Summary

  • Down By The River is the heart of Baldur's Gate 3, crafted by composer Borislav Slavov with emotional resonance and versatility.
  • The main theme was a pivotal moment in the game's development, setting the tone and guiding the creative process for the soundtrack.
  • Slavov's emotional connection to music is evident in the story of how he hurried to capture the inspiration for the iconic main theme.

“I will never tire of telling the story of Down By The River,” Borislav Slavov says, days before he took the stage in London to celebrate Symphony Of The Realms, an event brought to life by the Game Music Festival as a way to encapsulate the wondrous musical landscape of Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3. As composer, Slavov was front and centre for the occasion.

I caught up with Slavov following his BAFTA win and ahead of the festival as we touched on his career, love of the medium, and how it feels to have crafted a soundtrack that will shortly go down in history. But at the centre of it all sits a main theme that has enraptured millions with its compelling lyrics and majestic composition. A song which is woven throughout the game, and all these months later, is an inseparable part of its very identity.

“I was walking down one of the channels in the city of Ghent, which is also where the main office of Larian is based and where my music studio is, or my audio dungeon as I like to call it,” Slavov explains. “I really enjoy having long walks down by the channels in the city during [projects] and I tend to think about what I need to do, or I recall moments from the story of the game. And that was the moment."

Borislav Slavov On The Creation Of Down By The River

“I was thinking about the lyrics, and all of a sudden this tune came to mind. And I remember how I was running towards the office because I didn’t want to waste this moment, or any of the emotion that was running through my heart back then. But obviously I couldn’t name it ‘Down By The Channel.’”

Slavov is right, that title doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Luckily for him, the lyrics were already largely written at the time of this epiphany, and so all he needed to do was combine this newfound inspiration with the foundations he had already constructed. It was now only a matter of time until Slavov would put all the pieces together and solidify this classic theme.

He adds: “It fell really nicely into place at the right moment, and the right time, with the right tune, and everything was so very easy from this point on, because the most important thing for the main theme is to be able to scale it to be developed in any given direction. I was so very happy to find Down By The River right at the start of development.”

During the orchestra at the Southbank Centre this past weekend, Down By The River was the centrepiece of the entire production. The orchestra would ebb and flow between the entire soundtrack, exploring specific moments and set pieces while always returning to the main theme, using it as both a safe refuge and a jumping off point to keep the audience in the palm of their hands. It was magical, and as the main theme reached a crescendo right towards the end of the first act, more than a few sniffles could be heard across the crowd.

Slavov expands on how Down By The River isn’t just a somber melody to be listened to as you potter across camp. It can also be perceived as a soaring ballad, a melancholic lament, or even a hopeful poem ushered out by a nearby bard. It can be presented in any manner the composer dictates, and that’s partially why it’s so memorable.

“The very first version was just the guitar and my voice,” Slovav says. “I rushed to the office and I grabbed my guitar, while it was still hot and exciting in my heart and my head. I played it, pressed the record button, and voila, weeks later I was presenting the musical direction.”

“When I tried to develop it in an epic way, it would work. When I tried to make it more holy, it was still impactful and really emotional. Even when I tried to turn it into a battle theme, it was still solid and powerful. And that was the moment I realised I could sigh with relief. Because sometimes it’s really difficult for us, the music composers, to find the main theme of a game.”

Slavov explains that the main theme is more than just a piece of music that audiences will come to associate with a certain experience. It also acts as a creative underpinning for much of the work that will follow in its stead. Thanks to its inception early on in production, it made developing it to accompany key narrative milestones much more effective. Down By The River has such a myriad permutations that it’s impossible for me to pick a favourite, and that impact certainly isn’t lost on those responsible for it.

“I consider myself very, very, very lucky that I had a chance to find Down By The River right at the very start,” Slavov admits. “It was, as a matter of fact, the very first piece of music I’ve composed for Baldur’s Gate 3.” He then tells me that the first time he performed the song it was with an acoustic guitar in front of a small group of Larian employees during an otherwise grounded music presentation.

“The very first version was just the guitar and my voice,” Slovav says. “I rushed to the office and I grabbed my guitar, while it was still hot and exciting in my heart and my head. I played it, pressed the record button, and voila, weeks later I was presenting the musical direction.”

I laughed and told Slavov that I pictured him running valiantly towards the office, like a scene out of a romantic comedy where the main character is trying to reunite with his lost love if he or she or they happened to be a living, breathing acoustic guitar. But I’m told this is precisely what happened, and hearing the authenticity in his voice, I can’t help but believe every word.

“I realised that if I don’t run, if I wait, I’m going to waste the moment,” Slavov says. “Because it’s not only music. A lot of my friends and colleagues tell me that they compose in different ways, but composing, for me, is an emotional state of mind. Whenever something happens that makes me emotional, there is the moment I can grab my guitar and express the way I feel, and that’s gonna be the first time I’m going to hear the tune that is a representation of my emotional state. I was running because I really wanted to keep the emotion alive until I had a guitar in my hands, because I knew it was going to give birth to something cool.”

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Baldur's Gate 3

RPG Systems 5.0/5 25 9.4/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 96/100 Critics Rec: 98% Released August 3, 2023 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Engine Divinity 4.0
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Baldur's Gate 3 is the long-awaited next chapter in the Dungeons & Dragons-based series of RPGs. Developed by Divinity creator Larian Studios, it puts you in the middle of a mind flayer invasion of Faerûn, over a century after the events of its predecessor.

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