The fantastic concert featuring Journey, Legend of Zelda, StarFox, Unlimited SaGa, Final Fantasy and Turrican II among others will be streaming live today worldwide on WDR4 radio. The concert took place last week Friday, and was another smash-hit sell out from Thomas Böcker, producer of Symphonic Fantasies and many other acclaimed concerts.
Be sure to tune in at WDR4 website at 2:05pm EST, and let us know what you think of the show afterwards!
The journey of Merregnon Studios is a tale of incredible fantasies, great odysseys, and shades of perfection. For Thomas Böcker and his productions, the 10 years that passed us by has not only been a story of fulfilling his own dreams, but also fulfilling the dreams of thousands of fans worldwide, all who come in order to experience an excitement that can never truly be felt through a screen or recording, the greatest live video game music productions of all time. And in 2013, comes the concluding act in the adventure that has been the Symphonic series, Final Symphony.
Celebrating Böcker’s 10 years of producing concerts, Final Symphony will feature music from Final Fantasy VI, VII and X, arranged and orchestrated by the team of Jonne Valtonen, Roger Wanamo and special guest Masashi Hamauzu. The concerts take place May 11, 2013 at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM at the Stadthalle Wuppertal, Germany and will be performed by the 80 piece Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal, conducted by Eckehard Stier from Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo fame, and also feature Benyamin Nuss. The ceremony will be hosted will be Winfried Fechner, former director of the WDR. Hamauzu will also be in attendance along with the rest of the team and take part in the free Meet and Greet session prior to the concert, allowing the fans to meet the industry legend in person.
Tickets will go on sale on August 24th at WestTicket.de, and be priced at €22 ($27). The concert is officially produced in cooperation with Square Enix and Nobuo Uematsu. Check out more info at ffsymphony.com as it becomes available.
3 years ago, I sat anxiously waiting for the orchestra to appear from the sidelines. With a curious gaze towards the stage and the many surrounding me, the shared excitement was palpable, and whispers echoed in the Philharmonic Hall as the seated audience prepared to experience game music evolved. I was at Symphonic Fantasies in the Cologne Philharmonic Hall on September 12th, 2009, and on that night, with tears in my eyes, I experienced what is the greatest video game music symphony ever produced.
Since that day, many shows have come and gone, many concerts have been set up around the world, but the impact that Symphonic Fantasies had on the industry is undeniable; it changed the playing field entirely. Audiences wanted more, deeper arrangements, pure production designs, greater stories. Simple medleys did no longer suffice; Symphonic Fantasies proved that game music, like any music, can become something much greater by understanding its message, its intentions, its soul. But even with a subsequent CD release, the demand was high from the eager fans to experience the concert for themselves. It was therefore that Thomas Böcker took his production and team to Japan at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, and returned home to the birthplace of the orchestral game music concert and the Square Enix video games, to show that the concept had evolved, and the music which so many hold dear, has grown up to become something much larger. The result was 2 sold out shows in Japan, heralded in the press and by its peers as a true achievement not easily matched. It was due to this success, that the decision was made to once again provide fans around the world the opportunity to hear Symphonic Fantasies in the form of an album release.
But is it worth the purchase a second time around? Find out after the jump! (more…)
In 2009, the most beautiful video game symphony was performed in the cultural meeting place of Germany, Cologne. Fans from all over the world rushed to the Cologne Philharmonic Hall in excitement and anticipation of what was touted as the very best orchestrated video game concert of all time, based on the timeless works over the years by Square Enix, showcasing their greatest titles throughout their history in suites of unparalleled beauty and splendor. On September 12th, 2009, the day finally arrived when the world experienced Symphonic Fantasies, the greatest video game symphony of all time.
The legacy that Symphonic Fantasies left behind shook the industry by its core. No longer was the idea of video game music performed by an orchestra enough, the concept evolved and the emotions, the stories and the essence of each game was emphasized to bring the true nature of the game’s soul and heart out for the listener to feel, embrace and cherish. It is now 3 years since the event took place in Cologne, bringing all corners of the world together in a philharmonic hall, and as the concept has kept on growing, so has Symphonic Fantasies in the memories of those who heard it, and the anticipation and demand increasing, with fans eager to experience for themselves what the sell out audience in Cologne spoke so much of after 2009. After the incredible success in Tokyo for their January shows, the team ventured to Stockholm, Sweden in order to showcase just exactly why so many fans from around the world have spoken of its magnificence.
Check out the report from event after the jump. (more…)
Since the summer of 2002, David Saulesco has climbed the ladder of success slowly but surely in his lifelong dream to work with video games and music. It was in that year that the then 16 year old composer was launched to indy fame and recognition with Derek Yu’s freeware masterpiece Eternal Daughter. Since then the young man has thrown himself into nearly all ends of both the music and video game industry, producing, arranging, contracting, he even rode on a horse once.
Now, Saulesco is returning to his proving grounds, and will be releasing the Eternal Daughter 10th Anniversary Original Soundtrack on May 1st. With so many projects behind him and in store in the near future, it seemed only natural to have a chat with the man and speak about his views on composing, video games, symphonic shows and everything in between. Saulesco is never short of his trademark charm, and is of no loss of words on any subject.
Click the jump to read our interview with David Saulesco (more…)
Symphonic Shades, Symphonic Fantasies, Symphonic Legends. Three concerts over the last three years that have become synonymous with progression, beauty, revolution and controversy in the world of videogame music live orchestra. Since the earlier days of the Leipzig Symphonic concerts, its been a constant mission for the European based production team to not only deliver the greatest performances from the orchestra at hand, but to truly portray the atmosphere and spirit of the source material and craft a story standing on its own two legs. It’s led to masterpieces such as Jonne Valtonen’s grand epic “Symphonic Poem” and Roger Wanamo’s layered “Chrono Trigger/Cross,” and also controversial underdogs like “Suite Samus Aran – Galactic Warrior.” The team pushes the envelope to truly explore the true essence of every piece and strives to prove that there are more to them than just instant nostalgic rushes and cheap laughs, gaining the respect of composers and audiences around the world.
July 9th marked the fourth installment of the Symphonic series, a revisit of the mind of Nobuo Uematsu. This time, we were invited to journey through the career of the most famous videogame composer of all time, and hear the all new interpretations of some of his most famous works, along with some lesser known yet incredible work from the vast library of Uematsu. The composer himself was also in attendance to show his gratitude to the orchestra and the audience.
Was the fourth installment able to once again amaze and push forward? Find out after the jump. (more…)
Hot off the heels of the great LEGENDS event, on Saturday this week the WDR Rundfunkorchester Cologne once again invites video game music fans into the warmth of the Cologne Philharmonic Hall for the latest installment of the Symphonic series, Symphonic Odysseys. This event is a tribute to one of the greatest video game composers of all time, the mustachioed maestro Nobuo Uematsu. The concert promises to be a trip through the many of his illustrious works over the decades, such as Final Fantasy, Sa·Ga (Final Fantasy Legends) and King’s Knight just to name a few.
In addition to this, Uematsu will grace the concert with his attendance to hear the WDR, Benyamin Nuss and the arrangements of Jonne Valtonen and Roger Wanamo along with 4000 of his most devoted fans. Uematsu has also composed the fanfare exclusively for the concert, making the concert the definite tribute event for his fans in Cologne and traveling from all over the world.
The concert is now sold out, but expect a full report next week as OSV will be in attendance for what is shaping up the be a musical and emotional odyssey unlike any before it. There will also be a stream for listeners at home, with that information being available on the WDR website on July 9th.
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