Every year at Otakuthon brings forth a selection of free and paid concerts, many of which are worth every penny. You should definitely free up some time to go to at least one of them next year, tailoring to your own budget and musical preferences. This year, I chose to attend A New World: Intimate Music from FINAL FANTASY, led by the formidable Eric Roth, who has also worked on other notable musical projects, including as a musical director and orchestrator for Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY and as the director and conductor for Undertale LIVE.
I am no Final Fantasy expert. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you the difference between Final Fantasy VI, VII, or VIII, let alone what sets the originals apart from their remakes. Still, my affinities with string instruments and classical music made me decide to go and risk getting spotted as a poser among the crowd of die-hard fans who also attended the concert on that fateful Friday evening.
But when that first note finally hit, the songs felt oddly familiar. It occurred to me that I had played the game before, perhaps on a trusty old Nintendo DS or a home console at a friend’s place. Good songs have a magical power to linger in your memory, however distant, until the moment comes to recall them once again.
Under the joyful, energetic, and above all charismatic direction of the maestro, the orchestra began with some classics, including the town theme from the very first Final Fantasy. From there, the ensemble journeyed through the series, interpreting iconic tracks from each entry, such as “Lenna’s Theme” from Final Fantasy V, “Heaven’s Tower” from Final Fantasy VI, and “To Zanarkand” from the tenth installment. Paying tribute to the magnificent work of the franchise’s original composers Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu, the concert also honoured the game’s narrative by highlighting key moments in its story arc. However, with only an hour and a half to perform, the troupe had to carefully choose from the vast array of music, making the most of the limited time they had.
As the audience applauded and cheered, I found myself wondering just how many hours they’ve poured into these games and how deeply they love Final Fantasy. Unlike them, I don’t associate the tracks with specific moments or scenes from the game, having only faint memories of the last time I held a controller and dove into this expansive world. Still, as I looked around this buzzing room, packed with fans cheering as the group performed a beautifully quirky encore to send us off, I couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the scene I remember years from now when I next hear some of these iconic tracks. For any nostalgic gamers out there, A New World: Intimate Music from FINAL FANTASY is surely for you. As for myself, this concert I attended during Otakuthon will be my own piece of nostalgia in the making.
For those who missed the concert, the New World Players will perform once again on October 5th, this time in Cincinnati at the Memorial Hall.