When Paul first organized the show several years ago, he sat down and relistened to scores from early video games (going back 25 years for Super Mario Bros.) Hearing that music again was a nostalgia trip, Paul said. He was the first kid on his block to have a Sega Genesis, and he spent countless hours in front of his TV, controller in hand, pushing buttons.
"There's a lot of memories associated with it - a lot of staying up late, my dad telling me to go to bed, and then, of course, me going to bed and seeing him stay up hours and hours playing games," he said. "I remember my dad being super tired because he stayed up really late."
In the past, Paul has reached out to the original creators of some of the theme songs and invited them to see PLAY. It was a real eye-opener - for them and him.
"They're very humble people," he said. "They don't really know how famous they are, but when we have shows and invite them, they get a huge kick out of it. They're amazed at how responsive the crowds are to their music. It's a highlight for them to be able to come to a show and hear their music performed by such a great orchestra."
After meeting people including Koji Kondo, who wrote the music for Zelda and Super Mario Bros., Paul got a sobering look into the world of Japanese video-game composers. Unlike soundtrack writers in the U.S., Kondo, who is an employee of Nintendo, receives no residuals for his work, Paul said.
"It's kind of interesting," he said. "Think about how much money these games have made throughout the course of time - millions and billions of dollars, yet he's probably collecting a salary, which I'm sure is fine, but it's not major."
Before taking PLAY on the road, Paul worked as a concert promoter for internationally touring musicians, such as opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. With those kinds of tours, the performer is often far removed from the crowd. Symphony halls offer shows like PLAY a level of intimacy larger venues can't, he said.
"That's what I like about this show - you feel really close to the artists and the beauty of the music," he said. "Nothing beats it. There's no amplification. You don't need it."
sam.sessa@baltsun.com
If you go
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presents PLAY! A Video Game Symphony at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. Tickets are $30 to $60. Call 410-783-8000 or go to bsomusic.org.
