Concert

Game Music, Japanese

Square-Enix to Release Seiken Densetsu 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert CD

January 3, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Square-Enix to Release Seiken Densetsu 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert CD Share this

Last year saw a fantastic performance honoring the 25 anniversary of the Seiken Densetsu series of games. The Seiken Densetsu 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert was held in Tokyo on March 24th, 2017 sponsored by Square-Enix, and now after several months, the concert will be released in physical format.

The Seiken Densetsu series, also known as the Mana series of games, features several games that started with Final Fantasy Adventure, continued with the wildly popular Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3, and continued through several games, including a remake of Secret of Mana later this year. The Seiken Densetsu 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert features performances of 12 songs from five of the games in the series.

Part 1

1. Rising Sun
(Composition: Kenji Ito / Arrangement: Kosuke Yamashita)

2. “Endless Battlefield” ~ “The Boy Heads for the Wilderness” ~ “Swivel” (Medley)
(Composition: Kenji Ito, Hiroki Kikuta / Arrangement: Naoya Iwaki)

3. “Legend of Mana ~Title Theme~” ~ “Earth Painting” (Medley)
(Composition: Yoko Shimomura / Arrangement: Natsumi Kameoka)

4. “Mana’s Tale” ~ “Crisis” (Medley)
(Composition: Kenji Ito, Hiroki Kikuta / Arrangement: Sachiko Miyano)

Part 2

5. “Angel’s Fear” ~ “Meridian Child” (Medley)
(Composition: Hiroki Kikuta / Arrangement: Naoya Iwaki)

6. City of Flickering Destruction
(Composition: Yoko Shimomura / Arrangement: Natsumi Kameoka)

7. “In Sorrow” ~ “Let Your Thoughts Ride On Knowledge” (Medley)
(Composition: Kenji Ito/ Arrangement: Naoya Iwaki)

Part 3

8. “Pain the Universe” ~ “Black Soup” (Medley)
(Composition: Yoko Shimomura, Hiroki Kikuta / Arrangement: Sachiko Miyano)

9. “The Fool’s Dance” ~ “The Final Decisive Battle” (Medley)
(Composition: Kenji Ito / Arrangement: Kosuke Yamashita)

10. Meridian Festival
(Composition: Hiroki Kikuta / Arrangement: Kosuke Yamashita)

Encore

11. “Hometown Domina” ~ “Places of Soul” ~ “Hometown Domina” (Medley)
(Composition: Yoko Shimomura / Arrangement: Natsumi Kameoka)

12. Hightension Wire
(Composition: Hiroki Kikuta / Arrangement: Sachiko Miyano)

Square-Enix and Music 4 Gamer are now bringing the concert recordings to physical format with a CD release, to be released January 24th. The CD is currently available for pre-order through Play-Asia and Amazon Japan, as well as through the Square-Enix store.
Experimental, Featured, Game Music, Japanese

Hands on with the Final Fantasy XV Moonlit Melodies App

December 5, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Hands on with the Final Fantasy XV Moonlit Melodies App Share this

Here’s a real oddity of our modern digital times: Square Enix has released a free app on PlayStation 4 in Japan that includes a live performance of the Piano Collections – Final Fantasy XV: Moonlit Melodies album, but it’s only fully functional for PlayStation Plus subscribers, and it will disappear after March 1st, 2018.

This is much more elaborate than the other soundtrack apps that have been released on the PlayStation Store so far. The 3gb download opens with a 3D interface, an original theme song, and a “daily login” unlock system. Basically, each day you load it up a sample of another song is unlocked for non-PlayStation Plus subscribers. If you are a subscriber the entire concert is available immediately and on the final day you’ll unlock a PlayStation 4 Home Screen theme. A small gift for your patience.

The Moonlit Melodies album was released in February but the live performance on this app comes from a concert held in Osaka on June 2nd that was produced by the game’s composer, Yoko Shimomura. I was expecting the songs to be accompanied by a simple slideshow of screenshots but you actually get direct video from the concert. It’s a well edited, multi-angle production with subtle lighting and projection effects that runs for about 40 minutes. Another bonus is an exclusive interview with Shimomura where she talks about choosing the venue, her love of the piano, the importance of concert settings, and more. Bonus bonus, it has English subtitles!

