I went to a concert called “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses” in San Jose.
There were a lot of cosplayers around the entrance. From the very beginning, the concert has its own fun vibe. The hall was quite big, I thought it’s too big for an orchestra concert. It was very crowded and there are very few empty seats. There were three big screens on top of the stage, along with two big speakers.
The conductor appeared and they started to play Legend of Zelda : Medley. I was worried if the hall was too big for an orchestra, but there was no problem since it seemed that microphones were set everywhere and the speakers played music along with raw orchestra sound.
The most wonderful experience I had there was : the power of visual. I’ve been going to a lot of concerts in my life. From at a small studio to a big symphonic hall. A piano recital to an opera concert. Some say they feel hesitant to go to classical concert because it’s too formal or even boring. But this concert has never been boring. Even people who don’t know Legend of Zelda’s music, or even don’t know the games or stories at all can enjoy the concert because of the movies played on the screen. The movie and music matched perfectly, so it becomes a great entertainment by just watching. Even a little child was so focused on the screen and never became bored.
Game music is created for games. The music pieces are meant to be synchronized to the game. The concert faithfully reproduced the environment and the audience could enjoy both the game (video) and music. If either of them was missing, it wouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was. I’m moved to face the deep connection in between The Legend of Zelda’s music and its games.