On the morning of Thursday, April 24, the Oregon Symphony performed their first rehearsal for the April 26 Portland, Oregon premiere of Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
Produced by veteran Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu and conductor Arnie Roth, Distant Worlds has been performed in cities around the world following its December 2007 premiere in Sweden.
Roth, as described in the Oregon Symphony’s InSymphony magazine, is a “classically trained violinist, conductor, composer, producer and Grammy award-winning artist.”
He has produced and conducted music for film, as well as for video games. He has extensive experience in working with not only the music of the Final Fantasy series, but has also worked as the principal conductor and music director for PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, which featured the music from World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Battlefield 1942.
As a huge fan of the series and having previously attended two other Distant Worlds concerts, the opportunity to sit in during the rehearsal process had me giddy with excitement. That excitement stuck with me as the symphony ran through a number of my favorite pieces, such as Final Fantasy X’s gorgeous “To Zanarkand” and Final Fantasy IX’s emotionally charged “Not Alone.”
Hearing these iconic compositions played live filled me with a sense of awe. While I loved hearing Uematsu’s memorable work so lovingly reproduced, I discovered, much to my delight, that the program for the upcoming concert had incorporated the work of fellow series composers Masashi Hamauzu, Hitoshi Sakimoto and Naoshi Mizuta.
When I returned to the concert hall two days later, the atmosphere was ripe with excitement as countless fans of the series filtered in. Merchandise ranging from music albums and compilation soundtracks of various Final Fantasy games to shirts and other memorabilia were being sold near the entrance, and a few fans had taken the opportunity to cosplay, dressing up as characters from the series, such as Final Fantasy VIII’s Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly.
On stage, the Oregon Symphony warmed up, with Portland’s own impressive Pacific Youth Choir filling in the back of the stage. Shortly after finding my seat the lights dimmed, and after a brief introduction, Roth appeared on stage and began the night fittingly with “Prelude,” an essential piece of Final Fantasy’s musical history, while the accompanying high-definition screen displayed footage of gameplay and scenes that showcased key moments and characters of the series.
Immediately thereafter, Final Fantasy VIII’s turbulent, grandiose opening track, “Liberi Fatali,” kicked things into overdrive, followed by a suitably triumphant orchestration of the much-loved ‘Victory Fanfare,’ another staple of the series.
While I had heard many of these tracks performed in previous concerts, it was a joy to be able to hear them played live yet again. The first half of the concert ended with the lovingly crafted and exciting “Chocobo Medley 2012.”
Following the subsequent intermission, the symphony immediately roared back into action with “Battle & Victory Theme Medley” and Final Fantasy XI’s “Fighter of the Crystal.” The purely emotional performance of Final Fantasy X’s “To Zanarkand” left me a little choked up, as always.
Next up, Final Fantasy VIII’s battle theme “Don’t be Afraid,” was performed, creatively cued up to precisely match the accompanying video just as it would within the game itself. What came next was the most extravagant production of the night.
Final Fantasy VI’s “Maria & Draco,” a lengthy, operatic piece, was bolstered by three exceptionally talented opera singers, a voice-over narration that gave the music and visuals context without detracting or distracting from the piece. The addition of the Pacific Youth Choir rounded the performance out into nothing short of astounding. While the orchestra seemed to overwhelm the vocals during the more intense sequences, the piece ended with dramatic aplomb in a display of raw, visceral singing that made for an entirely satisfying conclusion.
The main theme of the series was set to finish the night off, but following a lengthy round of raucous applause and cheering, an encore performance was had in the form of “One Winged Angel,” Sephiroth’s iconic theme from Final Fantasy VII.
After another lengthy round of fervent applause that left my hands quite numb, I got up to leave, an all-too-satisfied smile plastered on my face. Once again, the experience had left me feeling nothing short of elated, and I knew that everyone around me felt the same way. I decided to speak with a couple of fans nearby as I made my way out of the hall.
“This was my first time attending the show,” said David Toscano, a Portland resident. “I went into it with a decent idea of what to expect since I had already heard recordings of many of their past performances. The live experience is something else entirely, though. Seeing memorable scenes from the series’ history displayed as the songs are performed is just incredible. That, coupled with being in a room filled with so many people that share the same love for the series and its music as you do, all amounts to something incredible”.
“A really good surprise for me was that the opera from [Final Fantasy VI] was extended for this year’s show. That scene is one of the most memorable events in the series’ history and they really brought it to life in this performance,” Toscano said.
“I’ve attended two other [concerts] before this one”, said Walter Alvarez, another resident of Portland.
When asked which Final Fantasy game was his favorite, he responded, “Many of them are very near and dear to my heart, but if I had to pick one it would be Final Fantasy VII.
“It was the first game in the series that I played and it was one of the first RPGs I ever played. Through it, I realized that video games were more than just simple entertainment pieces. It was a platform with the possibility of synthesizing the best of music, visual arts and storytelling into a compelling, interactive package,” Alvarez said.
At the end of the night, long after returning home, I still couldn’t help but smile. The music of Final Fantasy has inspired me in so many ways throughout the years: as a musician, as a person and as a fan. Knowing that there are others out there who appreciate this music just as much as I do is uniquely satisfying, and I sincerely hope that, just like Final Fantasy itself, Distant Worlds never ends.
Any fan of the franchise owes it to themselves to attend one of these concerts. The love and care that’s put into these arrangements is nothing short of awe-inspiring, and it begs to be experienced at least once.
As for me, I’m already looking forward to attending my fourth concert.
