When video games started making the transition from synthesized music to orchestral arrangements, some companies chose to hire a new crop of composers with orchestration experience, while others kept their established composers and hired additional musicians who would simply arrange the compositions. One person who did not have a problem making the transition himself however, is the British game composer Grant Kirkhope. Kirkhope had composed the mammoth soundtrack to "Banjo Kazooie" for the N64 (mammoth, because the soundtrack was designed to change dynamically depending on which section of a stage the character was navigating - one of the first soundtracks to do so.) Along with "Banjo Kazooie", he also composed music for the sequel to that game, for "Donkey Kong 64", and contributed music to "Perfect Dark" and "Goldeneye 007", making him something of a staple for the game company Rare. Kirkhope's style is generally lighthearted - most of his games have been for younger audiences - and he likes to repeat a motif numerous times on different instruments. Moving from console hardware to live performances was the best thing that could be done to Kirkhope's music. Each change in instrument is more subtle, but also more satisfying. In the end his style didn't just translate easily to an orchestra, it was made for one.
This song is "Oven Fresh Day" from the game "Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise", the second game in the Viva Pinata series. Like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong, the games are produced by Rare. The Viva Pinata games are "artificial life" games (or what I call sim-games, after "Sim City") and, as such, require a lot of music to play over very little action. Simulators and strategy games tend to have the best music for precisely this reason - the music needs to be able to stand alone and not be carried by on-screen action or story. Viva Pinata is no exception - the music in the game is downright beautiful and some of Kirkhope's best work.
Album info:
http://vgmdb.net/album/14581
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