I Love That Concert: The Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses
It has been a while people but “I Love That Song” is back, and with a blast! This time, we will not be covering just one song but a WHOLE CONCERT! I went to Mexico City to presence the Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses concert and this was my experience.
It was a blast! There were lots of people in the Mexico City Arena, but sadly it wasn’t a full house. But it is so far the largest gathering of Zelda fans in this series of concerts yet. The Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional (National Symphonic Orchestra) played the songs marvelously and made the night quite enjoyable and memorable.
The songs they played were mostly medley songs, very few single sets. I would’ve preferred a balanced mix of the two, but it was still a great experience nonetheless. Of course, these types of concerts also make use of visuals to accompany the music. Each song was set to a video of each game detailing some of the crucial points of them. So be warned, these videos aren’t totally spoiler free, although they don’t give much away. Also, between some of the songs a small video with Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma and Koji Kondo were played detailing some of the technical aspects on how the music of Zelda (and early Nintendo games) came to be. And also how important the music is to the series as a whole, really great information tidbits.
According to the program, there are total of 12 songs (I counted 14 for some reason). It started, of course, with the main theme or the Overture. I’m not going to lie; I got really teary-eyed when they started to playing this song. Listening to the Orchestra played this so masterfully really got me emotional and reminded me why I love Zelda so much. The whole trip and experience was worth it just for that song along. And it was probably the best song of the whole concert; it got the crowed hyped for more!
Then they played Gerudo Valley’s theme and a Boss Battle Medley. The former was really great to listen to; the orchestra made this song quite enjoyable and kept the crowd going. Though, it was one of the few single songs that got played during the concert. The Boss Medley was also really great. It featured some of the most iconic boss fights of the series. Even Phantom Hourglass got some love during this medley.
And while the last two songs were great, the crowd’s hype was brought up to 11 when they played a suite from the game of the moment for all Zelda fans alike, Majora’s Mask. I personally haven’t played Majora’s Mask but this medley made want to bring up my 3DS during the concert and start playing as soon as it finished.
They followed with A Link Between Worlds. While nice, it was kind of short or at least it felt like it. And while I know that ALBW’s soundtrack is mostly composed of A Link to the Past songs, it would’ve been nice to hear some of the new original songs in this medley. For me this was probably the low point of the whole show. Granted, it wasn’t necessarily bad, it’s just that it could’ve been better.
The next song was probably the most impressive, both acoustically and visually. It was the Creation of Hyrule. You may know this song from Ocarina of Time when Link travels in time to become Adult Link and meets with the Sage of Light and explains, well, the creation of Hyrule and the Triforce. Here was where the orchestra came to shine. The Sinfonica Nacional did a marvelous job with this song and showed their talents to the fullest. And the visual aspects of this song was also really awe-strucking. While the video showed the moments detailing the story behind Hyrule, the arena and stage was illuminated by colored lights. It was a beautifully moment, another highlight in the concert.
They continued with medleys for Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. These two songs made the crowd excited. My favorite of the two though is the latter. While Wind Waker isn’t my cup of tea, the music it features is gorgeous. I have always appreciated the art style and music from Wind Waker despite its gameplay flaws, so hearing the orchestra play it was a blast.
After that, we continued with the intermission… EVERYBODY STREETPASS!!! Seriously though, the venue was pretty great, not too small and not too big either. Any seat in the Arena was a great spot to listen and watch the concert. And like I said earlier, while it wasn’t a sold out concert, there was a really huge crowd and everyone was pretty respectful and the seats were quite comfy. Although, the space for our legs wasn’t the best though, it was still enjoyable.
Returning from intermission, we got treated by the Great Fairy’s Fountain song. This was probably the most relaxing and soothing song from all the set. This was another great visual experience too, using the lights and video to match the song.
Following that, we got a Twilight Princess and A Link to the Past set. The former was fantastic. Twilight Princess has some of the most epic songs of all the series and the orchestra captured that perfectly. But I was a little underwhelmed by the A Link to the Past one. We had heard the A Link Between Worlds medley and this one was fairly similar. Not to mention that it was missing some crucial songs from the game; like FREAKING LOST WOODS FOR HYLIA’S SAKE. Not a bad performance or song by any means, I still enjoyed it. But considering that this is my favorite game of the whole series, I expected more from it.
Then we got treated to another Majora’s Mask medley, but this was an special occasion since we got asked to put some Majora’s Masks that were left on our seats for a massive photo of everyone, including the people on stage, wearing them. Pretty cool moment in the concert.
Finally, we got the final stretch of the concert, the last pieces they played were Time of the Falling Rain, a medley of the ocarina songs you play from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s mask and accompanied by some of the towns’ music. They continued with Dragon Roost Island, which is another of my favorite songs from Wind Waker. And to end it all off, we got a Skyward Sword medley, which is another game In the series I know little to nothing about. The song was great too but some of the attendees, including me, felt underwhelmed that the concert ended with that and not of the other Zelda games. Maybe it’s my ignorance on Skyward Sword but I would’ve preferred the concert ending on another song but nonetheless it was great and I enjoyed it to the fullest.
