Roving Pittsburgher Report, Distant Worlds; an Otherworldly Event.at PSO

Distant Worlds; an Otherworldly Event.

By Megan Grabowski

August 1, 2015, a sultry evening in Pittsburgh.  An audience consisting of primarily Gen X through Gen Z, gathered outside the lavish Heinz Hall home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in the Cultural District.  The buzz is absolute anticipation for the long awaited music of the media franchise Final Fantasy (FF).  The repertoire is a revered piece of the 25 year history of the fantasy video game, as well as a free standing esteemed collection of an infinite number of scores and emotionally charged compositions.  

The ambience of Heinz Hall encourages a higher level of respect for the world of gaming than I ever imagined I could hold.  The orchestra situated downstage, warms up as patrons file into the posh red upholstered seats, some dressed in FF cosplay and others dressed to the nine. I quickly realize this will be a performance like nothing I have ever seen before. 

Quietly the Mendelssohn Choir moves into place.  They position themselves tucked behind the orchestra and the large projection screen hanging from the ceiling, fusing into the black curtain, a subtle backdrop creating a mysterious presence on the stage.  Arnie Roth parades onto the stage, under the spotlight, hand in hand with Hitoshi Sakimoto.  Together they bow and the audience and the crowd erupt in cheers.  As the applause subsides, the Prelude begins; next the music flows into another score, Liberi Fatali.  With each set the projector illuminates with images of FF characters, complete with fantastical places, battles and dancing. The assorted edits are date stamped; 1989-12-17, 1990- 4- 7, 2000-7-7 and so forth, highlighting more than two decades of an industrious advancement of the graphics in tandem with the ethereal sounds of the symphony and choir.

Grammy award winning music director Arnie Roth turns to face the crowd.  With sweeping gestures of his arm he waves to the audience, motions to the spectators on the balcony, and then urges the orchestra to stand.  The audience rises to their feet, the hall fills with a roar and whistling and shouting all in praise of the performance about to unfold.  Roth speaks with pride about Distant Worlds.  He expresses his passion for the show when sharing some background:  over 100 performances worldwide in a span of 8 years and always remaining open to new ideas and selections of music the fans would enjoy.  Then with dynamic enthusiasm Roth introduces Hitoshi Sakimoto, best known for his orchestral compositions for FF VII, one of the series most popular games. Sakimoto waves appreciatively and the audience continues to cheer.    

Roth then takes his place at the podium and cues up the orchestra.  A cacophony of sound ignites into the frenzied Victory Theme and The Dalmasca Estersand from FF IX.  We lose ourselves to the Roses of May, and FF XIV, Torn from the Heavens.  The layered sounds of the symphony and the choir create a synergy unique to this place at this time.  The lost score of FF VIII, transcribed for Distant Worlds, Balamb Garden conjures an auditory awakening that transports the listeners’ minds directly into the scenes shown before us; a raging battle in a fantastical land or the serenity of airy, grassy plains beneath falling feathers.  Distant Worlds is more than a symphony, it is a full sensory experience.

Next we enjoy the arrangements for FF III, DS Opening, from FF VI, a Character Medley and the 2012 Chocobo Medley, an audience participatory piece which further engages us before intermission and the mad rush to the merch tables.

Returning from intermission we are entertained by the recently composed Battle and Victory Theme Medley, FF VII, Jenova Complete and the FF X, Zanarkand.  Both Jenova and Zanarkand possess the complementary sounds of the Mendelssohn Choir. Lightning Returns: FF XIII: Light Eternal is a beautiful medley filled with the sounds of mystery, intrigue, discovery and innovation.   Next is the FF IV, Battle with the Four Fiends, which is a great gateway to the Opera, “Maria and Draco” from FF VI.  Tim Hartman, professional actor of stage and film, narrates the story, “The war between East and West…”  The three soloists; tenor George Milosh, mezzo- soprano Amelia D’Arcy and baritone Skip Napier, operatically share the story or a war, a fallen castle and a surviving soldier, narration by Hartman is interspersed between the various numbers.  The choir joins this distinct performance and the audience’s reception is wildly approving.   The evening culminates with the FF Main Theme.  At the conclusion of the final piece, the house nearly simultaneous gets up for a standing ovation.  After the bows cease, Roth returns to the stage announcing an encore number.  Once again rallying the audience into a participatory opportunity- shout it out Roth says and you know when, “Sephiroth”. 

