- Final Fantasy concerts
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Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The series began in 1987 as an eponymous console role-playing game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central focus of the franchise.[1][2] The primary composer of music for the main series was Nobuo Uematsu, who single-handedly composed the soundtracks for the first nine games, as well as directing the production of many of the soundtrack albums. Music for the spin-off series and main series games beginning with Final Fantasy X was created by a variety of composers including Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Kumi Tanioka, as well as many others.
Music from the franchise has been performed numerous times in concert tours and other live performances such as the Orchestral Game Music Concerts, Symphonic Game Music Concerts, and the Play! A Video Game Symphony and the Video Games Live concert tours, as well as forming the basis of specific Final Fantasy concerts and concert series. The first such concert was the 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy concert on February 20, 2002, which sparked a six-concert tour in Japan entitled Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy beginning in March 2004. A North American concert series titled Dear Friends -Music From Final Fantasy- followed from 2004–2005, and after its conclusion was followed with the More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy concert on May 16, 2005. Voices - Music from Final Fantasy was a concert held in Yokohama, Japan on February 18, 2006 focusing on vocal pieces from the series. The latest Final Fantasy concert or concert series is the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy concert tour, which began in 2007 and continues to date around the world. All of these concerts have played only music from the main Final Fantasy series, and do not include music from the multiple spin-off series with the exception of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, the 2005 computer animated film sequel to Final Fantasy VII.
Contents
20020220 Music from Final Fantasy
20020220 Music from Final Fantasy was the first official concert devoted to music from across the Final Fantasy series. A previous concert, Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite, had been performed on May 20, 1989 for a limited audience to create an orchestral version of the soundtracks of Final Fantasy I and II, which have only been released together.[3] The music of 20020220 was arranged for orchestra from the original songs composed by Nobuo Uematsu primarily by Uematsu himself and Shiro Hamaguchi, with "At Zanarkand" and "Yuna's Decision" arranged by Masashi Hamauzu, and was performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra on February 20, 2002 at the Tokyo International Forum. The orchestra was conducted by Taizou Takemoto, and the concert was hosted by Masakazu Morita and Mayuko Aoki, the Japanese voice actors for Tidus and Yuna from Final Fantasy X.[4]
The orchestra played 17 songs over a period of almost two hours. The setlist ranged covered songs from the very first Final Fantasy game through Final Fantasy X, the latest game to have been released. Their rendition of "Suteki da Ne" from Final Fantasy X was accompanied by Japanese folk singer Ritsuki Nakano, known as "RIKKI", who sang the track in the original game. Similarly, "Melodies of Life" from Final Fantasy IX was performed by Emiko Shiratori, the original performer for the song in that game's soundtrack. "At Zanarkand" and "Yuna's Decision", both from Final Fantasy X, were solo piano pieces performed by Aki Kuroda, while "Liberi Fatali" and "One-Winged Angel" saw the orchestra combined with a small chorus. Kiyotsugu Amano performed guitar accompaniment for "Dear Friends" (Final Fantasy V) and "Vamo' Alla Flamenco" (Final Fantasy IX).[4]
An album based on a live recording of the concert was released on May 9, 2002 by DigiCube, and was subsequently re-released on July 22, 2004 by Square Enix. The album spans 25 tracks over two discs and covers a duration of 1:47:27, and includes the initial tuning of the orchestra, the speeches given by the MC, and the songs themselves.[5] The album was well received by critics and was termed an "amazing soundtrack" and "probably the best Final Fantasy arranged album ever made" by Robert Bogdanowicz of RPGFan.[5] Liz Maas of RPGFan agreed; although she found there to be a lack of actual innovation overall, she felt the music was "wonderful" and the album as a whole "rather enjoyable".[5] Patrick Dell of Soundtrack Central felt that the album was "wonderful" and "an impressive display", although he greatly disliked the performance of the choir.[6] Dave of Square Enix Music Online was not as impressed by the album, saying that many of the performances were "lacking cohesion and direction", although he felt that overall it was "satisfactory" and "worth repeated listens".[7] Sophia of Square Enix Music Online, on the other hand, felt that it was a "fantastic album" and a "must have".[8]
