The sun was setting and the audience was assembling. A calm but yet exciting ambience filled the air as members of the National Symphony Orchestra made their final preparations. The lights dimmed and Eimear Noone was introduced as this evening’s conductor and she was more than well received. The overture was incredible. It was exciting and brought back found memories of sensuous bliss recounting my early childhood days intently playing the 8-bit masterpiece the Legend of Zelda. The orchestral arrangements of Koji Kondo’s original themes sent shivers down my spine. It was masterfully prepared. Eimear Noone conducted with flare the overture was intense and heart pounding.
As equally heart pounding was the dungeon theme. The tubas bellowed the floor toms rocked sending shocks of emotion through my soul. Smooth flute solos fluttered beautifully. The drama of the legendary Zelda dungeons was in full effect. Afterwards the action was calmed with an amazing rendering of Kakariko Village. The opening pieces were all early Zelda games focusing on A Link to the Past and prior. One masterfully executed theme was “Songs of the Hero”. There were two harps opposite of each other on stage and they plucked my heart strings. The subtle intricacy of this theme was astounding. It gripped my emotions and was a real tear jerker, an absolutely amazingly beautiful song.
They then went on to play themes from the more ladder games of the series “Ocarina of Time” and “Wind Waker”. They had an incredible sound; I personally just wasn’t as familiar with these themes as I was the previous ones. It was still a very highly enjoyable arrangement. What complimented these pieces more so was a giant screen displaying actual game play footage. This was really apparent in scenes from “The Twilight Princess” they were gorgeous and in conjunction with the live ensemble was exhilarating. The choir in “The Twilight Princess” especially stood out, and they were amazing.
The finale was just that, similar to the finale of a fireworks shows. It had a bit of everything. Eimear Noone and the National Symphony Orchestra then rightly received a standing ovation lead by myself. Of course they went on to perform two more pieces each great. This was an amazing experience and everyone should partake in the classical arts. When you mix it together with modern software such as Zelda and arrange it in such an artistic manner you have a great combination. The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses is an awesome experience.
FINAL GRADE: A+++
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