Passion
Digimon, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy, .hack//Liminality and Super Mario Brothers, when you read those names you may not immediately think classical music. But if you’ve seen any of the Eminence Orchestra’s concerts you’d have a very different mindset.
The Eminence Orchestra was founded in 2004 by Hiroaki Yura with the aim of changing perceptions about classical music and nurturing musical talent. Through presenting concerts with contemporary programming Eminence hope to encourage people to get out and start attending live music events, in turn developing an appreciation for symphonic music. Currently performing regularly in Sydney and Melbourne they plan to tour Asia in the near future. Although best known for their Night in Fantasia (computer and anime music) concerts they have also performed a concert of the work of film composer John Williams and various smaller concerts.
Passion, the latest event from the Eminence Orchestra, featured some of the orchestra’s top musicians in a small scale concert focusing primarily on the work of Japanese computer game composers Hitoshi Sakamoto and Yasunori Mitsuda, both of whom were in attendance. The young audience in the Verbruggen Hall was captivated as the musicians played their way through a series of pieces that ranged from the passionate and fiery (such as Chrono Cross Time’s Scar) to the moving and poignant (Pain from Xenosaga). It wasn’t all computer game music however, the audience was treated to classical works such as Saint-Saens Danse Macabre and Brahms’ Hungarian Dance alongside popular pieces such as A Whole New World from Aladdin and that other Disney favourite, When You Wish Upon A Star.
The concert was led by the Eminence Orchestra’s artistic director, Hiroaki Yura on violin. Yura founded the orchestra and works tirelessly to find new material to extend their repertoire and - he hopes - draw in growing numbers of fans. Yura was joined on stage by violinist Ayako Ishikawa, who seems to stop time when she plays. While Yura and Ishikawa are clearly the stars, the other musicians were equally impressive; Natalia Raspopova shone on the piano, making several complex and dextrous pieces her own, Joshua Hill on percussion maintained the critical balance of driving the ensemble forward without overpowering the other instruments and guitarist Zane Banks skills were dazzling in playing a variety of styles on both electric and acoustic guitar as well as bass.
The pieces performed in Passion showcased the music of several composers whose work is often overlooked outside the computer game and anime community. It’s a shame that more people do not know about them as composers such as Joe Hisaishi, Harry Gregson-Williams, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hitoshi Sakamoto and Nobuo Uematsu are writing classical music for the next generation. To discover more about these artists: the work of the prolific Joe Hisaishi (who composed the music for anime films like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke as well as most of Takeshi Kitano’s films) is a good place to start, especially his concert DVD Etude: A Wish To The Moon – Joe Hisaishi & 9 Cellos, his CD Encore or any of his Piano Stories CDs. Other names worth keeping an eye out for are Nobuo Uematsu (who composed the epic soundtracks for most of the Final Fantasy games) and Harry Gregson-Williams (an American film and game composer from the Hans Zimmer stable who has worked on Shrek, Kingdom of Heaven, Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and the famous computer game Metal Gear Solid).
The Eminence Orchestra not only provides many young musicians with an opportunity to hone their craft, but gives Australian (and now international) concert goers a chance to hear new orchestral music, in turn reaching an audience other orchestras have yet to tap into. With two large scale concerts on the cards for 2007, Eminence is a name to watch.
You can listen to an interview with Eminence founder Hiroaki Yura in episode 7 of StageCast.
