Classical music radio suprised me!

[2D8HP]

Yesterday I was listening to the classical music station while I was driving, an unfamiliar piece came on, and the DJ said it was from a video game!

Used to film music but game music?

Then today they played a piece composed by Peter Warlock

Peter Warlock?

That is one badass last name!

[DomaDoma]

As someone who adores Oblivion but was never overly impressed by most of its music, thank you so much for this.

[JoshL]

There are a few touring video game music shows that use local symphony orchestras. We get them from time to time here; I missed the Play!/RePlay tours that recording was from, but I have seen the Video Games Live show, and was really surprised by the themes to the Halo series. Some AMAZING music there. If you ever see that they're playing it near you, I would highly recommend.

There are a couple game franchise specific shows too. Those are good, because they take more time with the arrangement rather than just playing the themes through as they would in the game. Zelda is my favorite series ever, so of course I'm partial to the Symphony of the Goddesses tour, and the overture to that is amazing. It's the first 8 minutes of this, the pickup around the 5 minute mark gets me every time.

And, of course, you can't talk about orchestral game music without mentioning Final Fantasy. That tour is called Distant Worlds and there are some astounding pieces there. I've always been partial to Aerith's Theme (though I will always think of her as Aeris).

The classical world has begrudgingly embraced game music the same way it has film music...it's the seat-filler pops shows that keep the orchestra in business. They seem to have fun with it though, and I imagine an audience in cosplay is a change of pace from the standard formal wear!

[Peelee]

Envious that you have a classical music radio station. I like NPR, but Joshua Johnson is no Diane Rehm, and the local classic rock station has this ridiculous manly theme they lay on thick. It'd be nice to have a classical station I could switch to sometime. Especially since I always forget to stream through my phone until I'm already driving.

[Chromascope3D]

Envious that you have a classical music radio station. I like NPR, but Joshua Johnson is no Diane Rehm.

Ironically, I'm on the opposite side. I'm actually really upset that I only discovered Diane Rehm in her last year of airing, largely because the NPR station I moved from (Huntsville's WLRH) is mostly a classical station, while Birmingham's WBHM (which is where I am now) is mostly talk and discussion. I mean, it isn't all classical (Saturday night they have a DJ that plays Irish music exclusively, which is interesting), but they play it most other times, which is unfortunate because classical doesn't do much for me personally.

However, I do agree that Johnson really can't even begin to fill Rehm's shoes.

Edit: Huh, I just realized you also live in Birmingham. I guess you could give Huntsville a try?

[Peelee]

Ironically, I'm on the opposite side. I'm actually really upset that I only discovered Diane Rehm in her last year of airing, largely because the NPR station I moved from (Huntsville's WLRH) is mostly a classical station, while Birmingham's WBHM (which is where I am now) is mostly talk and discussion. I mean, it isn't all classical (Saturday night they have a DJ that plays Irish music exclusively, which is interesting), but they play it most other times, which is unfortunate because classical doesn't do much for me personally.

However, I do agree that Johnson really can't even begin to fill Rehm's shoes.

Edit: Huh, I just realized you also live in Birmingham. I guess you could give Huntsville a try?

I'm actually hoping to go to grad school in Huntsville! UAH has a Space Science graduate program, which really interests me. Plus, one of my best friends moved up there a while ago and has been trying to get me to follow ever since.

[Khedrac]

Yesterday I was listening to the classical music station while I was driving, an unfamiliar piece came on, and the DJ said it was from a video game!

Used to film music but game music?

Then today they played a piece composed by Peter Warlock

Peter Warlock?

That is one badass last name!

Here in the UK Classic FM regularly plays music from computer games, indeed their show "Classic FM at the Movies" frequently has entire programs of it. Game music also does quite well in their annual "vote for your 3 favourite pieces of music" survey (the Classic FM Hall of Fame). BBC Radio 3 (the no ads classical station) plays a lot less, but it is generally more adventurous in what it plays in other dimensions (e.g. Berg, both Panufniks etc.), it is beginning to play some more because of its inclusion in Awards categories.
We are also starting to see a number of concerts including or dedicated to game music.
It is also worth noting that a lot of modern composers compose game music for a living, and it is often recorded with full symphony orchestras - game music is now a big budget concern.

As for Peter Warlock (real name Philip Heseltine) who lived from 1894 to 1930, his Capriol Suite is pretty standard in mainstream repertory, other pieces are much rarer to hear.

[Thrudd]

Portland has a good full-time classical station. Every Saturday afternoon they have a show that is all film scores, and I know they've done some episodes of video game scores, also. I'm not sure but, it might be a nationally syndicated show. All Classical Portland is even streaming, so people can listen live anywhere in the world. It often scratches my itch-that's my default driving station and my radio alarm music, too. Nothing better than being woken up by the Peer Gynt morning music, like I'm a cartoon dog about to go tend some sheep.

[Deadline]

For fantastic renditions of video game music, look no further than OC Remix (https://ocremix.org).

[Chromascope3D]

I'm actually hoping to go to grad school in Huntsville! UAH has a Space Science graduate program, which really interests me. Plus, one of my best friends moved up there a while ago and has been trying to get me to follow ever since.

Oh yeah, it's a great place for that. Between the Arsenal and Research Park, Huntsville's basically the cradle of research development in the South, so it's good for the engineering-inclined. Probably goes w/o saying that because of that it's also probably the nerdiest place in Alabama.

But yeah, WLRH starts their classical music with Morning Blend, immediately after Morning Edition, which is coincidentally also when WBHM plays The 1A, so if that's the time you find yourself listening to NPR then I'd say it's probably perfect timing.

[Leewei]

There's a fair amount of theme music out there mixing elements of classic and metal - Epic music. Two Steps From Hell is the name I most commonly see associated with this. It's everywhere. Video games, Harry Potter movies, BBC's "Planet Earth" videos, just to name a few examples.

I've also noticed classical orchestras packing in crowds the last couple years by having movie nights. Watch "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with the soundtrack performed live by professional musicians sitting a hundred feet away.

This genre can be enormously fun.

[Peelee]

Oh yeah, it's a great place for that. Between the Arsenal and Research Park, Huntsville's basically the cradle of research development in the South, so it's good for the engineering-inclined. Probably goes w/o saying that because of that it's also probably the nerdiest place in Alabama.

Well, cradle of technical research development in the South. Birmingham is arguably the cradle of medical R&D in the South. Also, while we may not be able to match the concentration of nerdiness that Rocket City has, we certainly make up for it in numbers. You been to Saturn downtown yet?

But yeah, WLRH starts their classical music with Morning Blend, immediately after Morning Edition, which is coincidentally also when WBHM plays The 1A, so if that's the time you find yourself listening to NPR then I'd say it's probably perfect timing.

Assuming I make it in and don't go one of the other routes I'm thinking of, that does indeed sound perfect. Thanks!