Hail the Nightmare | Bloodborne | WMGSO's Fall 2023 Concert

Hail The Nightmare - Bloodborne (2015) ‪@FromSoftwareInc‬
By: Ryan Amon
Arr. Charlotte Johnson

“Madmen toil surreptitiously in rituals to beckon the moon. Uncover their secrets.”

So reads the note you find when imprisoned in the Hypogean Gaol in Yahar’gul, the Unseen Village. A hidden choir’s song floats through the air, very likely part of some ritual. Said nature of this ritual is difficult to pin down, but we do know that in Yahar’gul, the School of Mensis is dedicated to the study of the Old Blood and the Great Ones...

Bloodborne is a gothic Lovecraftian horror game that makes up the other half of the Soulsborne style of games put out by From Software (the first half being the Dark Souls and Demon Souls games). You are a Hunter who has found themselves in the city of Yharnam on the night of the Hunt. What that means and what Yharnam’s “special blood” has to do with it all is for you to bring to light.

While mostly remaining faithful to the original soundtrack, this arrangement of “Hail the Nightmare” buttresses the theory that the School of Mensis was attempting to summon Mergo, an infant Great One, though ultimately unsuccessfully. Toward the end of the piece, against textures of anguish, you’ll hear a strain of “Lullaby for Mergo,” the song that plays during the battle with Mergo’s Wet Nurse in the Nightmare Frontier.

The bass solo is performed by Michael Ohr.

This piece was performed at Adventure & Apocalypse, WMGSO's Full Ensemble Fall 2023 Concert at the Rachel M Schlesinger Center.

Stream Producer: David Werner
Stream Director: Jarel Jones
Twitch Lead: Fabio Moreira
Camera Operators: Dave Shirey, Romel Punsal
Audio Engineer: Cory Lemons
Audio Producers: David Werner, Josh Haas, Jimyo Lin
Graphics: Brana Rose
Audio Editing: Elias Schwartzman
Video Editing: David Werner

#videogamemusic #bloodborne

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.

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