Setlist[4] # Title Original game 1. "Liberi Fatali" Final Fantasy VIII 2. "Theme of Love" Final Fantasy IV 3. "Final Fantasy I-III Medley" Final Fantasy I ("The Prelude", "Main Theme", "Matoya's Cave")
Final Fantasy II ("Rebel Army Theme", "Chocobo Theme")
Final Fantasy III ("Elia, the Water Maiden")4. "Aerith's Theme" Final Fantasy VII 5. "Don't Be Afraid" Final Fantasy VIII 6. "Tina" Final Fantasy VI 7. "Dear Friends" Final Fantasy V 8. "Vamo' Alla Flamenco" Final Fantasy IX Intermission 9. "At Zanarkand" Final Fantasy X 10. "Yuna's Decision" Final Fantasy X 11. "Love Grows" Final Fantasy VIII 12. "Suteki da ne" Final Fantasy X 13. "The Place I'll Return to Someday" Final Fantasy IX 14. "Melodies of Life" Final Fantasy IX 15. "One Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII Encore 16. "The Man with the Machine Gun" Final Fantasy VIII 17. "Final Fantasy Theme" Final Fantasy series Tour de Japon
Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy (or Tour de Japon) was a concert tour featuring music from the Final Fantasy video game series that toured Japan from March 12 to April 16, 2004.[9] The tour was built upon the success of the 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy concert, and featured seven concerts in six cities. The series of concerts featured music composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by Shiro Hamaguchi. The orchestras were conducted by Taizō Takemoto, as the orchestra in 20020220 had been.[10] Uematsu guest conducted the encores for each performance; he used a borrowed baton that he had snapped and taped together.[11] Tour de Japon featured fewer non-orchestra performances than 20020220; "Opera "Maria & Draco"" featured the singing of Etsuyo Ota, Tomoaki Watanabe, and Tetsuya Odagawa, while Manami Kiyota and Yuji Hasegawa performed songs from Final Fantasy Song Book: Mahoroba during the intermission.[10] Different orchestras were used in each performance; these were the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic, Kyushu Symphony, and Osaka Symphoniker Orchestra. One of the performances was recorded and released exclusively on DVD to Nobuo Uematsu Fan Club members.[12]
Setlist[10] # Title Original game 1. "Opening ~ Bombing Mission" Final Fantasy VII 2. "At Zanarkand" Final Fantasy X 3. "Ronfaure" Final Fantasy XI 4. "Aerith's Theme" Final Fantasy VII 5. "The Oath" Final Fantasy VIII 6. "Not Alone" Final Fantasy IX Intermission 7. "Ahead on Our Way" Final Fantasy V 8. "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII" Final Fantasy VII 9. "Theme of Love" Final Fantasy IV 10. "Final Fantasy I-III Medley 2004" Final Fantasy I, II, III 11. "Opera “Maria and Draco”" Final Fantasy VI ("Aria di Mezzo Carattere") 12. "New Tune from FF7 Advent Children" Final Fantasy VII Advent Children ("Cloud Smiles") 13. "Final Fantasy Main Theme" Final Fantasy series Tour locations[9] Date Location Orchestra March 12, 2004 Yokohama – Minato Mirai Hall New Japan Philharmonic March 14, 2004 Tokyo – Bunkamura Orchard Hall Tokyo City Philharmonic (noon and evening performances) March 19, 2004 Sapporo – Sapporo Concert Hall Sapporo Symphony Orchestra April 2, 2004 Nagoya – Aichi Prefectural Art Theater Concert Hall Nagoya Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra April 11, 2004 Fukuoka, Japan – ACROS Fukuoka Symphony Hall Kyushu Symphony April 16, 2004 Osaka – Festival Hall Osaka Symphoniker Orchestra Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy
Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy was a concert tour featuring music from the Final Fantasy video game series that toured the United States from 2004 to 2005. The concert was the first Final Fantasy concert tour for North America and featured record sales and sold-out concerts. The series of concerts featured music composed by Nobuo Uematsu from the later releases of the series.[13] The name of the concert series, in addition to being the name a Final Fantasy V piece that is played at the concerts, was chosen by Uematsu to represent his appreciation for the support given to him by fans of his music and of the Final Fantasy series.[14]
