Play! A Video Game Symphony

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PLAY! concert series logo
PLAY! concert series logo

PLAY! A Video Game Symphony is billed as the first symphony world-tour featuring music from video games.

Contents

[edit] Description

The concert tour is a production by Jason Michael Paul Productions Inc., the team behind the Dear Friends - Music From Final Fantasy symphony tour. Grammy award winner Maestro Arnie Roth, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Chicagoland Pops, serves as Principal Conductor and Music Director for PLAY!. Andy Brick, known for conducting the Symphonic Game Music Concerts joined as the Associate Conductor for PLAY!. PLAY! features music from such games as:

The PLAY! tour premiered on May 27, 2006 in Rosemont, Illinois, North America, and will be followed by stops in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand.

The world-premiere of PLAY! took place at the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago area). In attendance were video game composers Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo, Jeremy Soule, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yasunori Mitsuda, Yuzo Koshiro, Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, Akira Yamaoka and Jason Hayes. The event featured a meet and greet with the composers and director Arnie Roth as a $45 "VIP" addition to the normal ticket price. Percussionist Rony Barrak joined the concert as guest artist along with composer Akira Yamaoka and singer/songwriter Angela Aki. Yamaoka performed electric guitar accompanying the orchestra during the Silent Hill Theme of Laura, which he composed. Aki performed the theme song from Final Fantasy XII, "Kiss Me Good-Bye," and "Eyes On Me" from Final Fantasy VIII. As a special surprise act, composer Koji Kondo performed a special piano selection from New Super Mario Bros.

The European debut of PLAY! took place at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden. Video game composers Nobuo Uematsu, Chris Huelsbeck, Joel Eriksson, Bence Pajor and Gustaf Grefberg attended the concert. Percussionist Rony Barrak joined the event as guest artist again. Tickets for the concert in Stockholm were sold out in 14 days only.

Composers Yoko Shimomura, Hitoshi Sakimoto and Michael Salvatori attended the concert in Detroit. Composers Nobuo Uematsu, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Chris C. Tilton and Jeremy Soule attended the concert in Toronto. As a special surprise act, composer Takenobu Mitsuyoshi performed the song "Let's Go Away" from Daytona USA (arcade game). Takenobu Mitsuyoshi has been confirmed to attend both PLAY! Singapore concerts alongside with Yuzo Koshiro in June 2007. Yuzo Koshiro will DJ selections of his works including the Wangan Midnight- and Streets of Rage-series.

For the concerts in Stockholm, Sweden in 2007 a world-premiere of the Final Fantasy VI song Dancing Mad has been announced recently, featuring full orchestra, choir, pipe organ and rock band.

Nobuo Uematsu composed the fanfare that will open each concert of PLAY! around the world.

[edit] Program

The following titles are listed in the official PLAY! 2006 souvenir program.

Track Game Title Original Composer
1 PLAY! A Video Game Symphony Fanfare Nobuo Uematsu
2 Final Fantasy VIII Liberi Fatali Nobuo Uematsu
3 Super Mario Bros. Suite Koji Kondo
4 Shenmue and Shenmue II Sedge Tree Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
5 Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2 Suite Joel Eriksson, David Tallroth, Fredrik Englund, Jonas Östholm, Bence Pajor
6 Final Fantasy VII Aerith's Theme Nobuo Uematsu
7 Sonic the Hedgehog Suite Masato Nakamura
8 Metal Gear Solid Main Theme Tappy Iwase, Kazuki Muraoka
9 Kingdom Hearts Suite Yoko Shimomura, Utada Hikaru
10 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Suite Jeremy Soule
11 Final Fantasy series Swing de Chocobo Nobuo Uematsu
12 Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross Suite Yasunori Mitsuda
13 World of Warcraft Suite Jason Hayes
14 Silent Hill 2 Theme of Laura Akira Yamaoka
15 Halo Suite Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
16 The Legend of Zelda Suite Koji Kondo
17 Final Fantasy VII One-Winged Angel Nobuo Uematsu

Additional titles performed in Chicago, USA:

Additional titles performed in Stockholm, Sweden:

Additional titles performed in Detroit, USA:

Additional titles performed in Philadelphia, USA & Vienna, USA:

Additional titles performed in Toronto, Canada:

[edit] Song trivia

  • The Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross suite contains Reminiscence ~ Uneraseable Memories, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross ~ Scars of Time, Frog's Theme, and To Far Away Times.
  • The Super Mario Bros. suite contains the overworld, water and underworld themes from Super Mario Bros., the title screen theme from Super Mario World, the Bob-omb Battlefield theme from Super Mario 64 and the airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3.
  • The Sonic the Hedgehog suite contains the title screen theme, the Green Hill, Marble, and Starlight Zone themes and the boss theme from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • The World of Warcraft suite contains the Stormwind theme, portions of Song of Elune and Legacy (exclusive tracks from the limited edition soundtrack, though a portion of the Song of Elune is played in-game) and the main title theme, Legends of Azeroth.
  • Akira Yamaoka, best known as the composer of the music from the Silent Hill series, performed alongside the orchestra on electric guitar during the Chicago performance.
  • The The Legend of Zelda suite contains the title themes from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the overworld and labyrinth themes from The Legend of Zelda, and the rain scene, light world overworld and dark world overworld themes from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
  • The Castlevania suite contains Vampire Killer and Wicked Child from the original Castlevania and A Toccata into Blood Soaked Darkness from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.

[edit] Tour locations

[edit] 2006 World Tour (Promotional Tour)

[edit] 2007 World Tour

[edit] 2008 Tour

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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