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Butler symphony to feature music of video games

Community members are invited to indulge their nostalgia with the Butler County Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Oct. 5, and immerse themselves in the music of their favorite video games.

Guest conductor Moon Doh said he hopes the performance, which will include arrangements from “Super Mario Brothers,” “The Legend of Zelda,” “Halo Reach,” “Final Fantasy VI” and “Castlevania,” will offer an opportunity for the audience to reconnect with their game-playing days.

“Many times, when I hear a piece of music, I can also see it,” Doh said. “I can envision where I was when I listened to it. I can also smell the room that I was in.”

“I remember playing ‘Super Mario Brothers’ in the early ’90s — that’s already 30 years ago,” he said. “I hope everyone comes to the concert — young and old — just to connect with the good moments of playing these games.”

Doh said the eight pieces that will be played were chosen based on the video games’ cult followings and the contrasting moods of the music.

“The audience won’t want to hear eight loud and bombastic pieces,” he said. “We need some tension, but also moments of calm.”

“’Halo Reach,’ it starts very soft and also quite slow, then culminates in a pretty bombastic way,” he said. “There are powerful passages, but I wouldn’t say this piece is fast. Let’s take, for example, a contrasting piece. ‘Super Mario Brothers’ is a fast, very happy piece.”

Regardless of whether it’s written for an opera, film or video game, the musical score helps tell a story.

“What I want to convey is that the orchestra’s music is great,” Doh said. “Whether it’s from movies, video games or classical music.”

“Just like any well written movie score, a video game soundtrack heightens the tension, and helps tell the story by creating this oral world,” Doh said. “It’s not just (told) visually, but through your ears. You get to experience what the character in the game would be going through.”

“Music heightens every cell of the video game,” he said.

Audience members are welcome to attend the concert dressed as their favorite characters for a costume contest at intermission. Doh said he looks forward to seeing the array of different costumes.

“This concert is a big invitation to everyone, including anybody who’s never heard an orchestra before,” he said. “They are going to have a great time getting to know the orchestra, and they are going to hear some wonderful music.”

All performances are held at the Butler Intermediate High School. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.

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