The series was originally conceived as a single concert to be held on May 10, 2004, performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya.[13][15] The concert was hosted by James Arnold Taylor, the English voice actor for Final Fantasy X's Tidus, and featured large screens hanging above the orchestra playing scenes relevant to the music being performed. Like the concerts before it, Dear Friends featured several groups and instruments in addition to the orchestra, including a guitar for "Dear Friends", castagnettes for "Vamo' Alla Flamenco", and piano for "At Zanarkand" and "Cloud Smiles", which at the time was not named and was only known to be featured in the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. The encore piece, "One-Winged Angel", saw the orchestra joined by a full choir, the Los Angeles Master Chorale.[15]
The concert was termed "a complete success" by IGN, who commented that they "walked away impressed with the performance, the presentation, and the timelessness of Uematsu's compositions".[15] The response to the concert was greater than expected, with tickets selling out in three days. After "many fans pleaded for another chance to see the concert", Dear Friends was expanded into a full concert tour the following year, conducted by Arnie Roth. Roth took on the role of conductor for the series after trying to get the show to be performed by his Chicago Pops orchestra, and hearing that other tour locations were hesitant about putting on the concert. He has said that he tried to add to the concerts his personal touch in the areas of an "drama and timing".[16] Different orchestras were used in each performance, though the format and setlist remained the same.[13]
Setlist[15] # Title Original game 1. "Liberi Fatali" Final Fantasy VIII 2. "At Zanarkand" Final Fantasy X 3. "Terra" Final Fantasy VI 4. "Theme of Love" Final Fantasy IV 5. "Dear Friends" Final Fantasy V 6. "Vamo' Alla Flamenco" Final Fantasy IX 7. "Love Grows" Final Fantasy VIII Intermission 8. "Aerith's Theme" Final Fantasy VII 9. "You are not Alone" Final Fantasy IX 10. "Ronfaure" Final Fantasy XI 11. "Medley" Final Fantasy I, II, III 12. "Cloud Smiles" Final Fantasy VII Advent Children 13. "Final Fantasy Theme" Final Fantasy series Encore 14. "One-Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII Tour locations[13] Date Location Orchestra May 11, 2004 Los Angeles, CA – Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra February 19, 2005 Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre Chicago Pops Orchestra March 7, 2005 San Francisco, CA – Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium Symphony Silicon Valley May 20, 2005 Hartford, CT – The Bushnell Local Symphony Orchestra June 24-June 25, 2005 Atlanta, GA – Symphony Hall Atlanta Symphony Orchestra July 1, 2005 Fort Worth, TX – Bass Symphony Hall Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra July 9, 2005 Minneapolis, MN – Orchestra Hall Minnesota Orchestra July 14, 2005 San Diego, CA – Embarcadero Marina Park South San Diego Symphony July 23-July 24, 2005 Detroit, MI – Orchestra Hall Detroit Symphony Orchestra More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy
More Friends was a single concert performed while the Dear Friends series was still touring. It was meant to loosely correspond with the one-year anniversary of the first Dear Friends concert, also held in Los Angeles. The concert contained a selection of musical tracks from the games, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged for orchestra by Shiro Hamaguchi, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Michio Okamiya, and performed by an orchestra conducted by Arnie Roth on May 16, 2005 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California.[17] Much like the 20020220 concert, they were accompanied by several different groups. The Black Mages, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges Final Fantasy music into a rock music style, performed their songs "The Rocking Grounds" and "Maybe I'm a Lion", and joined with the orchestra to perform "One-Winged Angel", while RIKKI sang "Suteki da Ne" as she had in the original game. Emiko Shiratori performed both the Japanese and English versions of "Melodies of Life" in a single piece, opera singers Stephenie Woodling, Chad Berlinghier, and Todd Robinson sang the vocal components of "Opera "Maria & Draco"", and the CSUF University Singers, a local choir, performed as part of "One-Winged Angel".[18]
A recorded album was released on February 15, 2006 by Square Enix with the catalog number SQEX-10065. The album spans 13 tracks and covers a duration of 74:54.[19] The album was well received by critics such as Patrick Gann of RPGFan, who said that "the recording quality is great, almost every song is aimed to please, and rarely do Square Enix fail in this regard".[19] Sophia of Square Enix Music Online concurred, terming it "An album with a little bit of everything" and "a must-have for any Final Fantasy fan".[20]
