It seems like an odd marriage: Mario, with his plumber's hat, goomba-stomping shoes and delightfully clunky theme music, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, with their suit tails, bow ties and classical repertoire.
But the two will come together Friday when the BSO performs a night of music from popular video games. Called PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, the concert features theme songs from games such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy and others. Vignettes from the games will be shown on large overhead screens to accompany the music. Arnie Roth will conduct, and the Handel Choir of Baltimore will provide vocal accompaniment.
Listening to video-game music in front of your TV is one thing, said Jason Michael Paul, the show's producer. Seeing it performed live by a full symphony orchestra is something else entirely.
"It sounds awesome," said Paul, 31. "It's amazing to be in the audience and hear that music, and that's what it's all about."
Paul conceived the project several years ago and organized a symphonic show built around Final Fantasy in Los Angeles in 2004. It sold out, and encouraged by the response, Paul took it on the road.
At first, Paul he had trouble selling the show to orchestras around the country. Even now, it can still be tough to get them to book it, he said.
"It's always a challenge," he said. "They're used to playing standard repertoire - the classics. When you bring in something new, it's a challenge. It brings them out of their comfort zone."
But BSO officials saw PLAY as a smart addition to their programming schedule. In recent years, the BSO has brought in numerous such shows. The goal is to appeal to a younger audience that traditionally dodges the symphony, said Kendra Whitlock Ingram, the BSO's vice president and general manager.
Ingram saw PLAY in Chicago and wanted to bring it to Baltimore. The show is a hit with kids in their early teens, 20-somethings and their parents, too, she said.
"You think kids are not interested in symphonic music," she said. "It's boring, it's complicated, it's sophisticated. But the people who listened to these games all know this music well, and the audience is surprisingly quiet and incredibly attentive. It really shows off the orchestra and exposes us to people who might not necessarily come."
