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Galaxy Orchestra Redefines Mario Sound
9 May
Summary
- Super Mario Galaxy's music director initially misunderstood the series' essence.
- A 50-plus player symphony orchestra was used for the game's soundtrack.
- The score set a cinematic benchmark for video game music going forward.
Mahito Yokota, the music director for the Super Mario series, initially struggled to capture the "Essence of Mario" for Super Mario Galaxy. His first drafts, reminiscent of Koji Kondo's prior work, were deemed insufficient by Kondo himself, who advised Yokota to "get rid of" any notion of Mario being simply cute.
Seeking to understand the true essence, Yokota shifted his focus towards the game's ambitious, universe-spanning narrative. This led to the creation of the Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra, comprising over 50 musicians. This orchestral approach, an anachronism for the mid-2000s, was deemed necessary by Kondo to convey the "magnificence of the universe."
The resulting scores for Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel are celebrated as timeless. They fused ambient synth works with visionary orchestral arrangements, establishing a new standard for grandeur in the Mario series and setting a cinematic benchmark for video game soundtracks thereafter.
