Beethoven rides the ‘Roblox’ wave with a online game tailored to the classics | Culture | EUROtoday

It is feasible to acknowledge within the sixth symphony of Beethoven the agricultural landscapes round Vienna, however till now nobody had dared to switch the coordinates of the Pastoral to the digital atmosphere. This is what occurs within the online game Final Scorein whose digital meadows farmers sing to their crops to make them develop. In this journey of Roblox ―a well-known digital platform that permits you to create and luxuriate in 1000’s of titles―, classical music doesn’t perform as a mere accompaniment, however fairly serves as a studying software: you need to gather notes, unlock devices and acknowledge chords to revive misplaced concord and defeat the fearsome Rat Catcher.

The thought of ​​this pioneering venture, aimed toward younger individuals between 10 and 16 years previous, was conceived throughout the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra as a part of a method to draw new audiences. “Sometimes the school concerts and teaching materials we offer are not enough,” explains Lili Schutte, head of the academic program on the Dutch establishment. “Connecting with teenagers is not easy, since many consider concerts boring and elitist. So, instead of inviting them to the hall, we chose to reverse the appeal and find them where they like to be most.”

Since its launch in October, Final Score It has registered a median of 5,000 visits per day. “The starting point was to create a video game onlinefree and without technological barriers, available on both mobile phones and tablets.” From there, they looked for the “most attractive possible” way to build bridges with the classical repertoire. “Since we have the best soundtrack, our efforts had to focus on finding a visual coherence and our own narrative that would differentiate us from the rest of Roblox’s proposals.”

In addition to the Pastoral, in the lobby of Final Score fragments of the Italian by Mendelssohn, conducted by Bernard Haitink, and the opera’s overture The promise of the godsby the Surinamese composer Johannes Nicolaas Helstone, which the orchestra recovered in 2024, more than a century after its premiere, under the baton of Otto Tausk. “All works belong to the public domain: Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Ravel, Bartók…” confirms Schutte. “In addition, the recordings were made live and come from our own catalogue,” he says in regards to the choice, additionally accessible on Spotify.

The adventure becomes more complicated as you advance in level. In the volcanic caves of Fort Issimo, where dwarves make instruments, the Brasssmith has lost pace on the production chain. “In this world, dominated by the music of Wagner and Bruckner, the player must restore the tempo of the score,” Schutte continues. “Later on, at the top of the Mystic Mount Möll, you will have to tune your ears to recognize the harmonies of the Misty Monks.” Nothing, of course, that requires advanced knowledge of music theory. “The challenge is to listen carefully and react quickly,” he clarifies.

The Concertgebouw’s own musicians have been in charge of recording the video game’s sound effects, such as trombone fragments, timpani attacks or flute loops. “These resources function as gestures that accompany the action, mark transitions or reinforce changes in state,” says Herman Rieken, percussionist of the group and responsible for the flexatón tracks and cuts, watherphone and whistle. “We have taken nice care of all of the craftsmanship in order that, in some unspecified time in the future, younger individuals ask themselves: what would all this sound like in a live performance corridor? That is our purpose.”

The recreation mechanics have been developed by Accenture Song. “Final Score It is designed to have fun, the learning comes later,” says Hans van Hooff, a member of the team of this company specialized in the design of interactive digital experiences. “Our approach breaks with decades of paternalistic pedagogy, since here we do not try to educate from above, but rather to offer a fun environment where interest in classical music is filtered through visual references and very precise iconography.” In other words: “Cultural mediation without falling into the frivolization of classic-pop.”

More than 50 children and adolescents participated in the test phase of Final Score. “In addition to calibrating its playability, during the target test They corrected certain dynamics and contributed ideas that were very useful to us,” admits Van Hooff. “This allowed us to adjust the difficulty of the mini-games, in which we have to identify notes and chords or answer trivia questions based on historical data and curiosities of classical music.” At the moment, the video game accumulates more than 10,000 ratings on the platform, with 95% positive votes. “And the community continues to grow…”, boasts the developer.

All of which has also been possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Elja Foundation, which works to bring culture closer to children and young people in vulnerable situations. “This collaboration marks a turning point, since very few leading orchestras have dared to take this leap into the future,” celebrates Schutte, for whom the current controversy over the cracks within the Roblox safety system doesn’t pose any menace to the “strict parental control” of Roblox. Final Score: “There are no advertising, no violent images or inappropriate content, nor are there chats to communicate with adults…”.

The Concertgebouw’s commitment to generational change is not new. Three years ago the orchestra announced the signing of the very young Klaus Mäkelä as the new director starting in 2027. “There are many unknowns that loom over traditional concert halls and perhaps we have been wrong to think that screens are our enemy,” reflects the specialist in music pedagogy. “With Final Score “We are showing that art and technology can reinforce each other as long as they go hand in hand with an imaginative proposal capable of exciting the little ones.”