Orchestra

Game Music

Nobuo In Your Living Room: Symphonic Odysseys Livestream Details

July 8, 2011 | Audun Sorlie | 3 Comments Share this

As we are just a day away from what is shaping up to be the best of tributes for legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu, the WDR has released the details for the livestream information. As usual, the team is delivering the option for all fans around the world to listen and attend the concert from the comfort of their home with state of the art video and sound equipment.

For fans outside Germany, the on site flash player will not work, however on the right hand side of the stream website there are alternatives, from Windows Media Player to Ipad. The right hand side shows the following options from top to bottom:

Live stream for Windows Media Player
Live stream for iPhone and iPad
Live stream in full screen and high quality
Live stream for mobile devices with lower bandwidth.

The concert will go live at 19:45 local time Saturday 9th, and here are the listing for worldwide viewers:

Central (Chicago): 12:45pm
Eastern (New York): 1:45pm
Pacific (Los Angeles): 10:45am
Japan Standard (Tokyo): 02:45am

Please join us, and visit the Symphonic Odysseys website for all your streaming needs!

Website: WDR.de
Game Music

Nobuo Uematsu Composes Fanfare for Symphonic Odysseys

July 4, 2011 | Audun Sorlie | 3 Comments Share this

Hot off the heels of the great LEGENDS event, on Saturday this week the WDR Rundfunkorchester Cologne once again invites video game music fans into the warmth of the Cologne Philharmonic Hall for the latest installment of the Symphonic series, Symphonic Odysseys. This event is a tribute to one of the greatest video game composers of all time, the mustachioed maestro Nobuo Uematsu. The concert promises to be a trip through the many of his illustrious works over the decades, such as Final Fantasy, Sa·Ga (Final Fantasy Legends) and King’s Knight just to name a few.

In addition to this, Uematsu will grace the concert with his attendance to hear the WDR, Benyamin Nuss and the arrangements of Jonne Valtonen and Roger Wanamo along with 4000 of his most devoted fans. Uematsu has also composed the fanfare exclusively for the concert, making the concert the definite tribute event for his fans in Cologne and traveling from all over the world.

The concert is now sold out, but expect a full report next week as OSV will be in attendance for what is shaping up the be a musical and emotional odyssey unlike any before it. There will also be a stream for listeners at home, with that information being available on the WDR website on July 9th.
Game Music

Legend Discusses LEGENDS: David Wise In Stockholm

June 10, 2011 | Audun Sorlie | Comments Off on Legend Discusses LEGENDS: David Wise In Stockholm Share this

Though time was short and precious at the fantastic event of LEGENDS, The man of the hour himself, David Wise, still generously offered his time to all fans and admirers to shake hands and sign their collectibles. In the midst of the orchestrated memories and energetic crowd, we managed to eventually get a few thoughts from the legendary composer himself on his thoughts about the concert itself and some hints towards the future.

Despite being responsible for some of the very best music ever composed for video games, the man is one of the humblest and most kind spoken individuals you could have the pleasure of meeting.

Wise up after the jump! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Oh, This Is Nintendo!! LEGENDS Live Report

June 8, 2011 | Audun Sorlie | 9 Comments Share this

In many ways, this event was my favorite of the ones I have attended, it combined what I loved about Symphonic Shades with its diversity in style along the prestige and importance that Symphonic Fantasies offered. Most importantly, they dared to be a bit different and gave us exclusive takes on so many familiar songs, takes that will never fade in our memories due to being so different. It was a dream come true and a true gift to my life that I could be in attendance, one that I will always cherish and remember.

Back in September of 2010, this was my closing thoughts on Symphonic Legends, the Nintendo themed symphonic concert that took place in Cologne by the same team that has given us Symphonic Shades and Fantasies. Symphonic Legends was a musical treasure and dreamlike evening filled with some of the greatest selection of video game music, and now it was time to grace the city of Stockholm with the event just in time to celebrate the arrival of summer. But this was more than just a reprise…

Read about LEGENDS after the jump! (more…)
Film, Game Music

VGO Opens The Doors To The Boston Symhony Hall on April 1st.

March 3, 2011 | Audun Sorlie | 2 Comments Share this

Whenever something is announced for the 1st of April, you can mostly discard it as a bad joke and worthless information as juvenile minds tend to use this day to fake their untimely passing or announce Shenmue 3. The VGO however, always deliver the goods and on April 1st they will be hosting the very first video game related concert to take place in Boston’s Symphony Hall. This event will showcase and highlight the music that has paralleled the mainstream success of both video games and film. In addition to the orchestra, the concert will also feature a choir and a full assembled rock band. Nakama himself is very excited about the potential of the concert as he has been working hard on setting it together with both production responsibilities as well as handling most of the arrangements:

“This will be the first time that a concert held at the prestigious Symphony Hall will showcase video game music. It will also be the first time that industry leaders will be invited to a reception and a concert for the sole purpose of recognizing and enjoying the full artistry of video game music. -Shota Nakama”

In attendance will be Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger), Alan Silvestri (Back To The Future) and Wataru Hokoyama (Resident Evil 5). Tickets are now available at The VGO’s website, so make sure you grab yourself a few tickets and take part in the historic event.
Featured, Game Music

Gift From Heaven: Symphonic Legends Report

September 30, 2010 | Audun Sorlie | 6 Comments Share this

September rolled around again and it was now time for me to begin my journey to Cologne once again, in what has become a new tradition to me over the last few years. A tradition that leaves me with more wonderful memories and heartfelt moments with each year that passes. Last year the German hot spot offered the world Symphonic Fantasies which celebrated 4 different franchises from game juggernaut Square Enix. The concert and its subsequent CD release was hailed worldwide as one of, if not the finest symphonic event ever dedicated to video games. With such praise and respect, the excitement when WDR announced they would be holding an event this year was astronomical. What would they be performing this year?

The answer turned out to be Nintendo. The kid inside me sprung into the air upon hearing this as the company and games that I grew up with would now be performed live by an orchestra, some games for the very first time. I loaded up my music player with Super Mario Bros, Super Metroid and Fabio’s After Dark poem CD, which was for reasons that may never be spoken of.

So join me as I travel back to one of the most beautiful cities in Europe for another unforgettable event! (more…)
Game Music

Fantastic Achievements: Symphonic Fantasies Review

September 15, 2010 | Audun Sorlie | 11 Comments Share this

Hard to believe it’s been a year already. On September 12th, 2009, I was one of the lucky people who had the chance to attend Symphonic Fantasies, a symphonic tribute to Square Enix. With a set list featuring Kingdom Hearts, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross, and of course Final Fantasy combined with the presence of the original composers, it was sure to be a memorable night for game music fans, and indeed it was as I detailed in my report. Like Symphonic Shades before it, Symphonic Fantasies was finally scheduled to have a CD release, and the pressure was on for producer Thomas Böcker and his staff to achieve the same amazing production qualities as the Symphonic Shades CD offered.

Today, the day has come for fans to finally hear the results of the hard labor of the WDR team. Does the album offer equally amazing sounds and emotions through your stereo system? Click the jump to find out. (more…)