Warcraft II | Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (1995) | WMGSO

Warcraft II Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (1995) Composer: Glenn Stafford Arranger: Robert Garner Audio Editing: Zeynep Dilli, Josh Haas, Jimyo Lin, Jamin Morden, Lee Stearns, Scott Luxenberg, Elias Schwartzman Video Editing: Lee Stearns Music Director: Jamin Morden Choir Director: Jacob Coppage-Gross Arranger's Notes: The real-time strategy game “Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness” continued the story of a war between Orcs and Humans, in which the player could join either side to gather resources (gold, lumber, or oil), construct buildings, and train and deploy troops. The players could face off against the computer in AI-controlled scenarios in the main campaign of the game, or connect to this newfangled “Internet” thing to spar with human opponents in real-time via a dial-up connection on a variety of map settings. Since different strategies could result in games lasting anywhere between minutes and hours, composer Glenn Stafford designed much of the music to work as infinite loops. The soundtrack had to sustain interest without distracting from gameplay, requiring a consistent energy and catchy melodies. Stafford achieved this brilliantly, although bound within the technical limitations of the time. Both races’ themes use minor keys extensively. A military tone is usually present, along with tension and drive, to reinforce that there is much at stake. Human tracks feature strong melodic lines and harp arpeggios, while the Orc themes employ chromatic runs, trills, and turns, with the harpsichord adding tone color. Our arrangement is a medley of melodies from different stages of the game. Performers: Piccolo: Jess Bateman, Tamaira Jaszczak Flute 1: Mary Beck, Cheryl Carr Flute 2: Jessie Biele, Riley Zielinski, Jessica Robertson Oboe 1: Elise Favia Oboe 2: Emily Monahan Clarinet 1: Ben Ryer, Greg Orosz, Angela Small Clarinet 2: Nikko Nolasco, Chris Erickson Bass Clarinet: Yannick Joseph Alto Saxophone 1 & 2: Joe Wang Tenor Saxophone: Greg Danis, James Robertson Baritone Saxophone: Jacob Deaven Bassoon 1 & 2: Doug Eber Trumpet 1: Ryan Guidry Trumpet 2: Adam Zerance, Nathan Froelich Trumpet 3: Kyle Mesce Horn 1: Grace Worth, Jamin Morden Horn 2: Jamin Morden Horn 3: Josh Haas Horn 4: Andrew Mee Trombone 1: Iain Kierzewski, David Crisler Trombone 2: Brandon Harnish Tuba: Fabio Moreira Timpani: Julius Versoza Tam-tam, Bass Drum: Benjamin Downey Snare Drum: Scott Luxenberg Tubular Bells: Lee Stearns Piano: Jules Metcalf-Burton Theremin: Dominique Pelletier Soprano: Amanda Cavanagh, Meredith, Tracy Flanders, Sara Stearns, Mary Beck, Anne Marie Porter, Zeynep Dilli Alto: Robb Saffell, Ashleah Younker, Charlotte Johnson, Claire Hedgespeth, Danielle Bartolanzo, Jasmin Marcelo, Kai Diaz, Nicole Pennington, Shaunica Pridgen Tenor: Jimyo Lin, Kyle Jamolin, Jeff Fairbanks, David Werner, Anthony McMannis, Ian Martyn, Iain Kierzewksi, Purev Arslanbaatar Bass: Alex Booth, Benjamin Tousley, Corey Schon, Jacob Coppage-Gross, Leo Martyn, Matt Harker, Michael Ohr, Connor Worth, Adam Marinelli Violin 1: Chris Lee, Elias Schwartzman, Brittany Colette Lasley, Darrah Treleaven, Monika Ramnarayan, Cindy Zhang Violin 2: Chris Lee, Kyndra Wojciechowski, Lauren Barefoot, Curtis Mitchell, Darrah Treleaven Viola: Elias Schwartzman, Mishee Kearney, Darrah Treleaven Cello: Meaghan Berry, Diana Henry Contrabass: Les Doerfler, Dan Serino The Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra (WMGSO) is a nonprofit community orchestra whose mission is to share video game music by putting on affordable, accessible concerts in the D.C. area. "WMGSO: The Album" and "WMGSO: The Album DLC" out now! https://wmgso.org/our-music/albums Support WMGSO: https://wmgso.org/donate​ WMGSO merchandise: https://www.cafepress.com/wmgso​ Follow WMGSO on social media! Website: https://wmgso.org/​ Facebook:   / ​   Twitter:   / wmgso​   Instagram:   / ​   Twitch:   / wmgso