Classic Game Themes get Classier in String Quartet Album 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 that is due to release in the near future, featuring a selection of game music newly arranged for string quartet.

The String Arcade was funded through 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. The games included in the collection 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 for download and streaming here.

The String Arcade will be released on the 11th of February. The album's digital version can be pre-ordered via iTunes for $7.99 and a special edition CD featuring two bonus tracks is available for $9.99. [Photo credit: Lorrie Murray]

The String Arcade is a recreation of the original video game music, and is available for pre-order

Release of String Quartet Album on February 11, All proceeds go will go to Alameda Music Project After-School Program

ALAMEDA, Calif. - January 28, 2014 - In August, Bay Area composer Dren McDonald led an impressive Kickstarter campaign for The String Arcade, the recording of video game music, reimagined to fit a string quartet. Twitsoc.com The final version of the recording was released to backers in August, and is now available for preorder by the general public via BandCamp and iTunes (see below for links). The String Arcade will be available for download digitally and on CD on on February 11.

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

The String Arcade is a meticulously collected collection of music that Dren McDonald (Ghost Recon Commander Ravenwood Fair, Ravenwood Fair) composed for string quartet. The arrangements go well beyond the chamber music emulations of the themes that inspired them, with each piece creatively interpreted, embellished, and reimagined to capture emotions generated by the games. In conceiving the project, McDonald was inspired by John Lurie's Stranger Than Paradise film soundtrack (1984) which featured a moody, string quartet composition.

The String Arcade will provide gamers the chance to enjoy new classics. It is also a great way to inspire young musicians to acquire an instrument like a cello, violin, or the 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 two bonus tracks on CD) were inspired by games 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 is a collection of years of video game history, ranging from stand-up arcade classics (Galaga, TRON), through the 16- and 8-bit eras (Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin) and the golden age of 1990s adventures (Monkey Island 2, Outlaws), to more recent hits (Portal 2, Minecraft), indie favorites (FTL -- Faster Than Light, Scurvy Scallywags) and games that are mobile and social (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 album of string quartets The String Arcade makes classic game themes more sophisticated.