

It’s difficult to imagine a more transportive introduction to a TV series than Ramin Djawadi’s monumental theme for HBO’s “Game of Thrones.’’ So when three years ago, mid-conversation with showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the Berklee College of Music grad hit upon the idea of staging a concert to perform music from the feverishly watched fantasy drama, the question became not whether it could be done but rather whether it could be done on such a scale as to suit such a memorably majestic score.
“We realized that we wanted to do something that had never been done before,’’ says Djawadi, 42, by phone, of the early planning stages for what would evolve into the “Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience,’’ a massive production that comes to Boston’s TD Garden on March 6.
“We decided to create an immersive experience, and to create a contemporary show that’s focused on the music but still takes it up a notch from just seeing an orchestra play music from your favorite TV show.’’
During the tour, which will hit arenas in 24 US cities, the composer conducts an 80-piece orchestra, a choir, and a troupe of solo musicians all performing atop a 360-degree multipart stage as specially designed 3-D sets rise from below and 807 linear feet of video wall shift around them to evoke elements of the TV series, from a crimson weirwood tree to the looming Castle Black. When a dragon appears onstage, pyrotechnics explode from the sides of the screens; as winter finally dawns on Westeros, a snowstorm engulfs the orchestra. It may be the closest audiences ever get to feeling like part of the show’s fantastical setting.
“There’s a lot of eye candy,’’ Djawadi says, chuckling. He’s particularly excited for audiences to see “Light of the Seven,’’ a Season 6 composition that will feature Djawadi himself on piano.
Just days before setting out on the road, conductor’s baton at the ready, the composer discussed the tour’s immense scale and what “Game of Thrones’’ fans can expect from the performance.
Q. You’ve been planning this show for three years. How does it feel to be on the verge of taking it across the country?
A. I’m super excited. We’re in the middle of rehearsals, the music’s sounding fantastic, and the stage looks amazing. It’s just unbelievable to see that stage in front of me right now after having looked at it in the concept art for so long. It looks fantastic. I’m especially excited about coming to Boston, because I haven’t been there since I moved away . . . I went to Berklee College of Music, and I lived there from 1995 to 1999. It’s one of my favorite cities, so I can’t wait to come back.
Q. I’m imagining that anchoring a “live concert experience’’ like this was never part of your plan as a composer?
A. Of course, I would never have imagined we could do something like this. Obviously, I'm used to working in the studio all the time. I write by myself all the time and work with orchestras in a recording setting, but not that much in a live setting. I’ve done a couple of these concerts, but never on a scale like this, with a specially designed stage that has this amazing “Game of Thrones’’ story behind it. Getting to do this is absolutely spectacular.
Q. How do you condense something as extensive as your work for “Game of Thrones,’’ which has been part of the show since its premiere, into one evening?
A. It was really difficult — more than I thought it would be — to put the setlist together, because when I started collecting music, I had way too much to choose from. I mean, we have six seasons to choose from, so I could have easily done a six-hour concert. There’s so much music. I had to take a step back and figure out how to shape it. I had to be like, “Let’s have an action piece. Here’s an emotional piece. And what are the important scenes people will want to see? How do we create a nice story arc?’’ It’s pretty much impossible in 90 minutes to summarize a six-season show. With our montages, we found a nice balance between the different characters and story lines.
Q. “Game of Thrones’’ is renowned for juggling so many different locations, characters, and story lines. Is it difficult to make sure all the major players are represented during the concert?
A. Yes, but that’s what’s been so great about the show. There are so many different characters I was able to write different themes for, they’re in different locations, and they’re all very different — and so I had a lot of play room thematically and instrumentation-wise to give them different sounds and different tones. North of the Wall, we have this icy sound; the Starks and Lannisters have solo violins and solo cellists; and Daenerys has a more ethnic sound. I’ve been really enjoying being creative with this diverse instrumentation, and performing this live means people will get to see some of the instruments I’m using. For example, for [a segment called] the Wildling attack, we have an instrument like a horn that’s 12 feet long. I think people will be excited to see it and learn what it sounds like.
Q. Is there any element of the concert experience that particularly excites you?
A. I’ve created new pieces of music that we don’t know from the soundtracks . . . It should be really exciting. I’m traveling with a core of solo musicians, and I’m picking up a new orchestra and choir in each city. I think it’s going to be very exciting, and I’m excited I’ll be there myself to conduct the orchestra. There are a couple of pieces where I’ll be playing an instrument myself, and I’m excited about that too.
Isaac Feldberg can be reached by e-mail at isaac.feldberg@globe.com, or on Twitter at @i_feldberg.