Interview at beginning:

EP = Ella Petersson (Presenter)
HB = Håkan Björkman (Trombonist)
JW = Jimmy Wilhelmsson (Game blogger)

EP - Now we are joined by Håkan Björkman
HB - Thanks for having me
EP - And you are a Trombonist but don't play video games
HB - You can put it like that. I play trombone but very little video games. But this was a very fun concert to play. Something I must say is, what I am most impressed by is the audience. How it interacted with the music and how focused and engaged it was.
EP - Yes. How does differ from a usual concert?
HB - Well, everyone is here for just this, and everyone know what the music is and the "recognition-factor" is very high among the audience so many are showing audible signs of wellbeing and joy 'Ohhh, now it's that tune'; and some almost cry, really, with real tears.
EP - So that does not happen otherwise?
HB - Sure, but then it's a greater mix of people in the audience. Here it was really a focused and aimed audience. And that was told by that they were very silent, very few caughs, but everyone was really well focused which affected us positively.
JW - I have to tell you, I think it is fantastic that classical orchestras, or you who play classical orchestral music, play game music today. When game music composers 35-40 years ago was doing the oposite and game designers used it because they could not think of something else.
JW - I have a wonderful story from a girl I interviewed. That was raised in the 80's with a dad that had all the Commodore stuff; because he was working with Commodore. She was playing a game with her brother called "Clowns" where you play as 2 clowns that are jumping on a seesaw.
JW - When a clown miss and you "die" there is a small tune that goes like humming.
JW - And then she got into music and became a music teacher and realized much later in life that it was Chopin's "Funeral March". So there is a lot of that, a lot of old music that have been borrowed by games and are only recognized as game music by generations.
EP - Yes. I want to ask what challenge does it pose to you as a musician?
HB - We have a responisbility to convey what the music is originally intended for. There is a lot of motifs, built in layers. It's delicate; for instance a solo violine together with a first oboe and then it builds layers with woodwind, french horn, percussion and then it culminates into "tutti" with everyone playing and you add a trumpet, trombone or tuba at the end and then you understand the adrenaline is at top.
EP - But is it complicated for you as a musician?
HB - Well, I remember we did that Megaman suite which required a lot of stamina. You had to play a lot, loud and for a long period of time. Not like, you play your bit and then wait and rest for the next.
EP - So you have more to do in these kind of concerts than regular ones?
HB - Yes, because we play a lot of suites and compressed compositions that Andreas Holmlund has done so nice arrangements of.
JW - Do you have more to do becuase you are a trombonist? Or because it is more for everyone in general?
EP - Yeah, I was thinking about that becuase it is a lot of brass, right?
HB - It is more because when it is "blood and horrible things" or sad parts we are very active. But usually it is at the heroic themes where the trombone and trumpet have to work. Preferrably with a drum accompanying in the background that makes the player focus in the game.
EP - I was thinking about this with the audience that you talked about; I go to a lot of classical music concerts. And there you don't applaud between the sets, should the classical audience be more like the gamer audience?
HB - Yeah, I think you should be allowed to be spontaneous as a listener. It is for you we are playing. Not some mutual admiration or patting each others on the back.
EP - So you can just applaud when your favorite set is on?
HB - I think so, I don't think you should be ashamed for that if you feel like doing it.
EP - You are playing in this concert that we are going to show. Do you have a favorite set?
HB - Well, it was a lot of sets that week. A thick folder. What I found amusing was the titles; like Bloodborne and Assasins Creed. I thought, what is this music gonna be like. But a favorite, I think Megaman was very fun to play, and Zelda was very beautiful.
JW - Are you going to play The Secret of Monkey Island?
HB - Yeah it is there.
JW - Oh, nice.
HB - It was a raggae tune. Hard to sit still to.
EP - Now we are going to listen to this, from Bergwaldhallen the concert Score.

i always imagine someone who like often goes to Orchestra concerts but doesnt play Video Games(like some old dude or something) and then someone say to him that it is from a Game. That Video games sometimes have the best Music

game music is a hidden gem.
X3 is a secret, Skyrim is a nordic gem, as are all of that series.
soundtrack of games deserves an oscar of it's own.

holly shit!! the skyrim song is beautiful.

My dream job would be playing the teeny tiny cymbals like the guy during the black flag suite

imagine ludwigs theme here...

This is Godtier.

You have to watch the bloodborne one

I was dancing to the Zelda Suite

Thanks for this! You put a lot of effort into writing the very useful info in the description =) I was looking for this since I saw it in SVT back in September =)

Nailed it! Epic!

I fucking love my country

Anyone know the time stamps????

Fuck Bloodborne. Aria di Mezzo Carattere is where it's at.

Simply the best :D

This is INCREDIBLE! And OMFG Bloodborne's suite... chills

Is it just me, or is Sabina able to adapt her own singing style to fit the song? In the first suite, she sings with an almost celtic or tribal tone, but totally adopts a beautiful authentic opera tone in the final song.
Extremely accomplished vocalist!! Simply outstanding!!

58:14 that poor guy with the camera...

At first I was like: Damn.. an interview in Swedish.

A couple of minutes pass.

Then, realization: Wait a sec, I can actually understand this shit!!!XD Thank you, my annoying obligatory Swedish lessons back in middle and high school. Perhaps I was wrong to curse you to Hell and back.