a new version of the theme tune to this, the 1987 zx spectrum game, chronos. i did like the game, but i used to load the game more to listen to the music. i would be sitting with my ear to the spectrum. and the thing was when i came to arrange it, i already knew it inside out, because i have known it for a long time. matt s challenge was notjust to transplant the original arrangement to an orchestra which, of course, wouldn t sound that great no, instead, he expanded it in length and in breadth. even the compositions of modern games like battlefield 2042, have to be interpretations, because these days gaming scores aren t even linear pieces of music every time you play, the music changes to follow the action. what s important to understand is that composing for a game i is such a multifaceted job. you have to compose - for when nothing s going on. or when action is happening.
he s helped to curate the choise of music here, which is a journey through the 80s, through pokemon, final fantasy viii, shadow of the colossus, and all the way up to battlefield 2042. and in order to recreate the sounds and feelings of these games, some of which emerged through tiny, tinny speakers on the zx spectrum, he s augmented the traditional orchestral make up ever so slightly. you have an electronically expanded orchestra. can you show me your electronic expansion? yeah, ican. it s not a large expansion. well, you know, it s quality, not quantity, that s important. so this is spectrum sound, basically. so it s loaded with actual zx spectrum sounds? yeah. absolutely. the main expansion, i would say, is finding super creative ways to make the electronic sound acoustic. i thought this was just a kind of stress reliever when i saw it, but. yeah.
you have an electronically expanded orchestra. can you show me your electronic expansion? yeah, ican. ican. it s not a large expansion. well, you know, it s quality, not quantity, that s important. so this is spectrum sound, basically. so it s loaded with actual zx spectrum sounds? yeah, yeah, absolutely. the main expansion, i would say, is finding super creative ways to make the electronic sound acoustic. i thought this was just a kind of stress reliever when i saw it, but. yeah, they re awesome, aren t they? this is white noise, basically. the sound of that will be coming through, you know, a massive array of speakers, so you get this this lovely crinkly sound.
bell hear you had a a lot of modern video games come with ready made orchestral scores, thatis with ready made orchestral scores, that is the music you hear in the game. but when you think about it, if you re trying to adapt music from a 1980s computer game, you re basically talking about taking beeps and boops that s all it is, just single notes and somehow adapting it and turning it into something that can be played by an orchestra this size. i mean, that s a hell of a lot of work. i say beeps and boops, but some of those early theme songs were pretty clever, giving the feeling of chords and multitrack audio even though computers could only create one sound at a time. it s something that astounded a young matt rogers, who s now been asked to arrange a new version of the theme tune to this, the 1987 zx spectrum game, chronos. i did like the game, but i used to load the game more
by the royal philharmonic orchestra, a performance that should take many gamers back way back. so i m in my 30s, growing up with megadrive was my first console, and if i hear sonic, i immediately get put straight into that christmas where me and my two sisters got our first console. robert eames is a conductor and arranger who s worked on film scores and who s conducted previous proms based on experimental electronic music and sci fi movies. he s helped to curate the choise of music here, which is a journey through the 80s, through pokemon, final fantasy viii, shadow of the colossus, and all the way up to battlefield 2042. and in order to recreate the sounds and feelings of these games, some of which emerged through tiny, tinny speakers on the zx spectrum, he s augmented the traditional orchestral make up ever so slightly.