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Final Symphony: Music from Final Fantasy VI, VII and X (May 2013)

D

Dunan

Member
I've got the Deutsche Grammophon CD of Benyamin Nuss playing Square music plus a piece he wrote himself in tribute to Nobuo Uematsu -- called "Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu". If you like what's going to be in this concert, you'll probably like that CD too.
 
L

Loona

Member
Is there a list of the music being played? I love Cayenne/Cyan's music from VI, but it never seems to get the orchestra treatment, so narrowing the list of covered games might help its odds - a guy can hope.

Speaking of hope, I wonder if the venue has a pipe organ for Dancing Mad, loved it in Distant Worlds London - ideally it'd also be the final performance instead of One Winged Angel yet again, who knows what this group will favour...
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
Prevailer said:
Here is a new interview with producer Thomas Böcker all about FINAL SYMPHONY. Its german.
http://jpgames.de/2012/08/final-symphony-interview-mit-produzent-thomas-bocker/

And this is the (direct!) ticketlink:
http://www.westticket.de/suchergebnisse/eventreihe.html?eventlineid=33861
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Quick translation of some of the answers and details.

Thomas Boecker: The idea came to me three years ago, when I was with Nobuo Uematsu at "Symphonic Fantasies" and he approached me asked whether a concert with music from "Final Fantasy" of this caliber in that style could also be possible. This was of course a great honor! Projects of this kind, however, requires time, it was important to have many discussions and negotiate - and in 2012 we finally got the permission from Square Enix to announce "Final Symphony" - in the anniversary year of the series. "Final Symphony" is my tenth production of a new video game music concert, and in 2013 we celebrate yet another anniversary. Since 2003, these events have now been produced outside Japan.

JPGAMES.DE: Are there any particular reasons (legal, licensing, etc.) why a new theme must be used instead of relying on the well established ones?

Thomas Boecker: Our innovative spirits. Because "Distant Worlds" was formed in 2007 from the "Dear friends" series - which in turn, the vast majority of the scores came from a concert in Japan with the title "20020220 - music from Final Fantasy". I even worked as a consultant for "Distant Worlds" concert and love some of the arrangements by Shiro Hamaguchi. But after more than ten years the question should be allowed, whether you can take an all new approach.

We were sad that a lot of great music from "Final Fantasy" has gone neglected, because in events like "Distant Worlds", of course the entire series has to be covered, parts 1 to 14 [and does not allow for many individual songs due to time constraints] - which is due to the concept and not meant as criticism.

I've work with Square Enix Japan now for ten years, not only producing concerts but also producing for the "Thank you" album by Masashi Hamauzu and Yoko Shimomuras "drammatica". I am very glad that Square Enix is ​​so much trust in us. "Final Symphony" is an officially licensed event and is therefore supported by them. As I said, since 2002, nothing of this scale has been done, especially outside of Japan, so fans can expect a real premiere in Germany!

JPGAMES.DE: What happens with the Symphonic Series now? Is it put on hold or have you now decided to move over to other video games and away from the spotlight of Final Fantasy?

Thomas Boecker: In November we present with the WDR another game music concert with songs from games such as "Journey", "Turrican", etc. Also, Japanese composers Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu will be honored. Although this event is not an official part of the "Symphonic" series, I am working as a consultant, Jonne Valtonen and Roger Wanamo will contribute a few arrangements.

"Final Symphony" on the other hand, we see as part of the "Symphonic Series" - perhaps as a conclusion, as the title suggests. Meaning, it was the five concerts in Leipzig from 2003 to 2007, followed by "Symphonic Shades", "Symphonic Fantasies", "Symphonic Legends", "Symphonic Odysseys" - and now "Final Symphony".


JPGAMES.DE: Was that perhaps the reason for the new series of concerts, so that you can set a new focus?

