Frohes Neues!
Im Rahmen des Genshin Impact Benefizkonzerts in Dortmund, hatten wir die Möglichkeit ein kurzes Interview mit Julian Pontus Schirmer, dem Leiter des Orchesters, der TU Dortmund zu führen und wollen es euch natürlich nicht vorenthalten.
Am 11. November erlebten 300 Musiker und Chorsänger der Universität Wien einen unvergesslichen Abend im Großen Saal des Musikvereins in Wien. Unter der Leitung von Vijay Upadhyaya führten sie 24 Stücke aus dem Spiel auf und berührten damit die Herzen der Fans und Unterstützer der Philharmonie der Universität Wien.
Ein ähnliches Spektakel fand am 25. November im Konzerthaus Dortmund statt. Unter der Leitung von Julian Pontus Schirmer boten 80 Musiker und 60 Chorsänger der TU Dortmund eine atemberaubende Reise durch die musikalische Welt von Genshin Impact. Viele der begeisterten Besucher erschienen sogar im Cosplay ihrer Lieblingscharaktere aus dem Spiel.
Wir waren in Dortmund live vor Ort und dürfen uns an dieser Stelle noch einmal herzlich bei Hoyo für die Einladung bedanken! Die Stimmung und die musikalische Interpretation waren atemberaubend!
Das Interview
Was hat Sie an der Idee gereizt, ein Konzert für Genshin Impact zu dirigieren?
What attracted you to the idea of conducting for a Genshin Impact concert?
I actually didn’t know anything about the Genshin Impact when I first heard about the Impact4Music project. But I said yes because it’s so fantastic that this video game has this orchestral music. So I was like OK, let’s do it! And after my first collaboration with Impact4Music at the gamescom festival 2023, we decided to carry on with a full-length concert this year.
Wie unterscheidet sich die Vorbereitung auf ein solches Konzert von anderen klassischen oder traditionellen Aufführungen, die Sie dirigiert haben?
How does preparing for a concert like this differ from other classical or traditional performances you’ve conducted?
For me there’s not much difference because it is a full orchestra and music is still built on notes and scores.
What is different is that the pieces are often quite short, so the orchestra has to switch very quickly. So if we’re playing a symphony we have time – like 30, 40 or 50 minutes – to develop, to come into the piece. With these short pieces you have to be very on point. So that’s the most important thing I had to tell my orchestra in the final rehearsal: please be prepared. You have to be in the right mood, suddenly, and in the next moment you have to be in the next different mood. And there’s no time, so there’s no second chance.
Welche Hauptthemen oder Emotionen wollten Sie mit der Musikauswahl vermitteln?
What were some of the main themes or emotions you aimed to convey with the music selection?
I selected pieces for this concert out of a huge collection, so I really had the possibility to collect 3 hours of music or so.
What I tried is to make an evening with a good dramaturgy. So that we have a good beginning, and that you have fast and furious pieces and then you have calm pieces so that you have a good mixture.Then also on the practical side, we have our choir with us, and also we have soloists. So I also have to think when would be a good time in the concert to play the pieces with the choir, or the pieces with the soloists. Then we can make an evening that’s telling a story.
Wie haben Sie mit den Musiker zusammengearbeitet, um den Geist der Welt von Genshin Impact in der Aufführung einzufangen?
How did you work with the musicians to capture the spirit of Genshin Impact’s world through the performance?
First of all it has to be organized, and then once it fits together you add the spirit to it. So it’s a much more technical approach than people think from the outside.
The music has different characters – there’s music for battle scenes, for example the Ode to Azdaha, which is a very strong piece for worshipping this old dragon. If I tell my musicians these stories, then they can add the inspiration on the pieces. That’s quite easy, because they are all creative.
Gibt es ein bestimmtes Stück im Konzert, das für Sie persönlich eine besondere Bedeutung hat, und warum?
Is there a particular piece in the concert that resonates with you personally, and why?
There are a few actually. It’s difficult for me to say which one I like most, but I really enjoy Inazuma main theme, especially since now we finally have a soloist who plays the Asian zither. It is so calm – it’s difficult to describe. As a conductor I don’t need to do much, the music just floats. In the beginning it was not easy to bring the orchestra to really float, but when you bring all 90 people together and you don’t need to do much as a conductor. That’s fabulous.
Was hoffen Sie, dass das Publikum, insbesondere die Fans von Genshin Impact, während des Konzerts fühlen oder erleben werden?
What do you hope the audience, especially Genshin Impact fans, will feel or experience during the concert?
I hope that they will experience all the feelings they have when they are playing the game!