Setlist[19] # Title Original game 1. "Opening ~ Bombing Mission" Final Fantasy VII 2. "Aerith's Theme" Final Fantasy VII 3. "At Zanarkand" Final Fantasy X 4. "Don't Be Afraid" Final Fantasy IX 5. "Terra's Theme" Final Fantasy VI 6. "Swing de Chocobo" Final Fantasy series 7. "FINAL FANTASY" Final Fantasy series 8. "The Rocking Grounds" Final Fantasy III 9. "Maybe I'm a Lion" Final Fantasy VIII 10. "Suteki da ne" Final Fantasy X 11. "The Place I'll Return to Someday ~ Melodies of Life" Final Fantasy IX 12. "Opera "Maria & Draco"" Final Fantasy VI ("Aria di Mezzo Carattere") Encore 13. "Advent: One-Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Voices - Music from Final Fantasy
Voices - Music from Final Fantasy was a concert held in Yokohama, Japan on February 18, 2006 featuring vocal arrangements of Final Fantasy music. Based on compositions by Nobuo Uematsu, the music was performed by the Prima Vista Philharmonic Orchestra in the Pacifico Yokohoma Conference and Convention Center, conducted by Arnie Roth, and sung by various performers.[21] The 16 pieces and two encore songs were interspersed with announcements by Uematsu and Rieko Katayama, the MC. As in previous Final Fantasy concerts, many of the pieces were sung by the original performers from the game. Emiko Shiratori sang "Melodies of Life", RIKKI performed "Suteki da ne", Izumi Masuda reprised her role in "Memoro de la Ŝtono", and Angela Aki sang "Kiss me Good-bye", to date the only song from Final Fantasy XII to be performed at a Final Fantasy concert. Angela Aki also sang "Eyes on Me", originally sung by Faye Wong in Final Fantasy VIII. The Black Mages performed their song "Advent: One Winged Angel" along with the orchestra. Other local singers and choirs joined the orchestra for the remaining pieces, with Etsuyo Ota, Tomoaki Watanabe, and Tetsuya Odagawa performing "Opera "Maria and Draco"" as they had in the Tour de Japon two years prior.[21] A DVD of the performance was released on June 21, 2006, containing a recording of the full concert as well as interviews with Nobuo Uematsu, Arnie Roth, and the vocalists.[22]
Setlist[21] # Title Original game 1. "Prelude" Final Fantasy series 2. "Liberi Fatali" Final Fantasy VIII 3. "Fisherman's Horizon" Final Fantasy VIII 4. "Hymn of the Fayth" Final Fantasy X 5. "Suteki da ne" Final Fantasy X 6. "Final Fantasy Doo Wop Medley" Final Fantasy series 7. "A Place to Call Home ~ Melodies of Life" Final Fantasy IX 8. "Final Fantasy" Final Fantasy series 9. "Prima Vista Orchestra" Final Fantasy IX 10. "The Promised Land" Final Fantasy VII Advent Children 11. "Opening Theme Memoro de la Ŝtono" Final Fantasy XI 12. "Eyes on Me" Final Fantasy VIII 13. "Kiss Me Good-Bye" Final Fantasy XII 14. "Opera "Maria & Draco"" Final Fantasy VI ("Aria di Mezzo Carattere") 15. "Swing de Chocobo" Final Fantasy series 16. "Advent: One Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Encore 17. "Advent: One Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII Advent Children 18. "Final Fantasy" Final Fantasy series Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy
Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy is a concert tour featuring music from the Final Fantasy series that began touring on December 4, 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden and continues to date. Unlike previous tours, it is a worldwide tour.[23] Produced by AWR Music Productions and supported by Thomas Böcker in a consultative capacity, the series of concerts features music conducted by Arnie Roth and composed by Nobuo Uematsu.[24] Launched in conjunction with the twentieth anniversary of Final Fantasy, the two-hour long concerts include music from every single game of the series. Like the Dear Friends concerts, giant video screens display video and art stills in order to accompany the music being played. During the tour, additional songs have been added to the setlist. These include "Ronfaure" from Final Fantasy XI, added on April 11, 2009, "Man With A Machine Gun" from Final Fantasy VIII, added on June 18, 2009, "Main Theme of FFVII", added October 8, 2009, and "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI and "J-E-N-O-V-A" from Final Fantasy VII, added December 12, 2009.[25][26][27]