Thomas Böcker: "Final Symphony" at the same time does not mean that there will be no other game music concerts in Germany in the future. I think the opposite is the case. More and more orchestras and producers have gotten the taste for it. And this is good, the diversity is greater. And I would surprise me greatly if the WDR would not continue to produce video game music concert of any kind.

JPGAMES.DE: Where is the premiere take place?

Thomas Böcker: The Germany Premiere will take place on May 11, 2013. Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra will present the music under the direction of Eckehard Stier at the historical Stadthalle Wuppertal to 14:30 and 19:30. Eckehard Stier has already conducted the "symphonic Fantasies Tokyo" concert, as well as the before mentioned "drammatica" album.

We gain welcome pianist Benyamin Nuss. We are also very happy that Winfried Fechner has agreed to present the show. The name is likely familiar to fans, Winfried Fechner was the one who brought game music to the WDR in 2008.

Last but not least, as announced on jpgames.de: we are very happy that Masashi Hamauzu has agreed to come to the premiere to Wuppertal. Fans have the opportunity to meet him before the events in two free signings.

JPGAMES.DE: Why did you choose these 3 Final Fantasy games, as VII and X already does get alot of attention from orchestras. Final Fantasy IX would have been warmly recieved and is rarely performed live.

Thomas Boecker: For us, it's not been easy to choose the three parts of the series. You ask "Final Fantasy" fans - which includes also us in the team - about their favorite games in the series, so large and long discussions are scheduled in production.

But when you take a look at what is played around the world from "Final Fantasy VI", VII, and X at the moment, and you see the selection is rather poor. "Final Fantasy X", has more to offer than "To Zanarkand" and "Suteki da ne". In 2011 we have performed "A Fleeting Dream" and the "Ending Theme" at "Symphonic Odyssey"; the audience was thrilled!

Many soundtracks of the "Final Fantasy" games consist of three or four CDs - there is a large pool of grandiose tunes that so far has not simply been acknowledged. Again mentioning "A Fleeting Dream"; until last year, only a few seemed to have the piece at all on the radar until Roger Wanamo came and immediately created a classic with his piece. We need fresh, fresh material. "Final Symphony" will provide that with the highest caliber.
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S

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
Thanks Aku-Audi.

Thomas Boecker said:
But when you take a look at what is played around the world from "Final Fantasy VI", VII, and X at the moment, and you see the selection is rather poor. "Final Fantasy X", has more to offer than "To Zanarkand" and "Suteki da ne". In 2011 we have performed "A Fleeting Dream" and the "Ending Theme" at "Symphonic Odyssey"; the audience was thrilled!

Many soundtracks of the "Final Fantasy" games consist of three or four CDs - there is a large pool of grandiose tunes that so far has not have simply been acknowledged. Again mentioning "A Fleeting Dream"; until last year, only a few seemed to have the piece at all on the radar until Roger Wanamo came and immediately created a classic with his piece. We need fresh, fresh material. "Final Symphony" will provide that with the highest caliber.
Click to expand...

Praise be! All I want to hear is a FF6 character anthology of sorts. I will be most upset if I do not hear the Figaro theme or Relm's theme.
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
Expect long, expansive suits with plenty of unexpected material. These concerts truly are in a league of their own compared to the very simplistic and straightforward productions often found the US.

Jonne Valtonen created some of the best arrangements ever done for a video game music production, for example his 30 minute symphonic poem for Zelda at Symphonic Legends, which is a masterpiece to behold. That's a full melodic fairy tale told completely through music, whereas the Zelda concert series relies very heavily on the video screen to create any sort of narrative and reaction from the fans. (my opinion obviously)
 
B

B.K.

Member
Since they're having this concert in May, does this mean that there isn't going to be one this fall, like there has been for the last two years?
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
B.K. said:
Since they're having this concert in May, does this mean that there isn't going to be one this fall, like there has been for the last two years?
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From earlier in this thread:

Aku-Audi said:
There is a smaller concert in Cologne during November called Soundtrack Cologne: East Meets West by the same team that will feature reprises from the previous concerts as well as all new arrangements from Turrican, Journey etc.

