Orchestival

Score showcase comes to Orchestival

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Produced by video game super fan Orvar Saftrom and played by The Philharmonia Orchestra and Swedish soprano Sabina Zweiacker, the SCORE concert will journey through gaming history, awakening well-loved music from classics such as Super Mario, Sonic The Hedgehog and Commodore 64 right through to Killzone, Final Fantasy and Skyrim. 
 
With the arrival of next generation gaming and Grand Theft Auto V last year becoming the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, there is no doubt that the gaming industry is rising to new-found heights. Producing releases that continually push the boundaries of our expectations, developers are creating games to rival hollywood blockbusters and while games may look different to how they did in the 80s, the music still plays a major part in the gaming experience. 
 
SCORE celebrates the music of some of the most well known video games ever made and over the years has become one of the leading game music productions in the world. Orchestival will be the first ever SCORE concert in the UK and will be a rare opportunity to hear music normally confined to the console played live by The Philharmonia Orchestra, a full symphony orchestra responsible for recording Hollywood blockbuster music for films such as Thor 2, Iron Man 3 and Elysium.
 
For the concert the retro 8-bit sounds of Commodore 64 and the 16-bit music of Sonic The Hedgehog have been reworked and given a new lease of life thanks to the extraordinary talents of the SCORE team. Nintendo fans will also be treated to two large suites featuring themes from the Super Mario and The Legend Of Zelda series, while Final Fantasy lovers will hear well loved music by celebrated composer Nobuo Uematsu. Incredible compositions from more recent titleswill be fully realised such as the fiery pirate music of Assassin's Creed IV – Black Flag, the eerie jazz and blues of 1940s America in L.A. Noire and the haunting vocal piece "The Dragonborn Comes" from hit game Skyrim.
 
Joris de Man, the Dutch soundtrack composer of the critically acclaimed Killzone, will be giving an inspiring talk on the importance of sound design in video games in the Talk tent just before the SCORE concert and performance of his music. Joris de Man is widely respected in the classical and gaming worlds and in 2010 won the first ever Ivor Novello Award for a video game soundtrack, for his work on Killzone 2. 

Speaking about the SCORE concert Joris said:
"There’s no doubt that games music is now a big part of the classical stage. ClassicFM is regularly playing soundtracks from the gaming arena, and at last Orchestival is bringing the sounds of the console to Britain’s festival scene. What’s really exciting is that game-music concert audiences are not just gamers and geeks. Many have been captivated by games and want to hear the music outside of the gaming experience, others have never played a game in their life but love the music being created."

The Ivor Novello winner is also very excited to hear his own music played live:
"There’s something very special about hearing my compositions on a stage with live performers, especially if it’s been re-orchestrated as my work often needs to be. I hear things that I don’t always hear in-game or in the recordings."

SCORE is another feature of Orchestival's ground breaking programme that will expand and evolve all expectations of classical music. The Philharmonia Orchestra set the standard as the festival's resident orchestra for the weekend, which will see performances and collaborations by Squarepusher, The Unthanks, British Paraorchestra, Goldfrapp producer and keyboardist Will Gregory and many more.

Orchestival was founded by Charles Hazlewood, one of the most prominent figures in the classical world. A true pioneer, Charles has made it his goal to bring the genre to a wider audience and Orchestival will take him one step closer.
 

SCORE PROGRAMME
Super Mario
The Legend Of Zelda
Final Fantasy
Skyrim
Call Of Duty
Killzone
Halo
Assassin's Creed
Journey
Beyond: Two Souls
Sonic The Hedgehog
L.A. Noire
Commodore 64

Introducing ground-breaking festival Orchestival

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Set against the stunning lakeside backdrop of Bath and West Showground, Orchestival 2014 will embark on a musical journey that will change the perception of classical music forever. Across a weekend of remarkable collaborations, some of the world's leading musicians, including Squarepusher, The Unthanks, Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) and the UK's leading orchestra, The Philharmonia Orchestra, will blur the lines between genres to spectacular effect. As well as a host of other mind expanding events including a bulging Talk Tent programme, Creative Workshops plus the best of Somerset dining. 

