David Wise

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I don’t have a 99% chance of winning – so I won’t bet – it is more than 5% possible that you know David Wise, the composer.

And if you don’t have his name in mind, I’m sure you know his music.
Do you want to try?

You recognize this tune, don’t you? I’m absolutely sure you do

This music, but how magical it is – from the first notes, we already know that an adventure is beginning – and that this adventure will be quite extraordinary
A very difficult adventure but full of lightness
An adventure to throw the controller against the wall
But to start again, and again
Just for the pleasure of playing

Yes yes, Donkey Kong is him, David Wise.

Finally – the most famous melody of Donkey Kong, and most of the ones that will follow, come straight from the head of this gentleman, who looks like a very serious man? – one should not trust appearances.
Or rather: it is very serious to compose music.

What about this one? Do you see them, the dangers that throw themselves at you, while you are stuck in your little cart? Do you see them, the twisted and broken rails, right there at the bottom of the hill?
Can you see the barrels? …. ah yes, the music says it won’t be that easy
That it’s going to speed up,
There’s stuff you won’t see
What the heck, you didn’t see them
Never mind – let’s go with the theme from the beginning
We’ll get there – no kidding – we haven’t been playing Didi Kong for so long to be impressed by a stoned mine !

And I’m nice: I won’t knock you out with the very, very famous aquatic ambience music – nor with the galleon, nor…

Okay – all the soundtracks are amazing and deserve to be listened to on their own.

Some music can make us feel a little old – it’s true – but what does it matter? They are always well seen, with this little shift between the atmosphere given and the stress imposed by the game, which makes a “touch” Wise in the games, a beautiful trademark that always enchants all players:

I’m not going to flood you with biographical details about David Wise – that’s easily found on the internet.
However, this man, who was there in the golden age of video games, in this golden age where seriousness and realism were not important at all – this man did so much for video games that it is more than natural to think about paying tribute to him.
I’m not talking about a tribute with a bouquet of flowers and three tons of pompous speeches – no, I’m talking about a real tribute, a tribute to his music, by giving it a place in our lives – by playing it on stage.

I’m not making anything up – there are orchestras that specialize in video game music
and of course they play David Wise’s music.
All I’m saying is that Altair can’t forget to program them – it would be a shame.

I’ll end with this compilation, because it was very well done – it’s a player (a player who has aged a bit…) who makes it and who takes the opportunity to make some excellent remarks.
For example, for the grunts who tell you that gaming is subculture, he explains that he was unable, at 7 years old, to identify Bach reworked by David Wise – but that it made him so happy to realize it later.

Well – no, I’ll end with this: because when David Wise is on the stage, then the concert just becomes quite huge!

Do you know what really really amazes me when I watch these concerts?
-it’s that the halls are full to bursting – full, well, of an audience that will have time to grow old (I say that, me …- yes I do)

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Featured Image : Donkey Kong Country – by Rare / Nintendo.