Soundtrack Cologne
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C

Celegus

Member
Argh so jealous! The arrangements in the prior shows are unbelievable. Haven't stopped listening to them for a couple weeks now, so thanks OP for enlightening me. Distant Worlds really does seem pretty crappy compared to them (although Suteki da ne on Distant Worlds II is still one of my favorites ever).
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
OK, lots of news today.

First of all, tickets are on sale at westticket.de, there is an international checkout option. In the past, there's been people from the US, Japan, and all surrounding countries at these events, so its very much an open world concert.

Second, Nobuo Uematsu is now announced to be in attendance with Masashi Hamauzu. He will take part in the (free) Meet and Greet session prior to the concert. 4players.de has an interview with Uematsu, translation will come shortly.

Third, an interview with producer Thomas Böcker in English:

OSV: Tell us a bit about the origin of Final Symphony and how it came to be.
Böcker: Back in 2009, Nobuo Uematsu approached me right after the performance of Symphonic Fantasies in Cologne. He said that I should really bring such a concept to Japan - and he expressed his wish to see a full concert with music from Final Fantasy in a similar style as we did with Symphonic Fantasies. The very same year I went to Tokyo, and I met with Nobuo Uematsu and Square Enix again. For the first time, we officially discussed plans of a Symphonic Fantasies performance in their home country, and the concept of a new Final Fantasy concert. Naturally, all this takes a lot of time development-wise, but in 2011 we got permission to announce Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo for January 2012, and a few months later, we were allowed to reveal Final Symphony to the public.

The main premise of Final Symphony is to offer a new view on the music of Final Fantasy. It has been more than ten years now that an official, full concert with arrangements never heard live before got performed, at the 20020220 music from Final Fantasy event in Tokyo. We are very grateful to Square Enix for offering such an opportunity to Merregnon Studios, and for showing such a great trust in our work. Creating a new Final Fantasy concert is definitely a highlight of my career and an unbelievable honor.

OSV: Final Fantasy is a popular choice for video game concerts around the world. How do you approach the challenge of standing apart from the other series of concert dedicated to the franchise?
Böcker: The Symphonic series has always been different to others - especially Symphonic Fantasies, Legends and Odysseys. Final Symphony won't be an exception. We will follow our path with elaborate arrangements capturing the atmosphere of the games, and telling their stories musically, not depending on video screens. The scores will be 100% newly written for the concert, featuring music from Final Fantasy VI, VII and X exclusively. This focus allows us to present music which hardly or never gets performed.

My goal telling stories musically originates in my project entitled Merregnon - Video Game World Symphony that I produced back in 1999. Video game composers such as Chris Hülsbeck and Yuzo Koshiro were asked to express a fairy tale through their music. What we are doing today with the Symphonic series does not differ much from this basic concept, however, now we follow the stories of the original games, using the original music in new arrangements - and the imagination of our audience.

OSV: You have worked with Masashi Hamauzu many times in the past, for Vielen Dank, Symphonic Legends and Symphonic Odysseys. Now he will take part in Final Symphony as both arranger and composer. How much has Hamauzu meant for your productions over the years?
Böcker: Next to the fact that he is creating excellent arrangements, he shares the vision of our team when it comes to the approach on video game music. I think he explained it wonderfully in his foreword for the Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo booklet, where he is saying that it needs courage to offer something new and exciting. If you stick with standards and central trends, you most likely will be commercially successful - yes. But if you want to achieve something more, something which won't fade away in people's minds soon after the concert is over, you will be challenged. As an example, when we did Symphonic Fantasies, its concept was new with its overture and the four suites - the fantasies - comparable to movements in symphonies. But same as Masashi Hamauzu, we never shy away from experiments and controversies, and it is safe to say that Symphonic Fantasies marked a very important step in the world of video game music concerts, receiving high acclaim among fans and critics alike. It was a big risk at the time of its creation, though, but we were willing to take it.

