Attention gamers: Have you ever dreamed about experiencing video games on a whole new level? Did you ever wish your favorite video game’s music could exist outside of the game? Have you ever wondered what sort of genius could produce such cool background music to your favorite video game?
Well your dreams have come true! Okay, maybe not. If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a love for video games beyond a level of physical comprehension. If you said no to any of these questions, or to all of them, you may simply be a video game fan who manages to find time for term papers, exams and some video gaming on the side. Regardless, it can officially be said that your gaming can be taken to another level — a classical music level.
The Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, a “professional symphonic ensemble presenting an innovative blend of popular music, classical works and a variety of contemporary genres — rock, pop and jazz,” is taking video game music to the next level by performing the music to the international hit “Final Fantasy,” one of the highest-selling video games in the world. The concert, titled “Dear Friends: Music From Final Fantasy,” will take place on Saturday at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, in Rosemont.
According to Noreen Heron & Associates, the publicists for the event, the one night only concert will be the first in a series of long awaited concerts in North America featuring award-winning music from Square Enix’s world-renowned Final Fantasy video game series.
Outstanding graphics on massive screens will tie memorable moments from the video games along with the scores during the performance.
“I was very intrigued by the prospect of doing this kind of a concert,” says Arnie Roth, the Grammy award-winning conductor of the Chicagoland Pops who received both his bachelor’s and masters degrees from Northwestern. “The video game industry from a dollar stand point is larger than all of Hollywood combined.”
With “Final Fantasy” having sold 60 million units world-wide since its inception in Japan in 1987, it’s no wonder why this concert is already the buzz in Chicago. Tickets have been on sale for barely two weeks now, and the concert is nearly sold out.
But if it weren’t for the success of other “Final Fantasy” concerts, this performance may not have taken place.
“Final Fantasy” fans from around the country flocked to buy tickets to the first concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles — which sold out in a matter of days. The Chicagoland Pops heard such positive feedback from the Los Angeles performance that they decided to add the Feb. 19 performance to their concert series.
The “Final Fantasy” soundtracks, which are original compositions by Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu, have grown so popular that Time Magazine recently named Uematsu a notable “Innovator” in its “Time 100: The Next Wave — Music” feature.
His influence on orchestral music around the world has heightened the anticipation for a concert of this magnitude. One that reflects traditional classical music styles combined with contemporary video game melodies.
“The synergy between Chicagoland’s top musicians and the music of Nobuo Uematsu will provide the audience with an unbeatable entertainment experience,” says Rhoda A. Pierce, the executive director of the Chicagoland Pops.
Some gamers may want to experience this concert simply because they’re fans of the game. However, a concert of this calibur seems nothing short of a dream to those gamers that are hardcore fans of the music as well.
“I listen to a lot of ‘Final Fantasy’ music,” says Weinberg sophomore Vineel Kankanala. “I think it’s very interesting and it’s worth listening to in a full orchestral setting.”
Kankanala and his friend, Weinberg sophomore Victor Gall, have played almost every edition of the game. They plan on attending the concert not only because they’re fans of the video game, but because they have respect for Uematsu as a composer and they love the “Final Fantasy” music.
“If it was a random classical music concert, I probably wouldn’t go,” Gall says. “However, this is ‘Final Fantasy’ music … that’s different.”
Whether you’re a fan of “Final Fantasy,” a fan of classical music, or … well, a fan of both, it’s almost guaranteed that the Feb. 19 performance of “Dear Friends: The Music of Final Fantasy” here in Chicago may just change the way gamers view their X-boxes and Play Stations. Let’s face it … classical music derived from video games may just be the next big thing.
Medill freshman Alexis Jeffries is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected]<.>