Ten years ago, husband Dan and I made and released our first game. It was a story about a lone man wandering on a desolate Scottish island looking for his lost love. Dear Esther’s themes of love, loss, guilt and redemption struck a chord with players and the game became an overnight sensation. It also opened up a raging debate as to whether games can be art and as a result the game was exhibited in major galleries around the world. Suddenly Dan and I found ourselves propelled into the games industry and our lives changed forever.  The game was also the beginning of our journey into some amazing worlds; from the Hebrides to Victorian London, from subterranean kingdoms and terraformed worlds to central Shropshire.  What linked these imagined spaces was our love of telling real stories through the medium of games.  

 

The original soundtrack for Dear Esther is a moody blend of piano and string quartet with experimental soundscapes and electronics. When the piece was selected for the Proms I knew I wanted to take listeners on a new and reimagined sonic journey; one that recognised and honoured the tenth anniversary of the game and that celebrated the incredible journeys that I’ve embarked on since its release. So I worked with my extraordinarily talented collaborator and friend Jim Fowler to expand the original piece to create a new version of I Have Begun My Ascent. We wanted to preserve the spirit of the original, but also to take you on a trip through the music and worlds of The Chinese Room’s games, culminating in the science-fiction fairytale, So Let Us Melt. Die-hard fans will hear echoes of The Leaving in this version of I Have Begun My Ascent and I think that this alchemic melding of the two pieces captures what I love most about game music – scores that are epic and intimate, restlessly creative, unashamedly lush, full of light, motion and wonder. I hope you enjoy it.

 

© Jessica Curry, July 2022