This is music by French composer Olivier Deriviere  for the game Get Even , which comes out in a couple of weeks. The plot is a big secret, so much so that Olivier couldn’t tell us much about it at all.BUT, the music is fabulous. Even cooler, the music renders IN REAL TIME. While you’re playing through the game, it renders according to your pace and actions, far more than the interactivity that’s become the norm in games these days.

Olivier recorded the score with the Brussels Philharmonic, and that ensemble sounds sublime.

The style of the score is a genre called “minimalism” which started in New York in the early 60s. Perhaps the most famous example of early minimalism comes from composer Terry Riley , with a piece called In C .

Other prominent minimalist composers include John Adams, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich. During the interview with Olivier, he mentions an Estonian composer named Arvo Pärt, whom we’ve discussed here on Level before.

And if you’re looking for examples in films, you can check out many of British composer Michael Nyman ’s scores. My first conscious experience of falling in love with minimalism was from his score to the 1993 film The Piano , which was a good starting point. I don’t mean that as a diss, because listening back Nyman’s music for that film for this very episode reminded me  how frickin’ fantastic that score is.

Regarding Olivier’s music, I thoroughly enjoy this score, and had a great conversation with him.

PLAYLIST (all tracks are composed by Olivier Derivier for Get Even unless otherwise noted):

Consequences
In C  by Terry Riley, performed by Bang on a Can All Stars
“A Wild and Distant Shore” from The Piano Original Soundtrack  by Michael Nyman
We’re Family
Good Recollection
Trauma
Consequences
We’re Family
Broken Promise
Broken Home
Good Recollection
Homicide Case
Homicide Case
Rehearsal
Delusions
Regrets
Wake Up
Wake Up
Silentium  by Arvo Part
Delusions
Homicide Case
Reascending the Tower