Symphony For A Videogame Goddess

In I had mentioned that in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda in 2011, Nintendo announced a symphonic tour entitled "The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses" that would hit various locations in the U.S. through 2012.

On the evening of March 28th, I finally got to attend the long-awaited show at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.

As I entered the hall, accompanied with my brother (we're lifelong Zelda fans), the first thing I noticed was the music being piped into the overhead speakers - nothing but classic Zelda tunes, which really got me excited for the show to begin.

Hundreds of fellow fans milled about, most dressed to the nines for the occasion, and a handful of others in full costumes of their favorite Zelda characters. The lobby was clogged with a huge line of people waiting to buy posters and t-shirts commemorating the evening.

As we took our seats and the show began, the lights dimmed and the orchestra started; on a huge screen behind the stage, cinema scenes and images from the Zelda series began to play in a montage in time with the music. By the end of the piece the crowd was blown away and cheering - and that was just the opening.

The conductor addressed the crowd and welcomed us, ensuring that the evening would pay homage to the rich musical history of The Legend of Zelda and to Koji Kondo's incredible compositional achievements. The symphony was divided into pieces, with a prologue about the creation of Hyrule by the goddesses, then four movements. Movement I featured music from Ocarina of Time, Kakariko Village, and the Ballad of the Windfish, then movement II featured music from The Windwaker. After a 20 minute intermission movement III began with Twilight Princess and The Great Fairy's Fountain, concluding with movement IV's dedication to A Link to the Past.

Every orchestrated piece was moving and had an incredible amount of energy and emotion. I'll admit, I got choked up multiple times watching the most memorable, touching, exciting, and heartfelt moments in the franchise being played to the gorgoous music. Memories of my childhood came back, of experiencing Zelda for the first time and how it changed my life.

The orchestra earned itself multiple standing ovations, and when we thought it was over we were surprised with a secret piece - the theme of Gerudo Valley from Ocarina of Time. And after yet another ovation, the conductor addressed us one last time, with the biggest surprise.

She said that in response to heavy demand from fans, the orchestra had composed a special piece from Majora's Mask. During the intermission, I had discussed with my brother and nearby fans how disappointed we were that Majora's Mask had been skipped in Movement I, but we had spoken too soon, and the crowd cheered loudly as they prepared to play.

The evening was an incredible success, with a full house of avid fans eager to soak up the sounds of such a storied franchise. My only disappointments were that, for one, Nintendo of America was at the show and never came out to address the crowd and thank us for coming; for another, the Majora's Mask piece, while beautiful, was short and didn't include a fraction of the music from the game, which is some of the most memorable.

Also, with all the money we paid for tickets, why weren't we provided with programs? I would've liked to have had one to take home and keep. Finally, Skyward Sword, the latest game in the series, featured a fully orchestrated soundtrack and during the show in Los Angeles a piece composed for the game was played - why wasn't it played at this show?

Small gripes aside, I left the hall awestruck with what I'd experienced. Any Zelda fan would walk away from that show wishing it didn't have to end. If you're willing to travel to catch the next show, it would be worth it to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.

As we walked out that night, three young women walking past the crowd were laughing condescendingly that such a massive crowd turned out for a video game symphony - if they had experienced it, perhaps their minds would've been changed.

But as they say, to each his own.

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