Remember how I'm supposed to find an adventure for each month? Well this one wasn't anything too crazy, but it was fun.
I'd been wanting to take a trip, so after a couple of false starts, Ryan found a Zelda symphony in the DC area and we decided to make a weekend of it. Zelda is one of the games we both like (and have actually finished Windwaker) so hearing a full orchestra play the music sounded pretty interesting.
Interesting is an understatement. I think when you play a game, you don't tend to give much heed to the music other than an initial "I like it/don't like it." Or at least I don't. But hearing the full orchestra play was captivating, and beautiful, and a few different songs gave me chills. It upped the nostalgic value by running scenes from the game behind the orchestra, and watching the different instruments as they traded off to evoke different moods was amazing (scary, shrieking music? Watch the violins yank those bow strings up).
It's hard to convey in words, but there was one song where the choir's voices joined the instruments and it just felt like exaltation. Beautiful and powerful and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into video games (I have a Pandora station that is mostly Skyrim music).
If you're curious, there's some versions of it on Youtube, but it's definitely better in person.
The rest of the weekend was equally amazing. We did a lot more wandering and exploring and shopping than usual. Just a general spontaneity that's very unlike us. It was awesome. We also visited some friends we hadn't seen in quite some time and played Boss Monster (which is hilarious because you play the monsters, build your dungeon, and attempt to kill all the heroes), ate so much tasty food, and wandered a good 8 miles of trail in Arlington.
I'd been wanting to take a trip, so after a couple of false starts, Ryan found a Zelda symphony in the DC area and we decided to make a weekend of it. Zelda is one of the games we both like (and have actually finished Windwaker) so hearing a full orchestra play the music sounded pretty interesting.
Interesting is an understatement. I think when you play a game, you don't tend to give much heed to the music other than an initial "I like it/don't like it." Or at least I don't. But hearing the full orchestra play was captivating, and beautiful, and a few different songs gave me chills. It upped the nostalgic value by running scenes from the game behind the orchestra, and watching the different instruments as they traded off to evoke different moods was amazing (scary, shrieking music? Watch the violins yank those bow strings up).
It's hard to convey in words, but there was one song where the choir's voices joined the instruments and it just felt like exaltation. Beautiful and powerful and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into video games (I have a Pandora station that is mostly Skyrim music).
If you're curious, there's some versions of it on Youtube, but it's definitely better in person.
The rest of the weekend was equally amazing. We did a lot more wandering and exploring and shopping than usual. Just a general spontaneity that's very unlike us. It was awesome. We also visited some friends we hadn't seen in quite some time and played Boss Monster (which is hilarious because you play the monsters, build your dungeon, and attempt to kill all the heroes), ate so much tasty food, and wandered a good 8 miles of trail in Arlington.
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| This is a hummus plate and a "ham and jam" tray. I also had my first ever "pork wing" which I somehow did not realize would have bones and were much too messy for the upscale, kind of snooty place we happened to be eating in. Glad for the cultural experience; don't intend to repeat. |
Have you ever been to a concert for a game, or other fandom?