But once again, the whole thing will become inaccessible on March 1st, 2018, presumably leading up to a longer Blu-ray release of the full performance. Since it’s such an ethereal experience — Japan only, digital only, and soon to be shut down — I thought I’d record a video to show it off to those that don’t have the time or means to access it. You can check it out above or on OSV’s rejuvenated YouTube channel.

FYI: If you want to try it out for yourself you’ll first need a Japanese PlayStation Network account. Once you’ve got that set up you can download the app via this link. I can confirm, if you subscribe to PlayStation Plus on your main account and load up the app you’ll have instant access to the full concert and interview video. There’s no need to sign up for PS+ in Japanese. Convenient!
Events, Game Music

All Your Bass, Game Music Festival Debuts in England in 2018

November 20, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on All Your Bass, Game Music Festival Debuts in England in 2018 Share this

The National Videogame Arcade in Nottingham, England has announced the debut dates and details for its new game music and audio festival All Your Bass. Taking place January 19th and 20th, 2018, All Your Bass will bring performances, talks, and more to The National Videogame Arcade and the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham.

Masaya Matsuura will be on hand to talk about his pioneering work in the “rhythm action” genre that brought us PaRappa the Rapper, Um Jammer Lammy, and more. The National Videogame Arcade will also be presenting the unique soundtrack for its building which was commissioned by Matsuura. On more hometown turf, legendary British game music composer, Rob Hubbard, will present a “director’s commentary”, a behind-the-scenes discussion of his musical influences and the technology he used through the heyday of the UK’s classic computer game era.

The announced performances will bring unique experiences to the concert hall setting. Friday evening closes with a special edition of the recently announced Dear Esther Live tour. The Liverpool Philharmonic and Thomas McMullen will be joined by Dear Esther composer Jessica Curry to perform, play, and narrate the experience followed by a post-show discussion with Curry.

Later in the weekend, classical music composer Maria Kallionpää and the University of Nottingham’s Mixed Reality Lab will present ‘Climb!’. A virtuoso piece composed for ‘Live Pianist, Disklavier and Interactive System’, tests the skills of the performer with the interactive system mimicking an invisible chamber music partner. This “partner” presents the challenge by jumping to different points in the score, keeping the performer and audience on their toes.

Check out the NVA’s site for updated ticket and event info or use our handy new Events Calendar to keep tabs on All Your Bass and other game music performances.
Events, Game Music, Japanese

Disney invites Concert Attendees to play along on 2018 Japan Tour

November 15, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Disney invites Concert Attendees to play along on 2018 Japan Tour Share this

Ever fancy taking to the stage at an orchestral game music concert to play your own instrument alongside the performers? That’s almost exactly the plan for the Brass Band Disney tour that will be performing across Japan between January and March of 2018.

At each of the ten scheduled shows the Siena Wind Orchestra, who you may know from their BRA★BRA Final Fantasy series, will play a selection of songs from Disney’s animated films, Star Wars, and Pirates of the Caribbean. For the finale, everyone in attendance is welcomed to join the stage or even play from the aisles for one of the most raucous performances these concert halls have ever held.

The communal composition isn’t a Disney standard like the “Mickey Mouse Club March” though, it’s the main theme from one of their most popular new properties, the mobile game Disney Tsum Tsum. Those planning to perform can grab the sheet music to practice and listen to a few baseball “cheer song” renditions of the theme from Disney’s site. Don’t worry if you can’t play an instrument, clapping and whistling are encouraged as well.

It’s a wild (and trusting) concept, having fans play alongside the orchestra, and I hope at least a glimpse of it gets out to YouTube once the tour starts. In the meantime, what game music do you think would benefit from a communal performance, umm, if any? Let us know in the comments.
Events, Game Music

The Symphony of Heroes Concert for the HoM&M series to be Played Live in Poland This Fall

May 25, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on The Symphony of Heroes Concert for the HoM&M series to be Played Live in Poland This Fall Share this

Heroes of Might and Magic, the ever-popular strategy game franchise, will be receiving it’s own live concert at The Witold Lutosławski National Forum of Music in Wroclaw, Poland on October 27th and performed by the National Forum of Music choir and orchestra.

The Symphony of Heroes is organized by the team of gamemusic.pl, a European game music group dedicated to covering video game music for the past decade.

