The Black Knight 2000 | WMGSO's Fall 2021 Full Orchestra Concert

The Black Knight Theme - The Black Knight 2000 (1989)
Brian Schmidt, Dan Forden, Steve Ritchie
arr. David Werner
Imagine walking into your local pinball arcade and hearing an '80s, pop rock-inspired theme blaring out from one of the tables. It beckons you over, saying, “You’ve got the power, you’ve got the might! Get ready for battle, beat the Black Knight!” Such are the first impressions of the Black Knight 2000 pinball table.
The Black Knight 2000 table is a very difficult table to play. It includes a double-decker design, with a wide open lower area that requires quick reflexes to prevent the ball going past the flippers. Many of the high-scoring maneuvers require a precise shot from the lower level to the upper level in a very short timeframe-all the while listening to the table simultaneously cheer you on and taunt you.
This arrangement scales up the synthesizers, drums, and three-part vocals of the original tracks for full orchestra and choir. It presents as a medley the themes played while the table is idle and during gameplay, including: the main theme, Lightning Wheel, Double Knight’s Challenge, R-A-N-S-O-M, Hurry Up! mode, Multiball, a recapitulation of the main theme, and Jackpot. While a full orchestra is a much bigger ensemble than the few synthesizers and drums heard at the table, this arrangement preserves the signature themes as much as possible. You can also hear instrumental versions of the sound effects from the game throughout the piece.
Video Editor: David Werner
Audio Recording and Editing: Josh Haas, Jimyo Lin
A special thank you to the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center for recording the concert video
#videogamemusic #pinball