Orchestra Victoria brings their 'Indie Symphony' show back for another round – paying homage to the monumental musical scores of indie video games.
More than 60 musicians, a live choir, and a selection of soloists will bring their musical magic together, playing tracks from 'Baldur's Gate 3', 'Hades II', 'UNDERTALE', 'Untitled Goose Game' and more.
Audiences will crawl through the labyrinths of 'Darkest Dungeon'. . . Swim the ocean of 'ABZÛ'. . . Explore the expanses of 'Faerûn'. . . All without leaving Hamer Hall.
Australian singer-songwriter/musician Montaigne will feature as a guest artist as part of 'Indie Symphony II'. Montaigne represented Australia in 'Eurovision', and also worked on the music of role-playing video game 'Stray Gods', released in 2023.
Here, we speak to Montaigne about their involvement in 'Indie Symphony', their relationship to video games, and what audiences can expect from their performance.
You’re one of the guest artists for ’Indie Symphony II’. How did the opportunity present itself to you?
Someone got in touch with me to be involved! I’m thrilled to have been asked, this is completely my jam.
What are you most looking forward to about being a part of this event?
I’m looking forward to hearing the music and seeing the audience! I didn’t really get to grow up with gaming culture so it’s still always really special for me when it happens at this scale for the public. I literally cried when I went to PAX for the first time, which sounds insane, but going from repressed/suppressed gamer to being in a convention centre with thousands of people dressed up and all these booths around, it felt really special, so I think this will be similar. I also played and really like 'ABZÛ'’s score which was done by my friend and colleague Austin Wintory and I also just released my album which tries to evoke the depths and mystery of the ocean sonically and thematically – it hits all my interests so that’ll be awesome.
'Indie Symphony' (2023) - Image © Casey Horsfield
Do you have a personal connection to any of the games featured – 'Baldur’s Gate 3', 'Undertale', 'Hades II'? Are you a gamer yourself?
I have played almost every game being represented at the show (I’m saving 'Hades II' for official release but I played the first one a LOT) and so yes, evidently I’m a gamer, haha.
Game music can be incredibly emotional and immersive – what’s your take on why it resonates so deeply with people?
I think gaming is an awesome platform for storytelling and that’s the aspect of it which I engage with and appreciate the most. Of course mechanics drive the fun and the action but a really well-written story and comprehensively constructed world can be such a wellspring of inspiration and catharsis for players. I literally credit 'Kingdom Hearts II' with saving my life as a young person being someone who identified with Roxas at age 12. I think being in control of the character’s actions gives you a lot of agency and authority too which, if you feel out of control in your own life, can be a really powerful experience.
As a guest artist, what will you be bringing to ‘Indie Symphony II’?
I’ll be performing some of the soprano vocals! And passion.
What’s it like performing with an orchestra, compared to your usual stage setups?
I’ve not really done it so I’m not sure!
From your perspective as an artist, what do video game scores do differently from, say, film or TV scores?
There’s a few things, one is the responsive and situational nature of the music – film and TV have a static trajectory and so the music is also on a set path but with games, music flows in and out depending on what’s happening on screen which of course is temporally varied. And then with games, you have 'wandering' music. Wandering music is how you get a lot of the music in Mario games or pretty much any other game that involves you as a character exploring the world outside of a cutscene, or like racing music (see 'Mario Kart'). Wandering music is some of the best music! You don’t get that in film and TV.
Which video game, in your opinion, has the best music/score?
For me it’s 'Disco Elysium'. Re: wandering music, 'Instrument of Surrender' is one of the best wandering songs of all time.
'Indie Symphony' (2023) - Image © Casey Horsfield
Finally – if you could have written the soundtrack to any game, what would it be and why?
Before 'Kingdom Hearts III' came out and I wasn’t sure if Utada Hikaru was coming back for the theme, I really wanted to try vie for that. It was so unlikely but it would have been so sick. In terms of composing – it’s hard to say! I feel like my perfect game will come around.
'Indie Symphony II: Video Games In Concert' plays Arts Centre Melbourne 3-4 July.
This story originally appeared on our queer sister site, FROOTY.