OSV: Jonne Valtonen, Roger Wanamo* and yourself have now produced 5 concerts together, all of which have been award winning and critically acclaimed worldwide. What do you personally hope the 3 of you brought to the landscape of video game music concerts?
Böcker: High quality that changed the perception on how a video game music concert should be. Something that brought people from different generations and countries together and touched them emotionally. If we look back to 2003 when the first video game music concert outside Japan was presented in Germany, so much has changed. Today you can find such events performed all over the world. It makes me happy to see how well-regarded the series is, and it is my hope that we can go further promoting the quality of video game music this way.

*Roger Wanamo debuted at Symphonic Fantasies.

OSV: Final Symphony marks the final curtain for the pentalogy of symphonies you have produced since 2008. But is it the final production we will see from Thomas Böcker?
Böcker: Nothing has been decided yet on this regard. I cannot imagine producing a concert just for the sake of the tradition. It needs our full attention, it takes a year minimum to create an event of the scope of a Symphonic Fantasies or Final Symphony. However, as long as the music is great, as long as we find something exciting to work on as our team, I will be more than happy to continue on the field of video game music concerts.
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http://www.originalsoundversion.com/5-quick-questions-final-symphony-thomas-bocker
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
English translation of the 4players interview with Nobuo Uematsu

4Players.de said:
4Players: What media (books, movies etc.) do you enjoy when not working on video games?

Uematsu: Recently, I have been so busy that I actually haven't had time for anything else than work. If I have the chance to relax, I'd like to watch movies or read. When I'm on the plane on the way to another country, I do occasionally read. At the moment I'm reading Yukio Mishima's "Utsukushii Hoshi".

4Players: Your video game music is the most popular in the entire world, and yet many of them stay exclusive to Japan. If you had the chance to score a game from the US or Europe, what kind of game would you like to score?

Uematsu: I never limit myself by saying: I write only the music of Japanese games. Should be an interesting offer come from the West, I am of course interested. However, I am not one who writes soundtracks for Hollywood style projects. My style is rather soft, tender... heartwarming. I am open for such projects.

4Players: The soundtracks of the increasingly popular independent games genre often reminds us of the music of 16 and 8-bit era games. It seems as if a certain community of sound were connected inseparably with the music to video games. Do you still enjoy the simplistic sounds of that era or are you more interested in modern sound now?

Uematsu: There is no good or bad for me. In other words: To me 8-bit soundtracks as well as compositions recorded in a studio, originality is all that really matters in my opinion. Perhaps with the restrictions, composers were pushed further to create something original. Constraints and rules were beneficial certainly to the quality.

4Players: Is there something that is missing in video game music now? In which direction should game music evolve in your opinion?

Uematsu: I think film composers have their own individual, strong character. You know: Composer ABC writes this or that kind of music. As a game composer often is different from the other - there are many details, as the sound takes shape from the details from the producer. Of course, I know that even in a film the director makes requests which I of course respect. However it would be beneficial, if game composers would have more freedom and can thus create their own character in their music, a distinctive style - as it would become part of the production.

4Players: The music of the Final Fantasy series has been used in productions outside of games many times now: there are a lot of concerts and various collections of new arrangements. What distinguishes Final Symphony from previous productions?

Uematsu: The big difference is that Final Symphony is based on the work of the arrangers Jonne Valtonen, Roger Wanamo and Masashi Hamauzu using modern techniques. I expect that to hear many orchestra sounds and details you might not see coming. The music from "Secret of Mana", how they played that for Symphonic Fantasies is an example of this, as the orchestra created sounds from nature, such as a storm and rain.

4Players: What Final Fantasy soundtrack ranks as your favorite? And which game do you prefer strictly as a player?

