

Some members of the orchestra were even completely obscured by the screen.
#Final fantasy orchestra tour movie
While it makes perfect sense for a musical performance for a video game’s soundtrack to feature the visuals of the game, much like a live score for a movie or TV show would, it was sometimes shocking. When they returned to the music, the projection screen did not rise and continued to show footage from the match. Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Roth delivered some opening remarks, delivering a brief speech in which he thanked Square Enix and the composers who worked on it. As the harpist plucked his first note, the audience gave a brief applause before falling almost completely silent to soak in the almost angelic melody that surely everyone present knew intimately. The concert opened with the Prelude in the form of a brief video celebrating 25 years of Final Fantasy VII played on a projection screen. Ironically, the Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestra World Tour was not Assumed to line up perfectly with Final Fantasy VII’s 25th anniversary, but Square Enix made sure to capitalize on that regardless.

A world tour with orchestral performances and rearrangements of pieces from a set is a totally different level of reverence. Rarely does a game receive special treatment beyond a celebratory Tweet and a sale on digital storefronts. Lately, it seems like every other day marks the anniversary of another celebrated video game, with each year after a game or franchise release being seen as a marketing opportunity. Songs that weren’t originally written to be performed by an orchestra didn’t quite hit the mark, but otherwise the Shinra Symphony Orchestra and conductor Arnie Roth delivered a thrilling performance at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra earlier this month. It makes sense that Square Enix would proudly present such a masterfully written collection of music to its fans in orchestra halls around the world.Ĭoming 25 years after the release of the original game, the Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestra World Tour more than lives up to the high expectations that come with such a prestigious soundtrack. But with complex rearrangements and new compositions that sampled the music of the original, the 2020s Final Fantasy VII Remake surpassed its 25-year-old predecessor. The Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestra World Tour not only transported me to Midgar, it took me back to one of the most exciting gaming experiences I’ve ever had: sitting in the basement of my parents, escaping the fervor around a pandemic, I naively hoped not to consume a tenth of my life two years ago.įinal Fantasy VIIThe soundtrack of has long been one of the most famous and iconic in the pantheon of video games. I almost wanted to reach for my controller, before the dizzying six-story difference between me and that harp I just heard snapped me back to reality.

It’s nearly empty except for a comically large sword buried in the ground and the words “PRESS ANY BUTTON TO CONTINUE”. A light drum roll interrupts a celestial harp solo as horns and strings seep in, introducing an austere title screen.
