PlayStation and Classic FM team up for orchestral concert

Orchestral music today is more likely to be experienced online and more young people engage with it through computer games than in a concert hall. To celebrate the role that computer games play in introducing a new generation of people to orchestral music, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, PlayStation® and Classic FM have joined forces to present PlayStation in Concert.

Featuring the music from games spanning Original PlayStation, PS2™, PS3™ and PS4™, the 80-strong Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined by the City of London Choir, complete with a spectacular light show. The programme includes music from The Last of Us™, The Last Guardian™, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves™ and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception™, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, LittleBigPlanet™ and Horizon Zero Dawn™, among others.

Presenting the show will be Jessica Curry, one of the leading figures in computer game music today, as well as being the BAFTA award-winning composer of the soundtrack to Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. Jessica also presented High Score on Classic FM, the UK's most popular classical music station. High Score was the first series on British radio dedicated to video game music.

The concert will also feature the first use of EnCue at the Royal Albert Hall - a real-time programme note app that delivers media and content to concertgoers' smartphones as the music unfolds from the stage.

James Williams, Managing Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, comments: "PlayStation has been a force in the world of arts and entertainment for some of its fans' entire lives. Many people today have grown up with the music video games, and have come to love the sound of the orchestra through playing. This truly 21st century concert, accompanied by the latest technology to enhance the concert experience, is a signpost for where orchestral music is expanding. It is fantastic that one of the world's great orchestras will collaborate with other leaders in their fields to craft something very exciting for a new generation of concert goers."

"Music is a vital component in our player's overall gaming experience; it helps us truly immerse the player and transport them into exciting and unfamiliar worlds or emotionally driven experiences," comments Alastair Lindsay, Head of Audio, Worldwide Studios Creative Services Group. "With this in mind, it's unsurprising that the appetite for video game soundtracks is growing all the time and that the music is being enjoyed in its own right. Having this opportunity to work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, to realise some iconic PlayStation soundtracks in concert form is a dream come true. We have been working closely with game studios and composers to create new, and never before heard, arrangements to perform in one of the world's premier concert music venues."

Sam Jackson, Classic FM's Managing Editor, said: "The success of our two series of High Score, and the fact that over half a million under-25-year-olds now listen to Classic FM every week, is proof of a growing younger audience for classical music in the UK. We're really pleased to be partnering with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and PlayStation on this, the first event of its kind, which promises to be an exciting night of world-class music."

PlayStation® in Concert
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Wednesday 30 May 2018, 7.30pm
Royal Albert Hall