A night listening to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is always gratifying.  The Mendelssohn Choir is nothing less than angelic sounding.  FF is engrained into the social stratosphere of our culture.  Together, these melodious elements bring a breath of fresh air into the hearts of FF fans.

Reviewed by Megan Grabowski

Positively Pittsburgh Good News Reviewer, Professional writer, Social-Media Junkie, Community Fundraiser and Pittsburgh Enthusiast.

Gamers Dress Up and Interact with Symphony Fans at Legend of Zelda

by Roving Pittsburgher Reporter

Joseph Budd Smith III

On Tuesday October, 8^th The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses returned to Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall with its SECOND QUEST! Conducted by Susie Benchasil Seiter, the symphony is a tour through 27 years of Zelda franchise history. 

Each part focused on a different game in the franchise and incorporates key musical elements from each of those games as well as HD footage of gameplay.  The games focused on were A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Windwaker. A pleasant mixture of sight and sound that touched every heart associated with the kingdom of Hyrule was enjoyed by both symphony fans and gamers.

Each of the four movements was introduced by the composer Chad Seiter, who would provide insight into the motivation behind each part.  Whether you are a savvy veteran of the 8 bit world or a fan of the newer HD titles released through the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses SECOND QUEST had something for you.  This limited event ran just one night only and your next chance to catch the show is on Oct. 26^th in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Theater.

The Wind Waker or baton of Wind in which the main character named ‘Link’ (for those of you who don’t know) used it to conduct in that game of the same name. Here it was made real as the Ms. Noone used it to conduct the movement dedicated to that particular version of the Legend of Zelda. So why is the symphony called "the Legend of Zelda" and not "the Legend of Link"?

Nintendo's Legend of Zelda is one of the most long-running and storied franchises in video game history.

For non Zelda fans that are symphony fans here is a brief overview from Wikipedia:

Creation of the World

The Goddesses create the world, from A Link to the Past

Hyrule was formed many ages ago through the works of the three Golden Goddesses: Din the Goddess of Power, Nayru the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore the Goddess of Courage. Before spirits and life existed, these three goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule.^[3][4] Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land, created the red earth, and was thus responsible for the creation of the geography of Hyrule.^[5] Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world, bringing order to a formerly chaotic realm.^[6][7] Farore, with her rich soul, created all life forms that would uphold the law established by Nayru.^[8]

http://zeldawiki.org/Zelda_Timeline#History_of_the_Zelda_Timeline

The series centers on Link, the main playable character and the protagonist of the series. Link is often given the task of rescuing Princess Zelda and the most common setting of the series, Hyrule, from Ganondorf who is the primary antagonist of the series.

Susie Benchasil Seiter

So much for catching non gamers up to speed! This symphony as a result of the game series prominence in pop culture was just a bit different than the ordinary symphony venue with a choir and of course under thirty gamers in the audience hooting and hollering.  A younger than normal crowd of people from thirty down and many dressed in theme costumes from the games attended and rubbed shoulders with the regular symphony fans.  There was a consensus from regular symphony fans that the symphony could have stood on its own but the Zelda followers were there for the fun of the video, the visual effects and the followers of the Kingdom of Hyrule in the audience.

Joseph Budd Smith III is a Retention Specialist for American Income Life Insurance Company.  American Income Life provides life insurance and supplemental health benefits to working families in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland.  Budd is also an adult gaming enthusiast and a Shakespeare fan.