After the Distant Worlds II concert in Stockholm, the additional pieces performed were added to the setlist, and for every concert afterward different songs out of that rotation have been chosen for each performance. "Kiss Me Goodbye" from Final Fantasy XII was played at the June 18, 2010 Detroit show, though it was not officially added to the general setlist.[28] It was played again at the April 1, 2011 concert in New York City, which featured an expanded setlist over two concerts.[29] In April 2011 Square Enix announced that the concert series was expected to run for at least three more years.[29] Uematsu has said that he prefers for the tour to add arrangements of older pieces from the series, as he feels that they are what fans are more interested in; he and Roth intend to continue to add more arrangements to the setlist. He was hesitant for pieces from Final Fantasy XIII and XIV to be added, as he did not feel that they had been around long enough to build a strong following like the older songs.[30]
Released on December 4, 2007 to coincide with the first concert of the tour, the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy album features the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and contains most songs performed at that concert. It was recorded in August 2007 at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The CD is sold at all of the concert venues and online at the official website.[31][32] The album received mixed reviews from critics, with Patrick Gann of RPGFan saying that "The recording quality is decent, the performance is standard, and it's all the classic Final Fantasy you've come to love", but expressing disappointment that the album contained only one new arrangement, with the other songs composed of arrangements originally made for other concerts.[32] Andre of Square Enix Music Online, however, despite also wishing for more original arrangements, felt that the quality was superb and that the album as a whole was "one of life and energy."[33] Chris of Square Enix Music Online also praised the album, finding similar features and flaws.[34]
Initial Setlist[35] # Title Original game 1. "Liberi Fatali" Final Fantasy VIII 2. "To Zanarkand" Final Fantasy X 3. "Don't be Afraid" Final Fantasy VIII 4. "Aerith's Theme" Final Fantasy VII 5. "Final Fantasy I-III - Medley 2002" Final Fantasy I ("The Prelude", "Main Theme", "Matoya's Cave")
Final Fantasy II ("Rebel Army Theme", "Chocobo Theme")
Final Fantasy III ("Elia, the Water Maiden")6. "Dear Friends" Final Fantasy V 7. "Vamo' alla Flamenco" Final Fantasy IX 8. "Ronfaure" Final Fantasy XI (Added to setlist April 11, 2009) 9. "Main Theme" Final Fantasy series Intermission 10. "Opening ~ Bombing Mission" Final Fantasy VII 11. "Fisherman's Horizon" Final Fantasy VIII 12. "Memoro de la Stono - Distant Worlds" Final Fantasy XI 13. "Man With A Machine Gun" Final Fantasy VIII (Added to setlist June 18, 2009) 12. "Theme of Love" Final Fantasy IV 13. "Swing de Chocobo" Final Fantasy series 14. "Opening" Final Fantasy III DS 15. "Love Grows" Final Fantasy VIII 16. "Opera "Maria and Draco"" Final Fantasy VI ("Aria di Mezzo Carattere") 17. "Terra's Theme" Final Fantasy VI Encore 18. "One-Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII Tour locations[36] Date Location Orchestra December 4, 2007 Stockholm, Sweden – Stockholm Concert Hall Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra March 1, 2008 Chicago, Illinois – Rosemont Theatre Chicagoland Pops Orchestra October 8, 2008 Denver, Colorado – Boettcher Concert Hall Colorado Symphony Orchestra April 11, 2009 Minneapolis, Minnesota – Orpheum Theatre Distant Worlds Philharmonic April 14, 2009 Grand Rapids, Michigan – DeVos Performance Hall Grand Rapids Symphony May 22–23, 2009 Singapore City, Singapore – Esplanade Theatre Singapore Festival Orchestra May 26–27, 2009 Taipei City, Taiwan – National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Taipei Symphony Orchestra June 18, 2009 Detroit, Michigan - Orchestra Hall Detroit Symphony Orchestra June 21, 2009 Dallas, Texas – Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center Dallas Symphony Orchestra June 27, 2009 Baltimore, Maryland – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Baltimore Symphony Orchestra July 9–11, 2009 Seattle, Washington – Benaroya Hall Seattle Symphony Orchestra July 18, 2009 San Francisco, California – Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall San Francisco Symphony October 8, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum Theatre Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and UBC Opera Ensemble December 12, 2009 Chicago, Illinois – Rosemont Theatre Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and Festival Choir February 5–6, 2010 Seoul, South Korea – Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall Euro-Asian Orchestra June 12, 2010 (Distant Worlds II) Stockholm, Sweden – Stockholm Concert Hall Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra July 15–16, 2010 San Francisco, California – Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall San Francisco Symphony July 22, 2010 San