Jun 28

JQ Magazine: Video Game Tunes Launch World Tour with ‘rePlay: Symphony of Heroes’

Article/Journalism, JQ Magazine, Music Comments Off on JQ Magazine: Video Game Tunes Launch World Tour with ‘rePlay: Symphony of Heroes’

rePlay: Symphony of Heroes continues its tour at Jones Hall in Houston on July 5. (Jane Dempster)

By David Namisato (Aomori-ken CIR, 2002-04) for JQ magazine. David is an illustrator in Toronto who spent two years on JET as a CIR while also teaching half of Ajigasawa-machi’s elementary schools. David is best known for Life After the B.O.E., a webcomic and graphic novel he created about the wacky and wonderful experiences of the JET Programme. David is currently working on Mark to Minna (マークと皆/Mark and the Gang) a yon-koma (四コマ/ four-panel) comic strip about the life of Japanese-Canadian boy and his family in Toronto for Torja magazine, a Japanese-language magazine in Toronto, and also on his fantasy action-adventure comic, The Long Kingdom (check out issues 1, 2, and 3). See all of David’s projects at www.namisato.org.

As a child in the late ’80s, I would pause a video game mid-play just to enjoy the music. In the early ’90s, I had the good fortune of having a classmate from Japan who would lend me his CDs of orchestral performances of popular video game music. Music plays such an important role in setting the mood and pace in a video game, and even outside the context of the game, the same music maintains its impact, and is a delight to listen to.

For the past decade, Jason Michael Paul has been producing orchestral performances of video game music. His concerts have toured the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, appealing to a wide audience of video game fans. And as Paul said to me in a recent interview for JQ, the concerts are also an opportunity to expand people’s awareness of the art of video game music. Perhaps you have heard of, or even attended one of Paul’s concerts such as Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy in 2004, PLAY! A Video Game Symphony in 2006, or The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses in 2012-13.

This year, Jason Michael Paul Productions brings us the rePlay: Symphony of Heroes international tour, which made its world premiere at the Sydney Opera House in March, and its U.S. premiere in Florida on April 19. Performed by a live orchestra of 68 musicians and a 24-person choir, and featuring award-winning music from 16 classic games with all-new arrangements by the original composers as well as the world premiere of new music, rePlay: Symphony of Heroes will thrill fans of video games and classical music alike.

“The Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra is always a treat. Two sold out shows with rave reviews. The U.S. premiere with the Florida Orchestra in Tampa Bay was an excellent show,” says Paul. “The audience wanted more and the orchestra was met with standing ovations.” Even with such an overwhelmingly positive reception, Paul and his team strive to make things even better from the feedback they’ve received. “We have made changes to the program. We are always open to feedback.”

Fans of Japanese video games will enjoy rePlay for the music of great Japanese composers such as Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Cross), Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts), and Michiru Yamane (Castlevania). Fans of Western games such as Mass Effect, Halo, and Portal will also be able to enjoy their favorite music at rePlay. Paul worked closely in partnership with all the composers and game publishers so that the performances stay true to the original composers’ vision.

A frequent traveler to Japan, Paul has had the enviable experience of engaging with the Japanese composers in preparation for rePlay. When asked how his study of the Japanese language and Japanese culture affected the creation of his first video game music concert, Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy, Paul’s answer is something that will resonate with all JETs and JET alumni.

“An appreciation for the culture and making an effort to learn more, ultimately leading to the trust that they had in me,” he explains.  This is a trust that continues to grow today with music from six Japanese games, including music from Final Fantasy being featured in rePlay: Symphony of Heroes.

rePlay is unique amongst video game concerts with its inclusion of an original narrative that adds an overall structure to the concert and ties together the music and visuals from the works represented. Narrated by BAFTA-nominated voice actor Nigel Carrington, rePlay tells the tale of a hero’s journey following the 17 stages of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, a narrative structure seen in many stories around the world, with music carefully selected to match each stage of the hero’s journey. The audience isn’t just attending a concert, but partaking in an adventure as well.

What keeps Paul going after all these years of producing concerts? “The enthusiasm and appreciation from the fans,” he says. With interest and enthusiasm for video games continually growing, we can surely look forward to more concerts to come.

If you were ever blown away by the music while playing or watching someone else play Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts or Castlevania, rePlay will surely delight you.

The next performance of rePlay: Symphony of Heroes is in Houston, TX on July 5, followed by Los Angeles on July 6 at Anime Expo. The tour will continue on to Canada, the UK, Mexico, and other U.S. cities throughout 2014 and 2015. For the full schedule and ticket information, visit www.replay-symphony.com.