prom, Robert Ames – best-known at the Proms for his explorations of sci-fi and electroacoustic music – takes an electronically expanded Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on an odyssey from the classic console titles of the 1980s, through Jessica Curry’s haunted soundscapes to the European concert premiere of music from Hildur Guðnadóttir’s and Sam Slater’s score for Battlefield 2042.”
Which Games Were Featured?
Kicking off the night was an original composition by Matt Rogers and Tim Follin called Loading Chronos. From there, the Royal Philharmonic began honouring some video game greats. This started with a rendition of Koji Kondo’s iconic theme to The Legend of Zelda. It was followed by a second original composition, CHAINES, which played tribute to Pokémon, Ecco, and Secret of Mana’s many talented composers.
After that, things began to move towards the 21st century with scores from Final Fantasy VIII, Kingdom Hearts, and Kow Otani’s genre defining work from Shadow of the Colossus. These trailblazing compositions were then followed by works of the last decade. First among them were excerpts from Austin Wintory’s phenomenal soundtrack to Journey, beautifully arranged for the occasion. Following further selections from Battlefield 2042, the evening ended with a special arrangement of Jessica Curry’s work from games such as Dear Esther and So Let Us Melt.
Where Can I Watch the BBC Proms?
If you are feeling a small pang of regret that you missed attending this concert for yourself, then fret not. Like many events in the BBC Proms, ‘From 8-Bit to Infinity’ will be made available for broadcast later this week. It will be shown on BBC Four on Friday 5th August and be available on demand via BBC iPlayer shortly afterward.
Enjoy Gaming Music with Crisp Audio
While you can’t have the full orchestral backing of the Royal Philharmonic every time you game, you can have high-quality audio at least. Here at Overclockers UK, we have a wide range of headsets and speakers to make your gaming music sound its absolute best. We’ve even got a full guide to help you find your ultimate gaming headset. For here though, we’ve just picked a few of our favourites for you.
ASUS ROG Delta Core Wired Gaming Headset (90YH00Z1-B1-UA00)
Available to order for £89.99
Whatever platform you’re playing on, the ASUS ROG Delta Core Wired Gaming Headset will help deliver an immersive audio experience. This is thanks to its exclusive ASUS Essence drivers and the airtight chamber. Wrapped in comfortable and ergonomic D-shaped cushions, this gaming headset can be easily paired up with your PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch thanks to its 3.5mm jack.
AKG K702 Reference Studio Headphones (SP-003-AK)
Sit back, hit play, and listen to the greatest compositions of gaming with a one-of-a-kind sound. The sophisticated open technology of the AKD K702 Studio Headphones creates a spacious and airy sound. These headphones are designed for maximum comfort, featuring an over-ear design and specially shaped 3D-foam ear pads. They’re the perfect companion for long work sessions, letting you enjoy your tunes without compromise.
Available to order for £169.99
Edifier R1700BT 2.0 Studio Speaker System
Available to order for £119.95
A multifunctional speaker system suited to your everyday needs; the Edifier R1700BT Speaker System will bring new life to your gaming music. Whether playing your favourite title or listening to its score on playback, this system can connect to its audio source by either Bluetooth or through dual RCA inputs. With a 4–inch bass driver and a 19mm tweeter driver in each speaker, the emphasis is on lower frequencies for richer bass performance. This complements the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Dynamic Range Control (DRC) that fight distortion to create clean audio.
- 6 min read
Jacob Smith
Author
Jacob is a passionate gamer, plus a noted Pokemon and LEGO nutjob, who emerges only when doing the words here at Overclockers UK. Since starting at the tail end of 2021, Jacob has gone on to write dozens of blogs on everything from the latest games to whimsical Dickens-inspired poetry. Outside of creating content and being the one person in the office daring to champion Nintendo, he is often found fawning over his Pokemon card collection and his trio of lovely doggos.
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