It’s just occurred to me that Baldur’s Gate 3 is shy of being a year old, and I’m struggling to come to terms with that because it feels like the game just came out. I know in my rational mind it didn’t, but where did those months go? Why didn’t I feel them in the way I normally would? I think I have an inkling why.
I felt it while watching an orchestral performance of Baldur’s Gate 3 at the weekend. It was part of the Game Music Festival and featured a special concert arrangement of the game’s score, and it was sublimely done. There was a large choir and full orchestra and it gave oomph to the dramatic music from the game. Even the vocalists were there to reprise their iconic “down, down, down by the river” motif. Not that any of this is unique; we’ve had orchestral video game concerts before – Ed was just at one for Elden Ring – and earlier in the day at the Southbank Centre, there was a recital for The Last of Us. I saw people milling around in The Last of Us T-shirts when I arrived. So I expected much of this. What I didn’t expect, however, or what I wasn’t prepared for, was the Baldur’s Gate 3 effect.
Remember what the event itself was: an orchestral performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra. It’s not where you would expect to see cosplay, as you would a games convention, but as the afternoon unfolded, that’s what it resembled. Shadowhearts and Astarions gathered, as did copies of other characters from the game, and a palpable feeling of excitement crackled around. This quietened for the start of the performance, as people sat sensibly and clapped in the correct places, but the further it went on, the less it could be contained.
You see, it wasn’t just the orchestra of note in the room that evening. Sitting in the middle of the auditorium were a handful of actors from the game. Shadowheart actor Jennifer English was there; Lae’Zel actor Devora Wilde was there; Karlach actor Samantha Béart was there; Halsin actor Dave Jones was there; Raphael actor Andrew Wincott was there; and the game’s narrator Amelia Tyler was there, involved directly in the performance itself. What’s more, the game’s BAFTA award-winning composer Borislav Slavov was there, as was an entourage of Larian employees. I was delighted to spot – a day before publishing a piece about him – principal narrative designer Lawrence Schick from across the hall. Wherever Baldur’s Gate 3 goes, a convoy seems to follow – and I was far from the only person who’d noticed.
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Excited applause began to interrupt the changing of movements, where there would usually be only a silent pause. I had a good view of conductor Marek Wroniszewski from where I sat, so I could see the slight bemusement on his face – happy bemusement – as it became an increasingly frequent thing, but the closer the orchestra came to the end, the more trouble he seemed to be having containing it. As his hand snapped shut and the orchestra played its final note, the pent up energy poured out. A wave of applause swept the auditorium, mingled in no small part with a sense of relief that noise was now allowed. Host Amelia Tyler came back on stage – and by now the audience was on its feet whooping and cheering – to say thank you and read a prepared outro, before inviting composer Borislav Slavov to the stage. The audience roared, and Slavov – as you might imagine if you’ve seen his impassioned speech upon winning the Best Music BAFTA – bounded down to the stage, a flurry of emotion, arms aloft, smile beaming. But that wasn’t all.