Uematsu: It is always very difficult for me to answer this question. If I must choose, then I would say: "Final Fantasy VI" - as a soundtrack and a game. The reason for this will remain a mystery...

4Players: Many young composers look up to you, but who is your role model? Who has influenced your work?

Uematsu: An even more difficult question! I listen to and enjoy a wide range of music. I love the compositions of Nino Rota, so old music from Europe. Really impressive, I always explore his melodies. I like also Tchaikovsky and pop from the 70s, such as Elton John. I was young when I heard his music; He had a great influence on me and my life.
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http://www.4players.de/4players.php...tur/Special/31247/77527/0/Final_Symphony.html
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
Celegus said:
Argh so jealous! The arrangements in the prior shows are unbelievable. Haven't stopped listening to them for a couple weeks now, so thanks OP for enlightening me. Distant Worlds really does seem pretty crappy compared to them (although Suteki da ne on Distant Worlds II is still one of my favorites ever).
Click to expand...

I'm really happy you checked out more from this team, as I firmly believe they truly push the concept forward, whereas the other productions just simply ride the wave without any new tricks to display.
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
Some more news (I'm a bit behind on updating due to being busy this month.)

Final Symphony:

* No live stream/broadcast of Final Symphony
Reason is simple, while Symphonic Fantasies/Odysseys etc. were produced by the WDR, Final Symphony is not.

*No CD plans at this point
While it has not been 100% decided yet if we ever do a concert recording, it is 100% decided that we are NOT recording the Wuppertal performance. So fans should not expect a CD release at all, those in attendance will be the only to experience the music, so make sure to be there!

Soundtrack Cologne:
Two new pieces are confirmed to be performed at the event:
Lylat Wars & StarWing (Toward the Celestial Sphere) and The Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess (Light Spirit)

Soundtrack Cologne: East Meets West
 
J

jett

D-Member
Aku-Audi said:
Some more news (I'm a bit behind on updating due to being busy this month.)

Final Symphony:

* No live stream/broadcast of Final Symphony
Reason is simple, while Symphonic Fantasies/Odysseys etc. were produced by the WDR, Final Symphony is not.

*No CD plans at this point
While it has not been 100% decided yet if we ever do a concert recording, it is 100% decided that we are NOT recording the Wuppertal performance. So fans should not expect a CD release at all, those in attendance will be the only to experience the music, so make sure to be there!

Soundtrack Cologne:
Two new pieces are confirmed to be performed at the event:
Lylat Wars & StarWing (Toward the Celestial Sphere) and The Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess (Light Spirit)

Soundtrack Cologne: East Meets West
Click to expand...

Wow dumb all around. So the best we'll get will be the poor cell phone recording of whoever goes there, great.
 
K

Katzenjammer

Member
Hey, I know this isn't entirely the right thread for this but I need some help. I want tickets for the Soundtrack Cologne concert but it's not possible to book online due to technical problems but the phone works, could someone from Germany help me get tickets? I can paypal the money right away or pay in a different way. Pm if so. Thanks!
 
K

Katzenjammer

Member
Jucksalbe said:
I'm sure that if you call there, they will be able to help you in English, too.
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This is what I ultimately did. The phone bill will be a nice surprise at the end of the month! They charged 10 euro extra for shipping to Sweden, so shitty that they couldn't sell them online properly but whatever.
 
J

Jucksalbe

Banned
elementman said:
This is what I ultimately did. The phone bill will be a nice surprise at the end of the month! They charged 10 euro extra for shipping to Sweden, so shitty that they couldn't sell them online properly but whatever.
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I'm glad it worked out well. But that call shouldn't be very expensive, it's within the EU. I actually pay less(!) for a call to Sweden than for a call within Germany.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
personally it is something of a blasphemy to be mixing the brilliant VI music with X, but what can you do. I will be following this.
 
