Eminence Symphony Orchestra

• Anime, Featured, Game Music

  The Secret World of an Orchestrator: Who is Nicole Brady?

  May 19, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this The Secret World of an Orchestrator: Who is Nicole Brady?

  

  Maybe you’ve seen the name Nicole Brady and just can’t remember where. Maybe you’ve never seen it. Therein lays the conundrum. Orchestration is a pretty thankless job; all the work they pour in to help elevate the music they work on often gets credited to the original composer, and even most fans don’t give the role much thought.

  At GDC 2011, however, I was able to catch up with Nicole Brady, who worked extensively with the Eminence Symphony Orchestra when it was first established as well as being Hitoshi Sakimoto’s go-to orchestrator for projects like the Valkyria Chronicles series, Romeo x Juliet, and others.

  Find out who she is and why what she does is so important after the jump! (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  Basiscape to the Rescue: Opoona Soundtrack Is Finally Here (Review)

  February 7, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this Basiscape to the Rescue: Opoona Soundtrack Is Finally Here (Review)

  

  Yeah, I know we posted our unboxing video some time ago, but with the busy holiday season and the OSVOSTOTY 2010 Awards, we got a little behind on posting this review! But it’s finally here. I know many of our readers were looking forward to the Opoona soundtrack as a nice Christmas gift from Basiscape Records, and it is indeed a treat to finally have soundtrack release at last.

  I think most fans already know what’s in store for them: some early Basiscape goodness covering a lot of quirky electronic music and upbeat themes. Maybe you played Opoona and loved it, maybe you hated it, and maybe you didn’t play it at all, but regardless of what can be said about the game, the music is fantastic, and you should read our review to find out why! (more…)

• Anime, Game Music, Reviews

  So Much Better Late Than Never: A Night In Fantasia 2009 CD (Review)

  March 29, 2010 | Wes Chung | 6 Comments Share this So Much Better Late Than Never: A Night In Fantasia 2009 CD (Review)

  

  Ever waited for something so long that you were sure it was just never going to arrive? Maybe when you were young and it was barely June and you already knew what you wanted for Christmas? This is pretty much how we felt after the Eminence Symphony Orchestra’s A Night In Fantasia 2009 back in September. As mentioned in our comprehensive report, a live CD recording was always in the works and the pre-orders flooded in. So many, in fact, that the staff of Eminence admitted that the original release date of December 8 would have to be put back. So we waited. And then it was remastering issues. Another delay. And then quite a bungle with the distribution. Teasers popped up around the net, such as the track list and even a snippet of a video from the bonus DVD. Fans were like kids rattling the boxes and speculating on the contents.

  Just over six months after the concert, Christmas has finally arrived. In the spirit of giving, we’re going to say it outright: this was worth the wait. Read on to join us in discovering what Eminence has left us under the tree… (more…)

• Anime, Reviews

  10 Years of Makoto Shinkai & Tenmon: Promise Project (Review)

  January 22, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 5 Comments Share this 10 Years of Makoto Shinkai & Tenmon: Promise Project (Review)

  

  Makoto Shinkai is an artist and anime director who some have called “the new Miyazaki.” His anime films, and short films, have left a lasting impression on Japan in the last ten years. Also, a bit of trivia: Shinkai was a graphic designer for Falcom during the time they developed Ys & Ys II Eternal.

  In the same way that Miyazaki and Hisaishi are an inseparable team, it seems Shinkai found his star music composer: Tenmon (full name Atsushi Shirakawa). Tenmon actually worked with Falcom as well, years before Shinkai joined Falcom. Tenmon is responsible for many soundtracks in the Brandish series, apparently. But you’d never guess that when comparing those soundtracks to the anime soundtracks written for Shinkai’s work.

  Now, put together the instantly-memorable visuals from Shinkai with Tenmon’s beautiful, new-age-ish orchestral work, and leave Hiroaki Yura and the members of Australia’s Eminence Symphony Orchestra to do their own “best of” image album. What do you get? Something beautiful, that’s what you get.

  For more on my thoughts about this wonderful, out-of-left-field project from the Eminence Orchestra, just keep reading… after the jump! (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  Welcome Back to the Stage of Destiny: Best of Soul Calibur Soundtrack (Review)

  September 28, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this Welcome Back to the Stage of Destiny: Best of Soul Calibur Soundtrack (Review)

  

  I’ve always been a huge fan of the music from the Soul Calibur series despite never really getting into the game aside from the amazing arcade title, Soul Edge (Siegfried is my character, by the way). Well, with the recent release of Soul Calibur Broken Destiny for the PSP, Namco Bandai has surprised fans by including a little CD tucked away in the back sleeve of the “Art of Soul Calibur Broken Destiny” booklet that was included as a pre-order bonus for the game.

  “Best of” is a big title, so you’re likely wondering what’s on it. Well, there are 25 tracks, 10 of which are from Broken Destiny, of the rest of which are distributed evenly with three tracks each from Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II, Soul Calibur III, and Soul Calibur IV. It’s really a great collection, and amazing how well all the music fits together despite the age and number of titles between them.

  Find out the details in our review of the CD after the jump. (more…)

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