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

Composer Dren McDonald pays tribute to Galaga, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog and other classics that are fondly reminiscenced in The String Arcade, an album due out in the near future featuring a selection of video game music that has been rearranged for string quartet.

The String Arcade was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign. It features 15 original arrangements of classic gaming themes which were created and funded by Bay Area musicians and Boston's Videri String Quartet. Featured games include Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin, Monkey Island 2, FTL: Faster Than Light, and Minecraft. You can download and stream a preview track taken from PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies here.

The String Arcade is due for release on February 11. The digital album can be pre-ordered through iTunes for $7.99 and a special edition CD that includes two bonus tracks is available for $9.99. [Photo credit: Lorrie Murray]

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

Album of String Quartets is released February 11; all profits support Alameda Music Project after-school program

ALAMEDA, Calif. - January 28 2014 In August, Bay Area composer Dren McDonald was the lead in an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign for The String Arcade The String Arcade, the recording of video game music reimagined for string quartet. The final recording was released to backers this month and is now available for preorder to the general population through iTunes and BandCamp (see below for details). The String Arcade will officially release February 11 for digital downloads and CD.

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

The String Arcade is a well-curated collection of music that has been arranged 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 go far beyond the traditional chamber music emulations the themes that inspired them with each piece being altered, embellished, and reimagined to capture emotions evoked by the games. When she came up with the idea, McDonald was inspired by John Lurie's Stranger Than Paradise film soundtrack (1984) that featured a moody, string quartet composition.

In addition to offering gamers a fresh method to play classics they love The String Arcade is also set to encourage youngsters to take up a violin, viola, or cello. 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 arrangements (plus 2 CD bonus tracks) were inspired by games ranging from Galaga to Minecraft and performed by local musicians, with a special appearance by 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 years of video game history, starting with stand-up arcade classics (Galaga, TRON), through the 16-bit and 8-bit eras (Legend of Zelda Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin) and the golden age of 1990s adventure (Monkey Island 2, Outlaws), to more recent games (Portal 2, Minecraft), indie favorite (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