K

Katzenjammer

Member
Jucksalbe said:
I'm glad it worked out well. But that call shouldn't be very expensive, it's within the EU. I actually pay less(!) for a call to Sweden than for a call within Germany.
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Hope so! Don't know what my operator charges, but I didn't have any other choice. Took a while since my name is a bit tricky to spell :p Got tickets for the fourth row, hope they're good (the lady on the phone reassured me that "yes, section one is always best" in her best English accent). Would be nice to meet some gaffers there if anyone's going :)

And also, to stay a bit on topic, would be nice to meet some gaffers at Final Symphony as well next year!
 
S

SpacePirate Ridley

Member
Kagari said:
They picked 3 good ones, I don't see how anyone could complain.
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Not having IX because it has the best soundtrack.
But well, Square hates IX so its not surprising the leave it out.

Maybe they didnt have time to put more songs so they had to end with a game were the majority of people remember fondly only one track. It would have been a travesty only having a song of FFIX, so I understand why they used FFX lol
 
T

Tomodachi

Member
No English on the booking website? I can't understand the difference between the three prices (categories 1-2-3). Anyone else already booked?
 
J

Jucksalbe

Banned
Click on the picture where it says "Saalplanbuchung" (above where you can select the tickets), that's the seating plan.
 
T

TheJollyCorner

Member
Aku-Audi said:
Final Symphony:

* No live stream/broadcast of Final Symphony

*No CD plans at this point
Click to expand...

Wow. That freaking sucks.

SpacePirate Ridley said:
Not having IX because it has the best soundtrack.
But well, Square hates IX so its not surprising the leave it out.

Maybe they didnt have time to put more songs so they had to end with a game were the majority of people remember fondly only one track. It would have been a travesty only having a song of FFIX, so I understand why they used FFX lol
Click to expand...

Good lord... obsessed FFIX fans are more annoying now than FFVII fanatics. -_-
 
T

Tomodachi

Member
Damn, I just found out about the Distant Worlds concert in Munich in March. I bought two tickets for the Final Symphony just yesterday but now I'd rather go to Munich (can't afford both of course even if I would gladly see them both, but I live in southern Italy so that's quite the trip). Do you guys know if I can ask for a refund? I don't speak German at all so I'm really having a hard time searching for any information about this on the West Tickets website. Any help would be very appreciated! :(
 
J

Jucksalbe

Banned
Tomodachi said:
Do you guys know if I can ask for a refund? I don't speak German at all so I'm really having a hard time searching for any information about this on the West Tickets website. Any help would be very appreciated! :(
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The site says you can't get a refund, but you can still try to call them. Apparantely they understand English, so you shouldn't have a problem (someone else in this thread called them before).
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
Some news:

Live Stream of East Meets West today at 2:05pm EST:
Concert from last Friday featuring new arrangements of Journey, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Unlimited Saga, Starfox and Final Fantasy. The stream is available worldwide at WDR4.

Final Symphony London:
Announced today, the new symphony will also take place in London on May 30th 2013, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra! Tickets go on sale today, so make sure you get yours. Tickets can be bought at Barbican.
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
There's only a scarce few tickets left to the London show, so if anyone is on the fence, this is your last chance to secure a spot!

Barbican Tickets

A new concert has been set up in Germany at the Cologne Philharmonic, titled Symphonic Selections. More info will come in the next coming months, but as the name implies, you can probably expect to hear some fan favorite pieces from the past Symphonic productions such as Fantasies, Odysseys and more.

You can keep up at the Facebook event page for Symphonic Selections.
 
A

Aku-Audi

Member
News on Symphonic Selections in November at the Cologne Philharmonic

Spielemusikkonzerte said:
Today, we would like to announce a first title for Symphonic Selections: Shenmue (Sedge Tree), composed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi!
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Tickets go on sale in July
Symphonic Selections

We're 2 months away from Final Symphony in Germany and London. The Germany show is completely sold out to maximum capacity of the venue for both showings, and London only has a handful of tickets left but will also be a complete sell out by March.
 
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