The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Fans Retrospective
It’s a weird night when, despite not being anywhere near a game convention, 1 in 5 people around you in a queue are dressed as childhood (and current) videogame heroes.
Its a weird night when, despite not being anywhere near a game convention, 1 in 5 people around you in a queue are dressed as childhood (and current) videogame heroes. The people who are not dressed as such spend their time enviously eyeing up those who are, whilst preparing to see an orchestra. Its not an event I can say happens often but...damn its a buzz that tickles my nerdly soul. Me and the two life-long friends in my company have been looking forward to this for a good few months. We squeeze through the thousands of people indoors whilst trying to navigate our way to the merchandise (doors open and 70% of the stock sold out in 10 minutes), the bar, and the loo, as you would in any gig. Though this is far from a normal gig, reflected by the outfits ranging from the casual, to the suited-and-booted, to the elven. It was legitimately exciting. When they call us to our seats the three of us sat there remembering all the little tunes we could think of. The lights dim, the Royal Philarmonic Concert Orchestra readies itself, the introductions are given, and then just before it starts we are told that leading us through the night will be... Zelda. Williams. Daughter of the awesome Robin Williams named directly after the princess herself. Not in costume, but all dressed up and classy, and alternating between nervous and confident geeking out about her love of the Zelda series. Even with her introduction I dont think I could have been prepared for the next two hours. It was honestly and amusingly too damn emotional for my own good. This is strange for me because I LOVE the games, but Im not the most hardcore guy about it. I dont have tattoos of princess Zelda , mounted shields on my wall and a replica master sword, but I have plugged hours of gaming into practically every Zelda game out there. But as the orchestra started playing Zeldas lullaby, thus began the start of a night of Nostalgia repeatedly smacking me in the face. In a loving way of course. As they played through the entire soundtrack of Wind Waker and then proceeded play the Ocarina songs from Ocarina of time by individual orchestra section I was lost. Alternating between staring at the orchestra with open mouthed grins and staring at my friends misty eyed bursting out with things like DO YOU REMEMBER THIS ONE IT WARPED YOU TO THE FIRE TEMPLE!!!! my night was made. And far from over. As the orchestra powerfully and professionally progressed through boss battle songs, the evil Ganondorfs Theme and the beautifully delivered Great Fairy Fountain Theme (I need to see more Zelda-based harp duets in my life), the excitement only intensified. The latter sounded especially emotional after Zelda Williams came up and gave a touching last statement, where she quite visibly teared up as she talked about her childhood playing the games...and the thousands in the crowd were equally as emotional. You forget how solidly these songs sit in your mind until theyre drawn out by such an event and even looking at the names of the themes and characters I wonder if it all sounds a bit ridiculous to a non-fan. But then I dont know if I care, because suddenly I remember sitting there shocked as the conductor announced their finale, and thinking Where the hell did 2 hours go and why isnt there more?!?. As the main Legend of Zelda theme medley played, I sat there absorbing it and realising this music is just as, if not more iconic than the themes from Star Wars, Richard Donners Superman and the Godfather. Maybe its the childhood association, the interactive nature of video games, or some other mysterious factor, but Ill be damned if that closing theme didnt yank my heart strings and root me to the ground in a way I havent felt in a long, long time. I cant describe the feeling of this powerful ending giving way to the opening of an encore starting with the theme of the upcoming game Skyward Sword. Then I paused for a second when I realised that I was just as enthralled, despite no real connection of nostalgia of the song. Then the second was over, and I carried on grinning at the stage gleefully. It seems like the music supervisor of the music in Zelda games Koji Kondo always knows exactly the right ingredients to include when building on a 25 year old legacy, something all the people currently obsessed with creating sequels and prequels and reboots, in movies and games, can so easily get wrong. As Kondo himself closed the night with a piano solo of the just-as-cute-as-it-sounds Grandmas Theme, the audience closed the night with a final standing ovation, and I stood there in awe at what I had just been a part of. Days later and I have the slightly dimmer memory of the buzz of the night as I go about my day-to-day business and begin typing this. Then I let myself meander onto youtube...type in Zelda...and Im right back there.