inconsequential concourse

Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY

Just got back from watching the Seattle Symphony play Distant Worlds (conducted by Arnie Roth). It was pretty amazing - they did a really good job.

The program was as follows:

• Liberi Fatali (FFVIII)
• To Zanarkand (FFX)
• Don’t Be Afraid (FFVIII)
• Aerith’s Theme (FFVII)
• Medley 2002 (FF1-3)
• Dear Friends (FFV)
• Vamo’ alla Flamenco (FFIX)
• Love Grows (FFVIII)
• Ronfaure (FFXII)
• Main Theme (FF series)
• Opening - Bombing Mission (FFVII)
• Fisherman’s Horizon (FFVIII)
• Memoro de la Stono - Distant Worlds (FFXI)
• The Man With the Machine Gun (FFVIII)
• Swing de Chocobo (FF series)
• Opera - Maria and Draco (FFVI)
• Terra’s Theme (FFVI)
• One Winged Angel (FFVII)

They played One Winged Angel as a surprise - i.e. it wasn’t in the program. Nobuo Uematsu was at the show, and the official program finished with Terra’s Theme. Nobuo came up on stage from the audience (we knew he was there), and when he and Roth came back on stage (after we were all clapping to get them back out, of course), Roth announced Nobuo told him he wanted to sing for us - but not alone. Nobuo went back to join the choir, and Roth said “We’re going to play for you - well, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the name of the piece”, and launched into One Winged Angel.

The funny thing is, I was complaining to my friends that One Winged Angel wasn’t on the program - and I thought that Terra’s Theme wasn’t a great piece for an ending. If they hadn’t done One Winged Angel, which was obviously planned, it would have been much better to start with To Zanarkand and end with Liberi Fatali.

Overall the Symphony played very well, and acquitted themselves much better than they did with Play! A Video Game Symphony last year. I don’t know if that is because of Roth though. I felt the Opera was probably a bit uncessary, but.

Highlights of the evening:

• The video screen played the whole sequence from the game from FFVIII (most of the other pieces they just played montages from the game or games the piece was from), and the Symphony played the music to accompany the game for Don’t Be Afraid (the bit where you’re being chased by the giant robot spider)
• They did the same for the FMV for Liberi Fatali
• They did the same for at least part of Opening - Bombing Mission for FFVII, but the highlight there was me turning to my friend and exclaiming my disappointment that the person playing the game didn’t have Cloud search the body of the unconcious guard for the potion when he first jumps off the train (she cracked up laughing, and it also shows how big a geek I am)
• They played To Zanarkand, Swing de Chocobo and One Winged Angel - my favourite pieces of FF music (and I guess I’ll throw in Liberi Fatali too)
• Nobuo Uematsu was there!
• Did I mention they played One Winged Angel?

Nice to see the Symphony branching out and playing video game music - though I did note that most of the principals (for at least the string sections) weren’t playing. I would venture so far as to say they may have even done a better job here than on some of the other performances I’ve seen them at - though I can’t judge the difficulty of FF music (I know symphony and concerto music is challenging). Overall a thoroughly enjoyable experience.