WXXI Classical kicks off a brand new series in July 2021 that explores the excitement and diversity of videogame music. GamePlay with host Keith Brown presents music that the whole family can enjoy. Don't miss it. Saturdays at 11am and 7pm.
7/3 Classics This week we’ll sample music from some of the classics: games that are not only huge critical and commercial successes, but that have also withstood the test of time; games like Tetris, Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Metal Gear Solid, and much more!
7/10 Final Fantasy This week we’ll tour music from one of the most beloved, influential, and commercially successful videogame series of all time: Final Fantasy. These games are so revered by fans not only because of their complex storytelling and relationships, but because they have been jam-packed with emotional, dramatic, immersive music for over 30 years.
7/17 Film and TV Composers This week we celebrate some versatile composers who are just as much at home scoring for videogames, film, and TV! We’ll hear game music from Spider Man, Dante’s Inferno, The Last of Us, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and many more by some of the giants of the game industry, including Garry Schyman and multiple Emmy-winner Laura Karpman.
7/24 Braid and Red Dead Redemption This week, two games which each deal in their own ways with the concept of time. We’ll look at music from 2008’s fascinating Braid, in which you control the flow of time itself, rewinding your actions to solve mind-bending puzzles against a backdrop of gorgeous watercolor visuals. Then, we’ll enjoy music inspired by the scores of Spaghetti Western films from 2010’s Red Dead Redemption, in which former outlaw John Marston tries to escape his past on the old American frontier.
7/31 The Chorus in Video Games There’s nothing like the thrilling sound of many voices coming together! This week we celebrate the chorus in videogames. We’ll hear the first piece of game music to win a Grammy, and we’ll enjoy singing in languages living, dead, and created too, from English and Latin to Swahili, Old Norse, and a magical tongue spoken by dragons!
