It’s All A Matter Of Your Perspective

In case anyone needed more evidence of the tension between high culture and pop entertainment, consider the Sydney Symphony, which this week offered up an entire concert of video game music ranging from the classic (Super Mario Bros.) to the cutting edge (World of Warcraft). The local paper wisely sent both its classical music and video game critics to review the show: the former found the music predictably stereotypical and noted that the orchestra appeared “suitably embarrassed,” while the latter described “an epic experience that will stay with any mildly fanatical gamer for a long time.”