The Witcher in Concert kicked off in Manila over the weekend, and it’s safe to say that it was a transcendental experience. Are we exaggerating? Probably not. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came out swinging in 2015, and still has quite a bit of gamer clout to this day. Whether you’ve played the franchise once, twice, or not at all–but still delved deep into the lore concerning Geralt of Rivia, it’s most guaranteed you were hooked. Compelling characters and epic story aside, the music is one of the game’s most defining qualities. Thankfully, The Theatre at Solaire was packed and ready to accommodate.
The Filharmonika Orchestra, conducted by Paulina Porszke, managed to bring forth all the decade-old emotions–taking everyone on a 45-track journey across The Witcher’s colorful world. From White Orchard to Toussaint, it was absolute ear candy. Mikolaj Ryback and Katarzyna Bromirska from the Polish folk metal band Percival Schuttenbach shared their musical prowess–bringing the same energy they did in the game’s musical score.
It wasn’t your usual operatic performance, as everyone was free to cheer, make noise, or even sing (if they could) along to their favorite tracks.
The performance was broken down into ten chapters sans a sweet encore, basically walking you through the entire Witcher 3’s story. Alongside some sweet visual aids, it was one huge lore drop. This includes the two DLCs, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. It’s something both long-time fans and newcomers alike could appreciate. Even if you’ve only watched the Netflix series, you’ll still pick up a few easter eggs here and there.
Of course, Silver for Monsters made everyone go off the rails. You can’t blame us. It’s the only song that had “lyrics” we could follow.
The two-hour show flew by in a heartbeat–and the crowd wanted more. As such, everyone was treated to two more performances. Back-to-back, we got “A Night to Remember” from the Witcher 3 launch trailer in 2015, and music from the new Witcher 4 trailer featuring Ciri. There couldn’t have been a more poetic way to close out the show. What followed was a quick meet-and-greet and a mad dash to the merch store.
Check out some of the experiences shared by fans.
The show was in town for only one day of the weekend, which is unfortunate. But given how much love the fanbase has for the franchise, coupled with the upcoming launch of The Witcher 4, anything is possible. Either way, it was definitely a memorable experience that’s more or less pushing us to reload that save file from a third playthrough–and hopefully get the real, good ending this time.
Special thanks to Film Concerts PH for having us.