Per Matt
The Legend of Zelda is really rad… and the world premiere of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses – Master Quest is even better!
Last night, the concert series began its year-long world tour at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in the Music City. The Nashville Symphony and Chorus performed music from each video game of the Nintendo franchise while an extra-large screen displayed all-new graphics of the games.
There were fans of all ages attending the performance — many decked out in green and playing their handheld games before the show began. There were even quite a few cosplayers scattered about the audience.
The show was performed to a packed house. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen the Schermerhorn have a larger-attended concert in the past few years. All the upper level seats were full, even those behind the main stage were filled (although I don’t think they had access to the video screen).
Having a chorus perform along with the orchestra really added an extra element to the performance, one which has been sadly absent from other video game-based concerts I have previously attended throughout the years. They were outstanding!
My favorite song of the evening was the Great Fairy’s Fountain, which intricately features a pair of of harpists.
Tonight, the Zelda symphony tour continues, performing a second night in Nashville. Get your tickets quickly before they’re sold out. Make sure you arrive early in order to enjoy the pre-show trivia, as well.
After the show concluded, I got a quick interview with Producer Jason Michael Paul to discuss the evening’s performance and get a sneak peek of the unreleased game, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D.
How was Nashville chosen as a starting point for your world tour?
– “When we first started Symphony of the Goddesses, we did it with the Dallas Symphony. So, I really wanted to kick it off with one of the more highly regarded symphonies. Of course, it just worked out, timing wise and schedule wise with the Nashville Symphony. So, it was just a natural decision. It was a no-brainer, on my part. They’re a great orchestra and choir, as well.”
It was also the very first performance in Tennessee, as well.
– “That was also part of the reason. We had never been here before with the show and I’d always wanted to come here, so I wanted to kicked it off somewhere we hadn’t been.”
During the performance, your show premiered video clips of several games.
– “Nintendo was nice enough to grant us permission to premiere the footage from Majora’s Mask, which isn’t even out yet. They wanted to make sure we had the latest and the greatest representation of the games. You can see the difference in a lot of the other titles, too. For example, The Wind Waker HD, you can see the difference in the graphics that were being performed, as part of this program. Of course, The Link Between Worlds, which was also a premiere. It’s a brand-new release from Nintendo, which is also brand new for this concert, as well. Then we also reworked a lot of the edits that were parts of the previous shows. We reworked them and made them better.”
How many cities will this world tour take you?
– “Right now, we currently have 30 dates scheduled, worldwide and we’re planning on adding over 50 more. We’re probably going to have anywhere between 50 to 75 dates on the schedule, between now and the end of 2015.”
For More Information:
– Nashville Symphony Ticket Information
– The Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses Website
– The Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses Twitter
– Nashville Symphony Website