Genshin Impact’s music has become so powerful that even the UN is listening

A charity concert in Vienna proves how much our silly little hobby can achieve

HoYoverse

I’ve always found the notion of music being this universal language that can overcome barriers a little bit cliché, but after attending the most unique concert of my life in Vienna, Austria, I’m beginning to understand the power of music a little better. On the face of it, the event taking place on November 11, 2024, in the iconic Great Hall of the Musikverein was business as usual for such a hallowed concert hall. Built in 1870 and renowned for its acoustics, the place sees ambassadors and other important figures on a weekly basis.

Those taking a closer look at the crowd gathering at the entrance that evening may have spotted some differences, though. Among the usual audience of distinguished music connoisseurs clad in elegant evening outfits were younger people wearing colorful hairpieces and costumes – and not because it was coincidentally the traditional beginning of Carnival season in the region.

No, Vienna’s music lovers, several foreign ambassadors to the country of Austria, the leadership of the University of Vienna, and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna all shared this richly decorated concert hall with a bunch of video game fans to listen not to Beethoven or Mozart, but to Dimeng Yuan and Yu-peng Chen and their compositions for the soundtrack of Genshin Impact. Performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the University of Vienna under its conductor Vijay Upadhyaya, it was the music from a video game that made this strangely composed crowd rub shoulders with each other in the grand lobby of the building.

Sharing some drinks and snacks with a group of invited journalists in the same room as all the excellencies, I joked that the entire event was probably just a front for HoYoverse to hold secret negotiations with the UN about its nuclear fission reactor – it would have been entirely fitting for Europe’s espionage capital and in my mind made more sense than everyone being here for the music. But that was me underestimating the power of harmonies and instruments.

Speaking of HoYoverse, the developer and, ultimately, reason for this entire event wouldn’t have been mentioned once for the entire evening, had not the conductor thanked the company at one point – but it seemed like everyone was more than happy to keep it on the down-low. Aside from the magnificent performance, the stars of the evening were Genshin4Good and Impact4Music – HoYoverse’s charity initiatives that powered the event and attracted the politicians like fireflies to a flame.

All proceeds from the night went to four charitable projects that are worth introducing: 

1. The UNODC Youth Initiative, which aims to prevent drug abuse among young people worldwide.
2. Superar, an organization providing free musical education to children and teenagers irrespective of social or economic status.
3. YourSmile, a project working on ways to use music to assist children and teenagers, who’ve been hospitalized for a long time, to overcome their feelings of isolation and interact with others.
4. Cool Earth, a project working with indigenous communities to protect the vital rainforests that they call home and that are our planet’s most crucial oxygen producers.

You can see why Ghada Fathi Waly, who heads UNODC alongside the Vienna office, made the time to show up. She used a clever rhetorical device during her speech that stuck with me: She added a sentence in her native language and told us that it’s alright if we didn't understand it – after all, we could all enjoy the music regardless of our backgrounds.

Ghada Fathi Waly leads the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime as well as the Vienna Office. / HoYoverse

It’s that cliché I mentioned at the beginning of this article, but in combination with a curious occurrence from the break, it really drove home the point for me. Walking back to the room with refreshments during the pause, one of the excellencies spotted my press badge and asked me what Genshin Impact was, so I gave a short breakdown of the premise and why the music was so diverse. Shortly after, I heard him excitedly relay the information to his colleagues as they were enjoying their wine and taking pictures with cosplayers portraying Albedo and Lisa.

They hadn’t heard about Genshin Impact before that day, but they seemed to enjoy the music and genuinely wanted to know more about it – it was the charity aspect that drew them initially, but it was the power of Genshin Impact’s soundtrack that left an impression.

And how could it not? Vijay Upadhyaya had drilled his musicians in 30 hours of joint rehearsals for the occasion, fielding not only the staples of a philharmonic orchestra, but also the regional instruments from China, India, Iran, and all other corners of the world required to play Genshin’s diverse soundtrack. Together, they made the Great Hall’s floor vibrate during Rage Beneath the Mountains, giving us almost a physical taste of Azhdaha’s emotions in addition to an aural one.

Vijay Upadhyaya and his orchestra delivered a magical performance. / HoYoverse

They played a breathtaking rendition of Dance of Sabzeruz and threw us into the desert with Swirls of Shamshir, transporting us from one scene to another with nothing but melodies – I wonder what pictures the people in the audience had in their minds when hearing them, since my thoughts automatically went to the landscapes, stories, and bosses associated with each piece. What did they see and feel? It must have been something, because everyone was very clearly captivated.

What really stole the show, though, was basically the concert’s Red Wedding moment – instead of assassins, the balconies above the guests filled up with a large choir, which didn’t rain down crossbow bolts, but the most divine melodies human vocal cords are capable of producing.

• Read more: Behind the curtain of Genshin Impact’s charity concert with Vijay Upadhyaya

The choir lent its voice to Fontaine’s main theme and Rondeau des Fleures et des Rapieres, the region’s battle theme, but that was only the appetizer, because the highlight of the show ahead of the break was music from Natlan, Genshin Impact’s newest region.

If you’ve never heard Natlan’s main theme, it’s basically a national anthem sung in Swahili and its use in the game itself is an absolute tearjerker. Now imagine a massive choir – I didn’t count, but it felt like at least a hundred people – chanting this war hymn at you with the perfect acoustics of that concert hall. I wanted to jump to my feet and sing along to help revive the fallen heroes, but remembering my manners I instead sat there with a most satisfied grin on my face and a tear in the corner of my eye. The excellent Anthem of the Savannah followed way too quickly – I really could have listened to the Ode of Resurrection for the entire rest of the night. Even the people who’d never heard of Genshin two hours before or didn’t know Swahili and had never checked out the translated lyrics were buzzing – you can bet that those songs transcended language.

The choir went all out for the second half with the more traditional vocals for pieces like Wrath of Monoceros Caeli and Saltatio Favillae as well. We even got the enchanting song used during the Winter Night’s Lazzo trailer from before Sumeru’s release. And it was over all too quickly, done in a flash.

Vienna’s music lovers, several foreign ambassadors to the country of Austria, the leadership of the University of Vienna, and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna all went home that night with a smile on their faces, having enjoyed a supreme performance as well as knowing that they’d contributed to some good causes – and it’s all thanks to this silly, little video game we love playing.