Charles Hazlewood's vision of making great symphonic music accessible to all is coming to life in 2014, Orchestival will defy conceptions of classical music with an unforgettable two days that will expand and evolve all expectations of the genre. Following the success of Orchestra In A Field, an event run to great success by Hazlewood in 2012, Orchestival is set to evolve this initial idea even further. Helping to make this possible will be one of the world's most revered and respected orchestras, The Philharmonia, who set the standard for performances across the weekend as the festival's resident orchestra.

Highlights include Mercury-nominated folk duo The Unthanks. Used to playing across genres, Becky and Rachel Unthank have written a slew of critically acclaimed albums that have earned them fans amongst the likes of Radiohead, Robert Wyatt and Portishead. On Saturday however, the sisters tread unexplored territory as they sing with a full orchestra for the first time. Later, as the sun sets over the lake and rolling hills of Somerset, the euphoric sounds of acid house are taken to new symphonic highs for The Third Summer Of Love: Acid House goes symphonic. Iconic anthems that captured a generation at the peak of the late 80s are revived and reimagined by cellist Matthew Barley and the Philharmonia for an incredible euphoric performance.

Continuing to re-imagine the iconic sounds of the past, Orchestival will play host to a vibrant theatre production of Benjamin Britten’s 1957 opera, Noye’s Fludde. Award-winning international theatre company Kneehigh are inviting members of the local community and festival-goers to take part in the opening performance of Orchestival which is set kick-off the two day extravaganza on a high. Given the recent devastation caused by severe weather in Somerset, Festival organisers have decided to support Flag, the Somerset Levels flood relief fund through the production.

The phenomenal British Paraorchestra, the world's first ever orchestra entirely consisting of virtuoso musicians with disability, will perform pieces from their brand new project ‘Other’ for the very first time, joined by several very special guests. For the classical lovers amongst the audience, The Philharmonia will take to the stage with high-octane performances of breathtakingly beautiful music by Mozart, Haydn, Wagner and Richard Strauss, including the latter's iconic Four Last Songs.

Already responsible for recording Hollywood blockbuster music for films such as Thor 2, Iron Man 3 and Elysium, the Philharmonia will bring the world of video games to life in Score! on Sunday, as they fill stunning Somerset with nostalgic soundtracks from gaming classics. Charting earlier generations of retro gaming like Commodore 64 and Sonic the Hedgehog right through to modern day titles such as Halo, Final Fantasy and Call Of Duty, Score! will be a rare and unique opportunity to hear music normally confined to the console played live by a full symphony orchestra. Later Goldfrapp producer and keyboardist Will Gregory is set to blow minds, as he brings his ensemble of virtuousos armed with a cornucopia of retro Moog synthesisers to Orchestival; together they take on music by JS Bach live, in front of thousands of revellers. 

Orchestival culminates on Sunday evening with a meeting of minds as Squarepusher and Charles Hazlewood join forces for Squarepusher's Orchestral Ufabulum. As Warp celebrates its 25th anniversary, one of the labels most successful and revered artists will take part in a collision of genres that will take both electronic and classical music to unfathomable new heights. Renowned for his incredible live shows and slew of ground breaking releases, Squarepusher's performance with the Philharmonia will be unmissable. 

Some very special guests are still to be announced for Orchestival, which was founded by Charles Hazlewood, one of the most prominent figures in the classical world or as the Guardian would put it – 'what Heston Blumenthal is to food, Charles Hazlewood is to music'. A true pioneer, Charles has made it his goal to bring the genre to a wider audience and Orchestival will take him one step closer.

Speaking about the festival Charles says: 
"Music is the most universal language we have, it lifts us up and it unites us. Given the horrendous experiences of so many in the Somerset community with the recent flooding, I see Orchestival as a wonderful piece of good news, a weekend of jaw-dropping music to bind us all together. I'm thrilled to welcome the Philharmonia Orchestra along with Squarepusher, The Unthanks, Kneehigh, the Paraorchestra, all the workshops and talks plus the amazing food! In my mind there is no other festival with this breadth of music, bring on July!