Symphonic Fantasies

Game Music

Fantastic Achievements: Symphonic Fantasies Review

September 15, 2010 | Audun Sorlie | 11 Comments Share this

Hard to believe it’s been a year already. On September 12th, 2009, I was one of the lucky people who had the chance to attend Symphonic Fantasies, a symphonic tribute to Square Enix. With a set list featuring Kingdom Hearts, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross, and of course Final Fantasy combined with the presence of the original composers, it was sure to be a memorable night for game music fans, and indeed it was as I detailed in my report. Like Symphonic Shades before it, Symphonic Fantasies was finally scheduled to have a CD release, and the pressure was on for producer Thomas Böcker and his staff to achieve the same amazing production qualities as the Symphonic Shades CD offered.

Today, the day has come for fans to finally hear the results of the hard labor of the WDR team. Does the album offer equally amazing sounds and emotions through your stereo system? Click the jump to find out. (more…)
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More WDR News! Symphonic Legends To Have Live Audio/Video Stream

July 15, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 3 Comments Share this

News was broken quite recently about the Symphonic Fantasies CD: the tracklist, the cover art, the release date. All good stuff.

Only days later, we have more news from the folks at the WDR Orchestra in Cologne, Germany.

Word is that the “Symphonic Legends” concert, which will feature music from a variety of Nintendo franchise titles — from Mario and Zelda to Pikmin and Metroid — will be streamed live via WDR’s official website. This is, of course, just as they did it for Symphonic Fantasies last go-around. It’s certainly a nice addition for folks who cannot get out to Germany.

People with excellent Internet connections can do the full audio/video stream. Those whose connections can only withstand so much can do an audio-only stream.

The concert itself will take place on a Thursday evening: September 23, 2010. If you can’t buy tickets, be sure to check out the live stream. It’s sure to be a worthwhile listen/watch!
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Symphonic Fantasies CD Is Just Around The Corner!

July 13, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 10 Comments Share this

This is seriously one of my most anticipated releases of 2010. After watching the live Internet stream of Symphonic Fantasies in my underwear from the comfort of my own home, I’ve been looking forward to a CD release, and it’s coming in September. For those who don’t recall what the show was all about, you can refresh your memory with Audun’s extensive report, but to summarize, it features entire suites of music from Kingdom Hearts, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy.

So, down to the details.

While it’s currently available for pre-order directly from the WDR website for those in Germany and around Europe for 19.95 EUR plus shipping and handling, it will release on September 24, 2010 in those regions with an international release to follow via Amazon. Those who pre-order get a little bonus in that they have the opportunity to win copies signed by Shimomura, Kikuta, Mitsuda, and Uematsu, all of whom were involved with the album by giving their approval of the final mixes. This album is a big deal in that it’s published by Universal Music, and it’s set to feature the Symphonic Fantasies “Fanfare” written by arranger and orchestrator Jonne Valtonen with suites for the titles mentioned above. Unfortunately the boss battle medley that acted as the performance’s encore is not on the album, but it will be available digitally (the disc is 73 minutes long without it). It will also come with a 16-page booklet, and I really love the official cover art pictured above (it certainly beats the bland logo they were using for the performance itself).

What do you think? Are you looking forward to getting your hands on this album?
Game Music

Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu: New Arrangement Album Announced!

May 24, 2010 | Audun Sorlie | 3 Comments Share this

“Who is this man and why is he doing Uematsu?” you might be saying right now. This handsome young fellow is Benyamin Nuss, the piano maestro who performed on the Symphonic Shades album and was also part of the Symphonic Fantasies lineup last year where he performed Kingdom Hearts live with an orchestra. His skills and musical precision vowed the crowd to roaring applause, even Shimomura herself came over and proclaimed that his hands are made of “magic”.

He’s today signed with Universal Music to release a new arrangement album all based on the different works of Uematsu. The album will include works across his whole career with a mix of old and new, from Famicom to XBOX 360. To promote this album, Nuss will also be engaging on a tour through Germany to perform the CD live.

The CD is scheduled for release on 17th September.

[Via SEMO & Thomas Böcker]
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Next Legendary Entry: Symphonic Legends Ticket Sales Open

December 20, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 2 Comments Share this

For those of us who were lucky enough to attend Symphonic Shades and Symphonic Fantasies in the beautiful city of Cologne, we all agreed that as soon as we left the venue, we were already getting excited in an unhealthy manner for the announcement of the next concert in the series. The events are somewhat of a shining treasure in video game music-themed concerts, with great production values, exclusive arrangements and fan pleasing selections, leading to many industry firsts when it comes to featuring games in this kind of setting.

Yesterday, Thomas Böcker, the man behind the “Symphonic” series was pleased to announce that ticket sales open on December 19, 2009 for his new concert, Symphonic Legends. Tickets range from 6 EUR to 30 EUR depending on the seats. That translates into roughly $8 USD to $40 USD. It will take place on September 23, 2010 in the Philharmonic Hall in Cologne, which is an absolutely beautiful venue to say the least. Details on what will be featured are not known at this time, but I personally hope to see my friend Benyamin Nuss take the stage one more time, as he did a great job on Kingdom Hearts at Symphonic Fantasies.

You can get tickets at KölnTicket and look for upcoming announcements at Symphonic Legends.
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CONFIRMED: Thomas Böcker and WDR Orchestra to Hold New Symphonic Concert in 2010

September 25, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 3 Comments Share this

It’s only been a week since the wonderful Sypmhonic Fantasies event and we already have wonderful news to share! On September 24th, 2010, Thomas Böcker and Winfried Fechner, head of the WDR Radio Orchestra, will promote a new symphonic game concert.

“We will continue!” Fechner states at the Symphonic Fantasies website, and also tells us that the feedback from the previous concerts have been overwhelming. Quite deservingly so, I might add.

While no theme for the new concert has been revealed yet, you can be sure that it will be a great show with guests and superb arrangements just like Symphonic Shades and Fantasies delivered.

Ticket prices and other details will be revealed over the coming months. Now, let us cross our fingers for a CD announcement as well!
Game Music

Feels Like A Dream: Symphonic Fantasies Report

September 17, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 9 Comments Share this

Cologne is quickly turning into the western Mecca of game music events. Over the last few years, events such as Leipzig Symphonic Game Music Concert, Symphonic Shades and now Symphonic Fantasies have centered game music fans’ attention on the old German city.

Symphonic Fantasies is the second event in Thomas Böcker’s Symphonic series, with the first being last year’s amazing Symphonic Shades. Similar to Shades, which was a tribute to the work of Chris Hülsbeck, Fantasies is a tribute to the music of some of Square Enix’s most well known franchises. While the Leipzig events were under the Symphonic banner, starting with Shades it started to have a more themed setting. With Shades being one of the best live events I have experienced, expectations for Fantasies was sky high, and the global attention to the event was unlike any concert before it.

So, did it live up to the expectations? Keep on reading to find out! (more…)