http://classicalmpr.org/topscore Some of the scores for video games are incredibly intricate and deserve recognition, which is why we've created Top Score: a series of podcasts dedicated to the music that accompanies soldiers through battle, sorcerers through forests and aliens through space. en-us 2012 Minnesota Public Radio Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:15:45 CDT http://minnesota.publicradio.org/tools/podcasts/images/itunes_top_score_large_rgb.png http://classicalmpr.org/topscore Some of the scores for video games are incredibly intricate and deserve recognition, which is why we've created Top Score: a series of podcasts dedicated to the music that accompanies soldiers through battle, sorcerers through forests and aliens through space. An in-depth listen to video game music and the people who make it. Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio mail@mpr.org no video games, music, classical, composers Composer Grant Kirkhope lets his British roots shine in his score for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/06/12/grant-kirkhope-kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning-top-score Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:15:45 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/06/12/top_score_kirkhope_kingdoms_of_amalur_20130612_128.mp3 00:04:58 How do I feel about composer Garry Schyman's score to the new BioShock Infinite? Put it on a stage and let me hear it live, over and over... and over... and over... http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/06/06/garry-schyman-bioshock-infinite-top-score Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/06/05/top_score_schyman_bioshock_infinite_20130605_128.mp3 00:04:59 Inspired by music from the era of silent film, Austin Wintory's score for Monaco: What's Yours is Mine features improvisational ragtime piano. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/31/austin-wintory-and-monaco-whats-yours-is-mine-on-top-score Fri, 31 May 2013 09:31:04 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/05/31/top_score_monaco_austin_wintory_20130530_20130531_128.mp3 00:04:58 Paris may be best well-known as the City of Lights, but French composer Olivier Deriviere turns it into a city of memories in the new game Remember Me . http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/24/olivier-deriviere-remember-me-on-top-score Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/2013/05/24/top_score_olivier_derivier_remember_me_20130524_128.mp3 00:04:59 With so many World War II games on the market, it can be difficult to come up with a unique sound for the score. Lennie Moore talks about his music for Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm on Top Score. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/10/lennie-moore-and-red-orchestra-2-rising-storm-on-top-score Fri, 10 May 2013 15:30:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/05/10/top_score_lennie_moore_and_orchestra_2_20130510_128.mp3 00:17:42 How do I feel about composer Garry Schyman's score to the new BioShock Infinite? Put it on a stage and let me hear it live, over and over... and over... and over... http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/23/garry-schymans-bioshock-infinite-on-top-score Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/04/24/ts_garry_schyman_bioshock_infinite_20130424_128.mp3 00:24:47 Composer Jason Graves explains the musical themes he created for "Tomb Raider" on the new episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/19/deconstructing-tomb-raider-with-composer-jason-graves-top-score Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:30:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/04/19/top_score_tomb_raider_jason_graves_20130419_128.mp3 00:25:39 What happens when a composer writes a great score for a not-so-great game? Kevin Riepl talks about his music for Aliens: Colonial Marines. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/12/kevin-riepl-and-aliens-colonial-marines-on-top-score Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:30:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/04/12/top_score_kevin_riepl_20130412_128.mp3 00:24:15 Kickstarter is a website allowing consumers to fund projects, including movies, games, conferences and everything else in between. "Skyrim" composer Jeremy Soule decided to use it to fund writing, recording and performing his Symphony No. 1. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/03/30/jeremy-soule-uses-kickstarter-to-fund-his-first-symphony Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:30:07 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/04/01/top_score_jeremy_soule_skyrim_20130401_128.mp3 00:54:16 Composer Jim Dooley talks about working on both games in the Infamous series on Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/03/29/jim-dooley-and-infamous-on-top-score Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/03/28/top_score_jim_dooley_and_infamous_20130328_128.mp3 00:17:01 Peter McConnell and Emily Reese talk Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time on the new episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. Enter for your chance to win a copy of the PlayStation 3 game below! http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/03/14/peter-mcconnell-and-sly-cooper-thieves-in-time-on-top-score Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:40:14 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/03/14/top_score_peter_mcconnell_sly_cooper_20130314_128.mp3 00:16:23 Composer Penka Kouneva took two months between projects to write her own music, culminating in a CD called A Warrior's Odyssey . Emily Reese spoke with Penka about her music, and coming to the U.S. from Bulgaria. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/02/26/penka-kouneva-warriors-odyssey-on-top-score Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/02/26/top_score_penka_kouneva_20130226_128.mp3 00:19:15 Composer Joel Corelitz just received a BAFTA nomination for his score to The Unfinished Swan . Baroque-inspired sounds accompany the artful tale. Hear our conversation on the latest episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/02/12/the-unfinished-swan-composer-joel-corelitz-on-top-score Wed, 13 Feb 2013 06:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/02/12/top_score_unfinished_swan_20130212_128.mp3 00:16:39 Steampunk meets Charles Dickens's London in the game Dishonored, scored by composer Daniel Licht. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/02/07/daniel-licht-and-dishonored-on-top-score Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/02/06/top_score_daniel_licht_dishonored_20130206_128.mp3 00:15:29 Composer Inon Zur and the new music for Rift: Storm Legion on the latest episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/01/31/inon-zur-rift-top-score Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2013/01/30/top_score_inon_zur_and_rift_20130130_128.mp3 00:14:35 Papo & Yo turned out to be one of the most emotional experiences I've had as a gamer. While I feel as though I say that more and more, it's a trend I wholeheartedly embrace. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/21/papo-and-yo-top-score-brian-doliveira Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/12/21/top_score_brian_doliveira_20121221_128.mp3 00:20:47 Jesper Kyd explains how he scored the afterlife, light and darkness for Darksiders II on Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/14/jesper-kyd-darksiders-ii-top-score Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:30:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/12/13/top_score_jesper_kyd_darksiders_ii_20121213_128.mp3 00:19:21 Significant musical moments in Call of Duty: Black Ops II are explained by the soundtrack's composer, Jack Wall, on the newest episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/12/06/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-jack-wall-top-score Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/12/05/top_score_jack_wall_20121205_128.mp3 00:22:22 Matt Uelmen shares his music for Torchlight II on Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/11/30/matt-uelmen-top-score-diablo-torchlight Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/11/29/top_score_matt_uelmen_20121129_128.mp3 00:18:31 Christopher Lennertz is a busy guy, working on multiple television projects like Supernatural and Revolution, in addition to writing music for games like Starhawk and Mass Effect 3. Hear the conversation on the new episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/11/19/christopher-lennertz-top-score-mass-effect-starhawk Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/11/19/top_score_christopher_lennertz_20121119_128.mp3 00:17:13 David Lloyd launched OCReMix.org in 1999 to create a site for fans to share their interpretations of game music. David and submissions judge Larry Oji joined Top Score for a conversation about fan art. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/11/15/ocremix-top-score-larry-oji-david-lloyd Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:30:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/11/16/top_score_oc_remix_20121116_128.mp3 00:22:00 On the new episode of Top Score, Lorne Balfe talks about his music for the new "Skylanders" game, called "Skylanders: Giants." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/26/lorne-balfe-skylanders-giants-top-score Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:25:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/10/25/top_score_lorne_balfe_20121025_128.mp3 00:17:44 Composer Ryan Shore Top Score from Classical MPR to discuss his score for a relaunched "Spy Hunter." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/19/ryan-shore-spy-hunter-top-score-henry-mancini Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:15:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/10/19/top_score_ryan_shore_spy_hunter_20121019_128.mp3 00:19:15 The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses is a musical celebration of twenty-five years of Zelda melodies. The new episode of Top Score features a conversation with the producers of the touring show, video game music fans Jason Michael Paul and Jeron Moore. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/11/legend-of-zelda-symphony-of-the-goddesses-on-top-score Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:30:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/10/11/top_score_the_legend_of_zelda_symphony_20121011_128.mp3 00:31:42 Christopher Tin kindly sent us five signed copies of "Calling All Dawns". Enter today for your chance to win a copy! http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/08/top-score-giveaway-calling-all-dawns-by-christopher-tin Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/10/08/top_score_giveaway_calling_all_dawns_20121008_128.mp3 00:02:46 Jessica Curry's chamber music score for indie game Dear Esther is a wonderful compliment to stunning visuals and compelling narrative. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/03/jessica-curry-dear-esther-top-score Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/10/03/top_score_jessica_curry_and_dear_esther_20121003_128.mp3 00:41:36 Composer Christopher Tin is the featured guest on the new episode of Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/09/25/christopher-tin-top-score-cd-giveaway Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/09/24/top_score_christopher_tin_20120924_128.mp3 00:52:58 A review of some of the best music from Jeremy Soule's soundtrack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/08/07/music-of-skyrim-on-top-score Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/08/08/top_score_skyrim_20120808_128.mp3 00:15:55 Darren Korb created what he calls "acoustic frontier trip-hop" as the soundscape for the game Bastion. Hear Darren and his music on Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/01/darren-korb-and-bastion-on-top-score Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:30:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/06/08/top_score_darren_corb_cmpr_20120608_128.mp3 00:31:51 Austin Wintory teamed up with thatgamecompany and Jenova Chen to create a terrific score for the game "Journey" http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/05/22/journey-austin-wintory-top-score Wed, 23 May 2012 14:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/05/23/top_score_austin_wintory_cmpr_20120523_128.mp3 00:37:53 Three of the composers from Mass Effect 3 join Emily Reese for a conversation about their music on the newest episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/05/08/mass-effect-3-top-score-hulick-dikiciyan-velasco Tue, 08 May 2012 14:30:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/05/08/top_score_mass_effect_3_cmpr_20120508_128.mp3 00:33:22 Two of my favorite things coincide on the new episode of Top Score: composer Richard Jacques, and LittleBigPlanet. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/04/04/richard-jacques-on-top-score-little-big-planet Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/04/10/top_score_richard_jacques_cmpr_20120410_128.mp3 00:32:46 Composer Ron Fish joins Top Score to talk about his music for Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Asylum, the God of War series and Sega Japan's Rise of Nightmares. