Zelda fans are in for a treat this month when The Legend Of Zelda 25th Anniversary symphony concert comes to London and Los Angeles. To find out more about the concert, ONM interviewed Jeron Moore, producer of the Zelda Symphony concerts. He told us that working with Nintendo's Koji Kondo has been magical and fans can expect a jaw-dropping experience on 25 October.
ONM: Can you let us know how you came to be involved in the Zelda: 25th anniversary Symphony concert?
For a fan like myself, bringing The Legend of Zelda to the symphony hall is a dream come true. Chad Seiter (Composer and Orchestrator) and I had been secretly developing an idea with Executive Producer Jason Michael Paul for a Zelda-centric show in early 2010.
When it came time to present the idea to Nintendo, much to our delight, they were already on the same page - and so the decision came to combine our ideas and produce the project collaboratively with the creators of the franchise.
ONM: So you're Zelda fans, then. What was it like to work with Koji Kondo and Nintendo?
JM: We're all huge Zelda fans. I still have my original NES gold cartridge from the game's initial run (and every subsequent release)!
Having the opportunity to work with Nintendo as closely as we have has been nothing short of magical. It's been an absolute honour and a privilege - and a whole lot of fun.
I'd like to give a special shout out to Bill Trinen and Kim Moore at Nintendo of America, for without their championing efforts and endless enthusiasm, none of this would have been possible.
ONM: The songs were hand-picked by Koji Kondo and his team. Did you have any say in the set list at all?
JM: We've been very fortunate! Kondo-san has been very hands-on and instrumental during the entire production process.
The set list fans will hear on the evening of October 25th in London at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo is the direct result of a true collaboration between both our teams, all directly supervised by Kondo-san himself.
As one of the key producers on the project, I worked directly with Chad in helping structure and conceptualise several of what I consider story-driven pieces.
We're both filmmakers and storytellers at our cores, so the drive we have comes from a desire to bring Kondo-san's wonderful and memorable melodies - melodies burned into the epicenter of our minds from childhood - into an orchestral context worthy of the cinema.
ONM: Are you happy with the choices? Are there any more that you would have liked to play?
JM: We're absolutely happy. As a celebration of Zelda's 25 years, the show is designed to delight fans old and new.
Of course, it's difficult to cover everything when you consider the scope and magnitude of the Zelda franchise. Kondo-san and his team have written a lot of great music!
Fortunately, the 25th Anniversary Symphony concerts are only the beginning. Fans have a lot to look forward to between these commemorative shows and the upcoming world tour in 2012, which will include a full length 4-movement symphony.
Two of these movements will debut at the upcoming concerts in October - but you'll have to come back next year to hear the rest!
ONM: How many tunes will you be playing and how long will the concert last for?
JM: I don't want to spoil it but we'll be performing roughly 80 minutes of music.
Can you reveal any of the music you'll be playing
JM: I'm sorry, I've already said too much! It's a surprise. Expect to see some of the usual suspects but we have a few fun surprises planned as well.
ONM: You're performing new arrangements of the songs. Why have you rearranged them? How much was Koji Kondo involved in the new arrangements?
JM: While it's true all of these are new arrangements, fans can rest assured we've taken utmost care and consideration in keeping the vision as close and as true to their in-game counterparts as possible although you won't be hearing any midi!
Kondo-san and his team have been with us every step of the way and as you can imagine, Kondo-san has been an invaluable resource. When it comes to Zelda music, he's the expert!
ONM: So these aren't radical new arrangements then and you expect Zelda fans to instantly recognise them.
JM: Fans are in for a treat as they'll be hearing music from The Legend of Zelda like never before. It's everything you remember - except bigger, grander and more immersive.
Chad, Kondo-san and his team have done truly awe-inspiring work in fully realising these beautiful melodies for the orchestral setting. In some cases, it's jaw-droppingly cinematic.
ONM: What's the set like? Will you just be playing the songs as an orchestra or will there be video screens showing classic moments from the Zelda games?
JM: The Legend Of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony is a full-on multimedia event. A team of talented, Zelda-enthused editors have assembled a thoughtful, carefully considered video presentation that will accompany the music.
Are you nervous about bringing these new arrangements to fans? What do you expect the response will be like around the world? Do you think there will be cheers when people recognise the themes?
JM: I don't think any of us are nervous. Just excited! We love these games, the characters, their stories and the music every bit as much as you do. It's really been a labour of love.
As with anything you pour your heart into, you hope for the best as you send it off into the world for people to experience. As for cheers, I'm counting on it! If you're not cheering, we might have to check your pulse!
ONM: Finally, do you have a Spanish Guitarist in your orchestra? We want to hear the Gerudo Valley theme!
JM: I'm keeping that to myself. ;)
Jeron Moore is a producer who splits his time between both videogame and film industries. He has produced over 12 soundtrack albums for British Academy award-winning composer Jeremy Soule, including the highly-acclaimed scores for the Guild Wars franchise, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Dungeon Siege 2, PREY and many others.
You can keep to date with the Legend Of Zelda Symphony concert on Facebook and Twitter.
The more I learn about this concert, the more I regret not buying those super-extra-expensive tickets... I sure hope that, besides the CD coming with the initial run of Skyward Sword, Nintendo will release a DVD of the concert (a bit like Capcom did with their Ace Attorney orchestra concert, in 2008). Not only I want to see the images and videos displayed, but I also love to see musician playing in an orchestra like this one... for some reason, it makes the whole experience even more fantastic to me.
Anyway, I hope we'll get to know more about that 2012 World Tour soon!
