The Symphony Levels Up

When I went to the symphony over the weekend, I dressed appropriately. It was a matinee, so I didn't go with a suit or anything; okay, I at least made sure that the creases in my khakis were straight. Turns out I could have just went with shorts and a novelty t-shirt. Dress codes and upper-crust manners need not apply when you're visiting Heinz Hall for a show called Video Games Live.

The premise of the show is wonderfully simple: a symphony plays iconic music from some of the most popular video games around. The presentation of this music is dangerously complicated: three projectors showing clips from video games, synchronized dynamic lighting, actors dressed up like game characters, and Ralph Baer live via Skype. It makes sense that a symphony dedicated to video games would be technologically complex, and I was truly amazed it all went off according to plan. They even had a kid from the audience come up and play Guitar Hero along with the symphony.

This incredible show, with its sky-high production values, really raises the bar for future Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performances. The PSO may be the best symphony in the United States, but they've opened up Pandora's box... and out came a bunch of kids, some projectors, and weird costumes. Videogames Live honestly made me want to check out future symphony performances, but only if it means I'll see cosplayers dawning Autumn and Spring get-ups for Vivaldi's Four Seasons and a Guitar Hero challenge for Holst's "Mars, The Bringer of War."