Saturday March 30, 2024
A Night In Fantasia 2007
Review

A Night In Fantasia 2007

By Damian Madden
April 26 2007

It is really good to go and hear a symphony orchestra and experience the following:

1) A sold out audience, most of them in their 20s.
2) Numerous people experiencing live symphonic music for the first time.
3) A total standing ovation.
4) Recognition paid to the composers.
5) An audience whooping and hollering at the end of a piece.
6) Cheers when the orchestra begins an old favourite.
7) Just about everyone in the venue crying encore.

As the Eminence Orchestra's A Night in Fantasia 2007: Symphonic Games Edition proves, symphonic and orchestral music is not dying a slow death, it is alive and well. The key is selecting the right material and then approaching the event with a sense of fun. Want fuddy duddies? That's easy. Want youth, new blood, first timers? Be adventurous. Simple.

The Eminence Orchestra was founded by concert master and first violin Hiroaki Yura with the aim of changing people's perceptions of symphonic music. "[Eminence] is about opening orchestras up to a wider audience, challenging the notions of what is classical music and reinventing it."

Yura and the others at Eminence realised that the next generation of concert goers hadn't grown up with Beethoven and Mozart, but it didn't mean they had not been exposed to orchestral music. Rather that, whether they knew it or not, they'd grown up with composers such as Uematsu, Hisaishi, Mitsuda, Hamaguchi and Sakimoto. So, to reach that audience, it makes sense to play that music. Hence, the A Night in Fantasia concerts came about.

Fantasia 2007 marks a departure from previous Eminence concerts. It focuses on video game music rather than combining video game and anime music as in previous programs. By shifting the focal point to video games and away from anime music (which is traditionally a more 'accepted' source of symphonic music) the orchestra showed just how diverse and entertaining video game music can be. The programmers picked 25 different pieces that covered a wide variety of styles and themes. So the absence of the anime music (which will be predominant in another Eminence concert later this year) was barely noticed.

While the Town Hall (with its slightly muddied acoustics) may not be the best venue for a symphonic concert, the large audience didn't seem to mind. One of the most remarkable things about an Eminence concert is the atmosphere. It is friendly, relaxed and everyone is out for a good time, which means little problems like acoustics are ignored. Friends laugh, strangers chat to each other about their favourite games, songs, TV shows, movies and so on, with many even hanging back after the show to continue conversations. In fact the only reason many rushed for the exits was to join the long line to get their programs signed by the visiting composers.

A Night In Fantasia 2007

That Eminence had flown out not one but seven composers demonstrates the respect they have for these men and women. Like Beethoven and Mozart in their day, they are rock stars and celebrities in Japan and to see a "who's who" of the computer game and anime scoring world in one place was a treat. However, the composers didn't just watch from the audience, throughout the night each one was brought on stage and introduced to the crowd, speaking briefly about their compositions and career. While it would have been preferable for them to appear either before or after one of their compositions, that they were even there (samurai swords, orange hair and all) and talking added a unique extra element.

The music was drawn from a wide variety of computer games. There were popular ones such as Super Mario Brothers, Final Fantasy and Zelda as well as the more obscure, such as Shadow of the Colossus (which seems to involve riding across vast open fields and killing giants). While there were a few anime pieces too. (One of the visiting composers, Go Shiina, is well known for his anime work and his work was featured.) However, it was all about video game music and as such provided a wonderful showcase for both the orchestra, whose players handled the often difficult music well, and this style of music in general. It's a genre that shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to selecting concert material.

With good song selection and a light-hearted yet dedicated attitude, the Eminence Orchestra produced a show that was exciting and fun. If only more symphony concerts could leave an audience feeling like this.

You can read more about the Eminence Orchestra at www.eminenceonline.com. You can hear a special episode of Stagecast focusing on video game music by clicking here.

 

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