Diego, California – Embarcadero Marina Park South San Diego Symphony July 24, 2010 Houston, Texas – Jones Hall Houston Symphony July 30, 2010 Vienna, Virginia – Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Filine Center National Symphony November 6–7, 2010 (Returning Home) Tokyo, Japan – Tokyo International Forum Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra and KEIO University Choir November 27, 2010 Toronto, Ontario – Sony Centre for the Performing Arts Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony February 10–11, 2011 Beirut, Lebanon – The Opera House Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra April 1–2, 2011 New York City, New York – Brooklyn Academy of Music Howard Gilman Opera House Distant Worlds Philharmonic and Chorus April 15–16, 2011 Sydney, Australia – Sydney Opera House Sydney Symphony Orchestra May 6–7, 2011 Atlanta, Georgia – Atlanta Symphony Hall Atlanta Symphony Orchestra May 20, 2011 Kraków, Poland – 4th Film Music Festival Choir and Orchestra of the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic Hall June 26, 2011 Chicago, Illinois – Symphony Center Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and Festival Choir July 16, 2011 Houston, Texas – Jones Hall Houston Symphony July 27, 2011 Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum Theatre Vancouver Opera Orchestra July 30, 2011 Baltimore, Maryland – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Baltimore Symphony Orchestra November 5, 2011 London, England – Royal Albert Hall Royal Philharmonic Orchestra March 23–24, 2012 St. Louis, Missouri – Powell Symphony Hall St. Louis Symphony Distant Worlds II: More Music from Final Fantasy
Distant Worlds II: More Music From Final Fantasy was a concert in the Distant Worlds series featuring music from Final Fantasy that was performed on June 12, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden, just as the first Distant Worlds concert was. Arnie Roth returned to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra with a completely new program presenting more pieces from Final Fantasy. Simultaneously with the concert, a new CD with the same repertoire was released under the name Distant Worlds II: Music From Final Fantasy. The recording was done by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Arnie Roth in January 2010. The name Distant Worlds II only refers to the Stockholm concert; the series itself has continued under the original Distant Worlds name with the new arrangements added to its permanent rotation.[37]
Setlist [38] # Title Original game 1. "Prelude" Final Fantasy series 2. "Liberi Fatali" Final Fantasy VIII 3. "Victory Theme" Final Fantasy series 4. "To Zanarkand" Final Fantasy X 5. "Do not Be Afraid" Final Fantasy VIII 6. "Ronfaure" Final Fantasy XI 7. "Swing de Chocobo" Final Fantasy VII 8. "Main Theme" Final Fantasy VII 9. "Prima Vista Orchestra" Final Fantasy IX 10. "Dear Friends" Final Fantasy V 11. "Vamo' alla Flamenco" Final Fantasy IX 12. "J-E-N-O-V-A" Final Fantasy VII 13. "Opening" Final Fantasy VII 14. "Fisherman's Horizon" Final Fantasy VIII 15. "A Place to Call Home/Melodies of Life" Final Fantasy IX 16. "The Man with the Machine Gun" Final Fantasy VIII 17. "Suteki da ne" Final Fantasy X 18. "Dancing Mad" Final Fantasy VI 19. "The Promise" Final Fantasy XIII 20. "Fang's Theme" Final Fantasy XIII 21. "Medley" Final Fantasy XIV 22. "Terra's Theme" Final Fantasy VI 23. "One Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII 24. "Clash on the Big Bridge" Final Fantasy V 25. "Twilight over Thanalan" Final Fantasy XIV 26. "Blinded by Light" Final Fantasy XIII 27. "Saber's Edge" Final Fantasy XIII 28. "March of the Dreadnoughts" Final Fantasy XIII Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Returning Home
Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Returning Home was a concert in the Distant Worlds series conducted by Arnie Roth featuring music composed by Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu from the Final Fantasy series. The concert was performed on November 6 and 7, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan, by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra with guest performances from vocalists Frances Maya and Susan Calloway, among others.[39] The concert premiered several arrangements from Final Fantasy XIII and XIV, which were then added to the general rotation.[29] The entire 2010 Japan concert was recorded live for a DVD and 2 CD set which was later released on January 19, 2011.[40]
