Player 1 (CD)

Blending classical music with the immersive world of gaming, the album comprises a thrilling array of themes from television, Anime and film including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pokémon, and Squid Game. Recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Cristian Mǎcelaru, these compositions gravitate around the sonic centrepiece of Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto. The Austrian composer was a pioneering 20th-century classical composer who became one of the first musicians to score films for Hollywood. Ray Chen’s mission now is to challenge traditional perceptions of classical music, making it accessible and inspiring. Nintendo consoles, TV dramas, films, anime, soundtracks and a near-century-old work by Korngold may at first seem like disparate cultural phenomena. But they have one thing in common. They weave fantasies. Ray is Player 1. You, the listener, are Player 2.