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/03/07/ron-fish-batman-arkham-city-top-score Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/03/09/top_score_ron_fish_cmpr_20120309_128.mp3 00:39:26 Mass Effect 3 comes out on March 6th, and Top Score has a preview of two new tracks, and a review of the music from the Mass Effect universe. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/02/23/mass-effect-3-preview-top-score Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:36:45 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/02/23/top_score_mass_effect_preview_cmpr_20120223_128.mp3 00:10:00 Composer Jesper Kyd visited MPR headquarters in November for Top Score's first live event. Check out the audio and video from the night! http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/01/31/jesper-kyd-event-mpr-top-score Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:44:43 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/02/02/top_score_jesper_kyd_cmpr_20120202_128.mp3 00:46:11 Host of The Legacy Music Hour podcast, Brent Weinbach, joins Top Score to talk about his passion for the 8- and 16-bit era of video game music. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/01/09/old-school-video-game-music-on-top-score Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:44:53 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2012/01/13/top_score_brent_weinbach_cmpr_20120113_128.mp3 00:31:41 Inon Zur returns to Top Score from Classical MPR to talk about his new score to Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Enter the drawing for a chance to win the Xbox version of Lord of the Rings -- War of the North, plus the original game soundtrack by Inon Zur. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/12/19/inon-zur-lord-of-the-rings-top-score Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:27:55 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/12/23/top_score_inon_zur_cmpr_20111223_128.mp3 00:35:57 Composer Jesper Kyd has written music for all four games in the Assassin's Creed series. Hear him talk about the experience in the new episode of Top Score from Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/12/05/jesper-kyd-top-score-assassins-creed Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:00:00 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/12/05/top_score_jesper_kyd_cms_20111205_128.mp3 00:42:08 Greg Edmonson talks about his music for the Uncharted trilogy on Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/11/17/greg-edmonson-top-score Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:31:39 CST http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/11/17/top_score_greg_edmonson_cms_20111117_128.mp3 00:33:57 Brian Tyler talks about his score for one of the most anticipated games of the year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the new episode of Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/11/03/brian-tyler-top-score-modern-warfare-3 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:30:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/11/03/top_score_brian_tyler_cms_20111103_128.mp3 00:34:58 Composer Bear McCreary is our guest on Top Score this week from Classical MPR. I first became interested in his music through my adoration of the relaunched "Battlestar Galactica" series on SyFy. Lucky for me, Bear also scored two video games. Capcom's "Dark Void" from 2010, and Sony's "SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/10/19/top-score-bear-mccreary Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:41:25 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/10/19/top_score_s2_ep4_20111019_128.mp3 00:35:58 Composer Tom Salta applied a multifaceted musical background to create an immersive and highly interactive soundtrack for Eric Chahi's new game, "From Dust." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/10/04/tom-salta-top-score-from-dust Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/10/05/top_score_s2_ep3_20111005_128.mp3 00:39:26 The latest installment of Top Score features an interview with Boris Salchow, who composed the score for the recently released sci-fi shooter "Resistance 3." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/18/boris-salchow-top-score Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/09/20/top_score_boris_salchow_20110920_128.mp3 00:36:39 Veteran video game composer Martin O'Donnell talks about writing scores for ten years of Halo on the first episode of season 2 from Top Score on Classical Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/06/top-score-martin-odonnell-halo-s2e1 Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:46:29 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/09/06/top_score_s2_ep1_20110906_128.mp3 00:35:43 Top Score, our podcast exploring video game music is announcing its second season. But in true game fashion, there's a challenge for you to figure out. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/08/19/top-score-season2 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:42:52 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/08/19/top_score_redux_20110819_128.mp3 00:05:23 What does 20th-century American composer Milton Babbitt (1916-2011) have to do with video game music? A lot, as it turns out. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/08/03/top-score-laura-karpman Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:12:52 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/2011/08/03/top_score_20110803_128.mp3 00:31:30 The game Heavy Rain was released in 2010 by Quantic Dream. Composer Normand Corbeil wrote the music and is the guest on Top Score from Classical Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/07/13/heavy-rain-top-score-normand-corbeil Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/07/13/top_score_hr_ep_7_20110713_128.mp3 00:42:00 Rockstar Games turned to Bill Elm and Woody Jackson to create the music for "Red Dead Redemption." On this episode of Top Score from Classical MPR, Elm discusses he and Jackson's background in the alt-country scene, his admiration for Italian film composer Ennio Morricone and more. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/06/20/top-score-red-dead-redemption-bill-elm Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:21:46 CDT http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/minnesota/classical/programs/top_score/2011/06/23/top_score_rdr_ep_6_20110623_128.mp3 00:25:58