Setlist [41] # Title Original game 1. "One-Winged Angel" Final Fantasy VII 2. "Victory Theme" Final Fantasy 3. "Don't be Afraid" Final Fantasy VIII 4. "FINAL FANTASY I~III Medley 2010" Final Fantasy I-III 5. "Love Grows" Final Fantasy VIII 6. "Ronfaure" Final Fantasy XI 7. "J-E-N-O-V-A" Final Fantasy VII 8. "Dear Friends" Final Fantasy V 9. "Vamo' alla flamenco" Final Fantasy IX 10. "Aerith's Theme" Final Fantasy VII 11. "Chocobo Medley 2010" Final Fantasy Series 12. "Opening ~ Bombing Mission" Final Fantasy VII 13. "Zanarkand" Final Fantasy X 14. "Those Who Fight" Final Fantasy VII 15. "Dancing Mad" Final Fantasy VI 16. "Blinded by Light" Final Fantasy XIII 17. "Fang's Theme" Final Fantasy XIII 18. "March of the Dreadnoughts" Final Fantasy XIII 19. "Fabula Nova Crystallis" Final Fantasy XIII 20. "Saber's Edge" Final Fantasy XIII 21. "Navigator's Glory ~The Theme of Limsa Lominsa~" Final Fantasy XIV 22. "Twilight over Thanalan" Final Fantasy XIV 23. "Answers" Final Fantasy XIV 24. "Primal Judgement" Final Fantasy XIV 25. "The Man with the Machine Gun" Final Fantasy VIII 26. "Terra's Theme" Final Fantasy VI 27. "Encore: Clash on the Big Bridge" Final Fantasy V Other concerts
In addition to concerts specifically devoted to the Final Fantasy series, music from the games has been performed at many other concerts and concert series. Music from the series was played in the first four concerts of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra's Orchestral Game Music Concerts series from 1991 to 1994, and each concert has been released on an album. Outside Japan, Final Fantasy music was played for the first time at the Symphonic Game Music Concert series, a series of annual German video game music concerts starting in August 2003.[42][43] It has also been played live by the Australian Eminence Symphony Orchestra since October 2003, an independent symphony orchestra specializing in classical music from video games and in the Video Games Live concert tour from 2005 to date as well as the Play! A Video Game Symphony world tour from 2006 onwards, for which Nobuo Uematsu composed the opening fanfare that accompanies each performance.[44][45] The music made up one fourth of the Symphonic Fantasies concerts in September 2009 which were produced by the creators of the Symphonic Game Music Concert series and conducted by Arnie Roth; music from the Chrono series, the Kingdom Hearts series, and the Mana series made up the rest of the concert.[46][47]
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- ^ "Premiere of new score in Detroit, Dallas, and Baltimore!". AWR Music Productions. http://www.ffdistantworlds.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:premiere-of-new-score-in-detroit-dallas-and-baltimore&catid=1:latest-news. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
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- ^ "Detroit concert June 18th Includes Premieres and Bonus Features!". AWR Music Productions. http://www.ffdistantworlds.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84:detroit-concert-njune-18th-nincludes-premieres-and-bonus-features&catid=1:latest-news. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
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- ^ http://www.konserthuset.se/Default.aspx?pageid=16&concertid=48777&calendardate=2010-06-12%2b00%3a00%3a00&leftpanedate=2010-06-01
- ^ "Tokyo, Japan - Nov. 6 & 7 - 2010". AWR Music Productions. http://ffdistantworlds.com/index.php?view=details&id=30%3Atokyo&option=com_eventlist. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
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- ^ Matsuzaki, Kimberly; O'Donnell, Ryan (2005-07-15). "Video Games Live from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3141949. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ Daiker, Brandon (2006-05-27). "Play! A Video Game Symphony". N-Sider. http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=352. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- ^ "Music from classic games arranged by Jonne Valtonen". Symphonic Fantasies. 2009-01-22. Archived from the original on 2009-06-27. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090627120617/http://www.symphonicfantasies.com/post/78838894/jonne-valtonen-the-award-winning-finnish-composer. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ "Arnie Roth will conduct Symphonic Fantasies concerts". Symphonic Fantasies. 2009-01-26. Archived from the original on 2009-03-08. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090308064646/http://www.symphonicfantasies.com/post/78837921/grammy-winning-artist-arnie-roth-will-conduct-the. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
External links
Final Fantasy series Main games Related games Related series Films and animation The Spirits Within • UnlimitedCategories:- Concerts
- Concert tours
- Final Fantasy music
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