Each suite will be performed in a fully acoustic version, without amplifiers or microphones. This will be a delightful evening not only for video game aficionados, but also for all connoisseurs of illustrative music. After the main concert, attendees will get the chance to participate in a live piano recital by the composer – Paul Anthony Romero will be present during the event. The recital will also be a meet & greet session with him. – Press Release

The first suite includes music from Heroes of Might and Magic II, the second suite contains fragments of the Heroes III soundtrack, and the last suite comprises of songs heard in Heroes IV, all scored by Polish composer Jan Sanejko.

Video courtesy of CaseofGlassYou can learn more about the event and purchase tickets on The Symphony of Heroes event page. Special tickets can also be purchased to gain access to the private piano recital by composer Paul Anthony Romero after the main concert.
Events, Game Music, Japanese

The Video Game Orchestra, Live In Tokyo, To Be Their Biggest Show Yet

February 24, 2017 | Patrick Gann | 2 Comments Share this

The Video Game Orchestra (or simply “The VGO” to the hip kids who follow their work) have taken their show on the road before … but never like this. Fans of the Boston-based orchestra, led by Shota Nakama, can start their drooling now: on March 25th, The VGO will be putting on a concert in Tokyo. The show is being promoted by Pony Canyon — which, if you didn’t know, is “big deal” territory, they are Japan’s equivalent of “Live Nation,” save that Pony Canyon has existed as publisher and promoter of entertainment products for far longer.

The 3/25 show will have music from almost all the major game publishers, including Konami, Namco Bandai, Square Enix, Sega, and more. We don’t know the full list of games yet, but here’s what we have so far:

CASTLEVANIA (series)
CYTUS
D4: DARK DREAMS DON’T DIE
DEEMO
FINAL FANTASY XV
GOD EATER 2: RAGE BURST
METAL GEAR SOLID (series)
SILENT HILL 2
SONIC (series)
TALES OF ZESTIRIA

On a personal/editorial note, I must urge the reader to consider the long-term value of this concert. To have a project with this many Japanese publishers sign on for a third-party entity (The VGO) to perform their work, in Japan, is a big deal. I have always advocated for collaboration among the game music artists and those who represent them, and whenever it happens, I can’t help but celebrate. This concert represents a big reason to celebrate.

Unfortunately, it isn’t something that I can celebrate … not in person. I won’t be able to attend the Tokyo show. But hey, maybe you can! The details for the show are found here: vgo.jp — and, if you want to purchase tickets, the website to do so offers information and instructions for ticket purchase in Japanese, English and Chinese! You’ll find that here!

And if anyone among our reader-base makes plans to attend the show, please let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear about your thoughts after the event.
Game Music

Listen to The Last Guardian just about Anywhere

November 2, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Listen to The Last Guardian just about Anywhere Share this

Sony is ~~doubling~~ ~~tripling~~ quadrupling down on the audio experience when it comes to the highly anticipated and frequently delayed adventure game, The Last Guardian. The PlayStation Blog announced on Thursday that the game’s soundtrack — composed by Takeshi Furukawa, who you can get to know in this new trailer — will be available on vinyl, on iTunes and through exclusive PlayStation apps.

The vinyl release is being handled by iam8bit and the 2-LP album is available to pre-order now for $35 with shipping estimated to start in Q1 2017. The soundtrack will be released on iTunes “at a later date” but when the game launches on December 6th players will have two unique ways to engage with the music.

‘The Last Guardian Composer’s Choice PS4 Music App’ will be available as a separate download from the PlayStation Store and includes 17 tracks from the game in both stereo and surround formats with the ability to export MP3 files via USB. It’s unknown what else the app may offer — possibly a visual treatment or slideshow to accompany each song? — but it’s an interesting way to offer a soundtrack that could go above and beyond your average MP3 downloads. Finally, owners of PlayStation headsets will be able to turn on an exclusive mode through the rarely-talked-about Headset Companion App that tunes the game’s audio for “maximum immersion”.

For an even more authentic audio experience, fans can journey to Royce Hall in Los Angeles on February 12th, 2017 for a unique (and free) PlayStation performance. The American Youth Symphony will be performing music from The Last Guardian, The Order: 1886 and Journey in a National Endowment for the Arts sponsored concert.

Are you excited for The Last Guardian to finally be released? Ready to hear Furukawa’s take on Ueda’s latest adventure? Do you own a PlayStation headset and have you ever tried that Headset Companion App? What’s that like? Share your thoughts down here in the comments.