On Saturday, June 27th, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performed “Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy” at The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Their performance was, in a word, phenomenal. Throughout the entire show, fans of the series and music lovers alike cheered loudly. The music, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, made one feel the full range of emotions though out the performance. A large screen displayed clips and gameplay footage synced with the music. They were a perfect combination. This added an element of comedy to the show and people laughed as they relived those memories. During the intermission of the two-hour performance, one could see the crowd was eager for more. I utilized this time to speak with some fans and take pictures of those whom actually came dressed in full Final Fantasy gear (photography was not allowed during the performance).
A girl in a Final Fantasy costume attends the symphony.
When they announced the second half was about to begin the crowd rushed to their seats. Opening the second half with Final Fantasy VII’s Opening – Bombing Mission, they got the crowd going and pumped for what was to come next. Conductor Arnie Roth bantered with the crowd, and then announced that Nobou could not make the performance but left a special video message to play for everyone. The crowd cheered and laughed as Nobou played through a great comedy skit, and then thanked all the fans of Final Fantasy. After the performance, the orchestra received a standing ovation from a packed crowd. Teasing fans that the show was over, Arnie left and returned to the stage to play one more. (Here it comes) The song that everyone was waiting for – Sephiroth’s Theme. The entire show blew me away. This was an excellent performance that was a shame for any true fan to miss. Mark the date of a future show on your calendar and go see one of the best performances you will ever see.
Keynotes: During intermission I spoke with Dominic Cerquetti was there and had a table set up promoting Magfest 2010. Also for video game music lovers David W. Lloyd (DJ Pretzel) from OCremix.org was also there promoting and talking with fans.
One Comment
Hey hey n gratz to the news website. It took me a minute to get my log in info up but i did. I’ll like to say this was the 1st one I wanted to leave a comment on, FF music. I wanted to attend the show n heard it was a great show. Ima big fan of the game and music- I wouldntnt have heard about the event if it wasn’t for your website, To Gabe n all the others who make it possible, I thank ya on a great start with this site. Keep it up