Die Musik von Genshin Impact ist für ihre kulturelle Tiefe und globalen Einflüsse bekannt. Wie sind Sie an die Verschmelzung verschiedener Musikstile in Ihrer Interpretation herangegangen?
Genshin Impact’s music is known for its cultural depth and global influences. How did you approach the fusion of different musical styles in your conducting?
Well for me as a conductor, first of all it is important to get the idea of the piece. And then I have to tell verbally and with my body language what the piece is about. You explore what the music is about for yourself as a conductor, then you can easily tell it.
Wie fühlt es sich an, Videospielmusik in einen Konzertsaal zu bringen?
How does it feel to bring video game music to a concert hall?
Familiar. I am not a gamer but when I was playing in the orchestra when I studied abroad at the University of Uppsala in Sweden we also did a video game concert. So there is great music. And we also did film music – it’s a little bit different from game music but I would say that they are relatives. Two years ago with my orchestra here, we did a concert with Star Trek music. Two weeks ago, we did a silent movie concert, where we performed live while the movie was screened. We played live the music from the 1920s movie Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam.
I’m open for every style in my work as the musical leader of TU Dortmund University. I think it’s a big task for me to show the people what exists, not only in the past 3 centuries but also today. For me it is important to show all the range that is there, especially at a university. At a university you have to look around, not only in one direction, and that’s very important for me.
Gibt es besondere Geschichten oder Momente aus dem Vorbereitungsprozess, die Ihnen in Erinnerung geblieben sind?
Are there any memorable stories or moments from the preparation process that stand out to you?
Well there are many. People always say that my rehearsals are very funny and my orchestra is also on Instagram doing a well-known category of posts with Pontus quotations. I really love my orchestra and it’s always a great pleasure to work with them.
Wie bereiten Sie sich als Dirigent auf ein Konzert vor, bei dem die Musik eine so visuell immersive Welt widerspiegelt?
As a conductor, how do you prepare for a concert where the music evokes such a visually immersive world?
It’s like with every other concert!
Gab es besondere Herausforderungen oder Überraschungen bei der Anpassung der Musik von Genshin Impact für das Live-Orchester?
Were there any particular challenges or surprises in adapting Genshin Impact’s music for the live orchestra?
No
Wie schaffen Sie es, den Originalkompositionen treu zu bleiben und gleichzeitig Ihre eigene Interpretation in die Musik einzubringen?
How do you balance staying true to the original compositions while bringing your own interpretation to the music?
Well of course, I listen to the original version. Of course I am another conductor, another interpreter. I take it as an inspiration but I don’t take it as the law. I do my own interpretation.
Wie sehen Sie die Rolle von Videospielmusik in der klassischen Musikszene?
How do you see the role of video game music evolving within the classical music world?
What is the classical world?
Haben Sie für dieses Konzert mit den ursprünglichen Komponist des Genshin Impact-Soundtracks zusammengearbeitet oder sich beraten?
Did you work with or consult any of the original composers of the Genshin Impact soundtrack for this concert?
No
Wie hat das Orchester reagiert, als Sie ihnen die Musik von Genshin Impact vorgestellt haben?
What was the reaction of the orchestra when you introduced them to Genshin Impact’s music?
They were a little bit surprised I think. There are some gamers in my orchestra but I think many hadn’t heard of it before. I think they were surprised that a video game actually has orchestral music. They were very positive and I get the reactions from my musicians that they are very happy that I am giving them different styles and not only the classical repertoire, whatever the „classical repertoire“ means.
Welche Qualitäten oder Fähigkeiten sind am wichtigsten, wenn man Musik dirigiert, die ursprünglich dafür gedacht war, ein Spielerlebnis zu begleiten?
Which qualities or skills are most important when conducting music originally designed to accompany a gaming experience?
There is no difference to conducting other music.
Gab es bestimmte Szenen oder Charaktere in Genshin Impact, die Sie bei der Vorbereitung auf das Konzert inspiriert haben?
Are there specific scenes or characters in Genshin Impact that inspired you while preparing for the concert?
No, unfortunately I don’t play the game.
Was steht für Sie nach diesem Konzert an? Gibt es andere Projekte oder Spiele, an denen Sie gerne arbeiten würden?
What’s next for you after this concert? Are there other projects or games you’d love to work on in the future?
Yes of course! We are doing our next concert in January with the organ symphony of Saint-Saëns. In the summer term we are doing a very nice program with Romantic pieces of the German Romancticism, also here in the Konzerthaus Dortmund. Then in November 2025 we are doing Messa da Requiem by Verdi in Dortmund and Cologne, and then in 2026 we are doing a cross-over concert with our Big Band where we are doing American style music, and in Summer 2026 we are going abroad. So I’m quite scheduled for the next two years!
