Special - Genshin Impact: When gaming, music and a good cause come together

Since last year, Genshin Impact has been inviting people to benefit concerts all over the world under the motto “Diversity in Harmony”. This week it was the Philharmonic Orchestra of the University of Vienna and I was invited to Vienna to see the project for myself.

Since 2023, developer miHoYo and its international publisher HoYoverse have been running a charity project of a slightly different kind. With “Impact4Music”, orchestras all over the world can request the sheet music for the original music from the game free of charge and are also financially supported when it comes to performance opportunities. The only requirement is that all proceeds from the entrance fees go to charitable organizations.

So far, ten such symphony concerts have been held in this way in America and Australia, but also in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was the second event for the Philharmonic Orchestra of the University of Vienna with the music from Genshin Impact and last year's visitors seem to have liked it, as the large hall of the Musikverein Wien was sold out to the last seat.

Teyvat is for everyone!

The audience was certainly unusual for the venerable house. In addition to the expected nerds, Genshin fans and cosplayers, there were also a number of non-gamers on site. The two people sitting next to me (over 70) had at least never heard of Genshin Impact before and were simply there because of the orchestra. And even after a detailed explanation from me, it is unlikely that the two of them will venture on a trip to Teyvat any time soon. But they still liked it.

The particular challenge of Genshin Impact's music lies in the numerous, sometimes extremely exotic, guest instruments that make up the soundtrack. At least I didn't know beforehand where the bow belongs on the erhu or why, as a glass harmonica player, you should always have a towel with you (according to Douglas Adams, the most important item you can carry with you anyway).
To understand why instruments from all corners of the world are so closely linked to a Chinese fantasy action role-playing game, I have to go back a little.

Teyvat, the world in which Genshin Impact takes place, consists of seven large realms, which the traveler (i.e. you) must visit one after the other in order to secure the blessing of the respective archon (a type of deity). When Genshin was released four years ago, only Mondstadt was available for exploration, but now all regions except for Snezhnaya (pronounced “Snezhnaya”) are accessible. When a new area is added, it is best compared to a new add-on in comparable games in terms of scale and relevance.

Exemplary Gensh-in-international

Each of these countries draws inspiration for its culture and geographical characteristics from a region of the real world. Mondstadt is loosely based on the European or primarily German Middle Ages, Liyue on Chinese culture and Inazuma on Japan. Sumeru has both Indian borrowings and influences from Middle Eastern countries.

Italy and France as models for Fontaine ensure that all characters from this country have unpronounceable names that are supposed to sound French to Chinese ears. (Or can anyone tell me how to pronounce “Wriothesley”?) Natlan, the last region added, is based on Latin American and African cultures. Snezhnaya's visit will take a while to come, but we can be curious to see how Russia will implement it. Especially since Snezhnaya is where Genshin's big villains come from. However, any parallels to the real world are certainly purely coincidental.

In order to always adapt Genshin's orchestral soundtrack to the culture, the musicians from HOYO-MiX, developer miHoYo's in-house ensemble, use instruments from the respective areas. The soundtrack offers a colorful mix of a wide variety of musical elements from all over the world, but also demands a lot from the orchestra.

If you now feel like listening to the music of Genshin Impact live with a large orchestra, then you have to be quick. There are currently a few remaining tickets for the upcoming concert in Dortmund. On November 25th This time the Dortmund University Orchestra and the University Choir of the TU Dortmund are devoting themselves to the music from Genshin in the Dortmund Concert Hall. AtTicket prices from 14 eurosand the visit is definitely worth it for a good cause.