Bringing Bethesda Game Studios to the Concert Hall

With a sword-on-shield crash of cymbals and a nuclear blast of timpani, Bethesda Game Studios in Concert arrives for one night only on November 3 at London’s famous Hammersmith Apollo.

Featuring music plucked from the last 16 years of Bethesda Game Studios titles – including everything from Morrowind right up to the forthcoming Fallout 76 – BGS in Concert is the ultimate musical tribute to both Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.

As anybody who’s seen a full orchestra and choir in performance will attest, nothing packs an emotional punch like 80 on-stage musicians and singers performing your favorite video game music. From the frantic refrain of a fight with Super Mutants, or the gentle melody of a stroll through Whiterun, BGS in Concert is a walk down fandom lane for all lovers of Bethesda Game Studios games. But bringing the tunes we know and love from our screens to the stage carries its own set of challenges, as concert arranger and conductor Andrew Skeet explains.

“It’s obvious, but the biggest difference is that the auditorium is a very different space to being sat in front of the television and filling that with the sound fans have come to expect from such popular games means we have to work harder in the concert hall to ensure everything comes across. Like the difference in performance between a stage actor and an actor in a film, we sometimes alter the structure of the piece a little to make it work live, or add instruments and change the arrangement to make things come across more strongly.”

While subtle changes help enhance the musical performance, what’s most important of all, no matter what is performed on stage, is that the music always remains true to the original piece and that fans instantly recognise what is being played. “It’s something I’m thinking about right now in the context of Behemoth (from Fallout 3), which we’re performing on the night,” Skeet explains. “The piece has a number of non-western, non-classical instruments in it and working out how to play those lines within the orchestra comes down to making sure we capture the spirit of the piece. Whether that’s concentrating on recreating the sound with the instruments we have, or knowing when to alter things slightly because the essence of the piece is more about the melody and harmony.

“It’s deliberately a traditional orchestral setup we have, but I think the world of Fallout has quite an unusual sound, so you’ll hear lots of low, moody, powerful brass and interesting drums like taikos and djun-djuns, along with an instrument which is basically scaffolding poles arranged like a keyboard (it’s called a scaffaphone). Because it’s live it needs to be full-on and I hope a few little upgrades I’m making to the orchestration will make these sounds even more powerful!”

With Bethesda Game Studios’ latest title, Fallout 76, just around the corner, there’ll be plenty of new music to enjoy as well, and who better to showcase it than the Fallout composer himself, Inon Zur.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to take part in this amazing concert! Not only will Bethesda Game Studios most popular music be performed, it is also my own favorite selection. I’m particularly happy that I will able to share for the first time in a live concert, anywhere, the new Fallout 76 Main Theme. In fact, I will conduct it myself! Expect a brilliant night with lots of surprises. Hope to see all of you there!”

All proceeds from BGS in Concert will go to War Child UK, a fantastic charity dedicated to supporting and improving the lives of children in areas experiencing conflict and the aftermath of conflict. And when the concert is over, you can continue to show your support with the exclusive BGS in Concert T-shirt, featuring a Vault Boy violinist, which can only be bought at the concert. You’ll have to be there to grab one!

For more details and tickets, including special VIP tickets that include a complimentary concert T-shirt and an exclusive page from the Fallout 76 score, signed by Inon Zur, visit https://www.metropolismusic.com/shows/1207745/