draincrate6

Classic Game Themes get Classier in the String Quartet Album the String Arcade

Composer Dren McDonald pays homage to Galaga, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog and other fondly remembered classics in The String Arcade, an album due out in the near future featuring a selection of video game music newly arranged for string quartet.

Funded by a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, The String Arcade features 15 original arrangements of classic gaming themes performed by Bay Area musicians and the Boston-based Videri String Quartet. Featured games include Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin, Monkey Island 2, FTL: Faster Than Light, and Minecraft. A preview track plucked from PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies is available to download and stream here.
Minecraft server list

The String Arcade will be released on February 11. The album is available digitally pre-ordered through iTunes for $7.99 and a limited-edition CD with two bonus tracks is available at $9.99 [Photo credit: Lorrie Murray]

Classic video game music is reimagined in The String Arcade, now available for preorder

String quartet album releases on February 11, and all proceeds go to the Alameda Music Project after-school program

ALAMEDA (Calif.) ALAMEDA (Calif.) January 28, 2014. Dren McDonald, a Bay Area composer, launched an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign for The String Arcade. The recording of video game music was rearranged for string quartet. The finished recording was distributed to backers in the month of January and is now available for pre-order to the general public via iTunes and BandCamp (see below for links). The String Arcade will be available for download digitally and on CD on February 11.

About The String Arcade -- http://www.thestringarcade.com

The String Arcade is a meticulously curated collection of music composed for string quartet by Dren McDonald (Ghost Recon Commander, Ravenwood Fair) and Jason Poss (Lord of the Rings film trilogy, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King). The arrangements are more than just emulations of chamber music. Each piece is imaginatively interpretable, embellished and reimagined to convey the emotions that are evoked through the games. McDonald's was inspired to create the project by John Lurie's Stranger Than Paradise (1984) soundtrack that featured a dark string quartet score.

The String Arcade will give gamers a new way of enjoying classics. It is also a great opportunity to encourage young musicians to get a cello, violin or viola. Several tracks were specifically chosen from games popular among kids, and all album proceeds will be donated to the Alameda Music Project (http://www.alamedamusicproject.org), a tuition-free K-5 after-school program launching in September.

About The Music

The String Arcade's 15 original tracks (plus 2 CD bonus tracks) were inspired by games ranging from Galaga to Minecraft and performed by local musicians, with the Boston-based Videri String Quartet. One preview track, Plants Vs. Zombies' "Grasswalk," has been released as a free digital download: https://soundcloud.com/dren-mcdonald/plants-vs-zombies-from-the

The String Arcade covers a few decades of video game history, ranging from stand-up arcade classics (Galaga, TRON), through the 8- and 16-bit eras (Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin) and the glorious 90s era of adventure (Monkey Island 2, Outlaws), to more recent hits (Portal 2, Minecraft), indie favorites (FTL - Faster Than Light, Scurvy Scallywags) and mobile/social games (graBLOX, Pettington Park, Ravenshire Castle). For a full track list, visit http://www.thestringarcade.com/#!about/c10fk.

Preorder Details

Until the album's February 11 release, The String Arcade digital download can be preordered from iTunes for $7.99, a 20% savings over the normal $9.99 price: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-string-arcade/id805763356

The CD version, which includes two bonus tracks not included with the digital download, can be preordered from BandCamp for $9.99 (regularly $11.99): http://thestringarcade.bandcamp.com

The String Arcade's string quartet album The String Arcade makes classic game themes more classy