Overall, the concert had some ups and downs but it was worth the trip down to Mexico City just to listen to it. Had a great time, listened to some freaking amazing music, played by some incredibly talented people. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how good the National Symphonic was at this concert. They treated the music like something special and unique and not just simply like a “kid’s thing”. The crowd adored them without a single doubt. Props to them for making the night quite memorable. So if you’re a fan of Zelda, it’s almost a must to go this concert. It’s a celebration of gaming’s most beloved franchises and most important music in the whole industry.
That’s it for today people, expect to see more regular ILTS articles in the near future. And if you like this article, don’t forget to share it and spread the word of the VOG Network. It really helps us a lot. And of course, any suggestions for future songs and articles are always welcomed in the forums, so register and participate!
Until next time, keep on adventurin’!
Here is a clip from Nintendo UK of another Symphony of the Goddesses Concert
It was a blast! There were lots of people in the Mexico City Arena, but sadly it wasn’t a full house. But it is so far the largest gathering of Zelda fans in this series of concerts yet. The Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional (National Symphonic Orchestra) played the songs marvelously and made the night quite enjoyable and memorable.
The songs they played were mostly medley songs, very few single sets. I would’ve preferred a balanced mix of the two, but it was still a great experience nonetheless. Of course, these types of concerts also make use of visuals to accompany the music. Each song was set to a video of each game detailing some of the crucial points of them. So be warned, these videos aren’t totally spoiler free, although they don’t give much away. Also, between some of the songs a small video with Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma and Koji Kondo were played detailing some of the technical aspects on how the music of Zelda (and early Nintendo games) came to be. And also how important the music is to the series as a whole, really great information tidbits.
According to the program, there are total of 12 songs (I counted 14 for some reason). It started, of course, with the main theme or the Overture. I’m not going to lie; I got really teary-eyed when they started to playing this song. Listening to the Orchestra played this so masterfully really got me emotional and reminded me why I love Zelda so much. The whole trip and experience was worth it just for that song along. And it was probably the best song of the whole concert; it got the crowed hyped for more!
Then they played Gerudo Valley’s theme and a Boss Battle Medley. The former was really great to listen to; the orchestra made this song quite enjoyable and kept the crowd going. Though, it was one of the few single songs that got played during the concert. The Boss Medley was also really great. It featured some of the most iconic boss fights of the series. Even Phantom Hourglass got some love during this medley.
And while the last two songs were great, the crowd’s hype was brought up to 11 when they played a suite from the game of the moment for all Zelda fans alike, Majora’s Mask. I personally haven’t played Majora’s Mask but this medley made want to bring up my 3DS during the concert and start playing as soon as it finished.
They followed with A Link Between Worlds. While nice, it was kind of short or at least it felt like it. And while I know that ALBW’s soundtrack is mostly composed of A Link to the Past songs, it would’ve been nice to hear some of the new original songs in this medley. For me this was probably the low point of the whole show. Granted, it wasn’t necessarily bad, it’s just that it could’ve been better.
The next song was probably the most impressive, both acoustically and visually. It was the Creation of Hyrule. You may know this song from Ocarina of Time when Link travels in time to become Adult Link and meets with the Sage of Light and explains, well, the creation of Hyrule and the Triforce. Here was where the orchestra came to shine. The Sinfonica Nacional did a marvelous job with this song and showed their talents to the fullest. And the visual aspects of this song was also really awe-strucking. While the video showed the moments detailing the story behind Hyrule, the arena and stage was illuminated by colored lights. It was a beautifully moment, another highlight in the concert.
They continued with medleys for Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. These two songs made the crowd excited. My favorite of the two though is the latter. While Wind Waker isn’t my cup of tea, the music it features is gorgeous. I have always appreciated the art style and music from Wind Waker despite its gameplay flaws, so hearing the orchestra play it was a blast.
After that, we continued with the intermission… EVERYBODY STREETPASS!!! Seriously though, the venue was pretty great, not too small and not too big either. Any seat in the Arena was a great spot to listen and watch the concert. And like I said earlier, while it wasn’t a sold out concert, there was a really huge crowd and everyone was pretty respectful and the seats were quite comfy. Although, the space for our legs wasn’t the best though, it was still enjoyable.
Returning from intermission, we got treated by the Great Fairy’s Fountain song. This was probably the most relaxing and soothing song from all the set. This was another great visual experience too, using the lights and video to match the song.
Following that, we got a Twilight Princess and A Link to the Past set. The former was fantastic. Twilight Princess has some of the most epic songs of all the series and the orchestra captured that perfectly. But I was a little underwhelmed by the A Link to the Past one. We had heard the A Link Between Worlds medley and this one was fairly similar. Not to mention that it was missing some crucial songs from the game; like FREAKING LOST WOODS FOR HYLIA’S SAKE. Not a bad performance or song by any means, I still enjoyed it. But considering that this is my favorite game of the whole series, I expected more from it.
Then we got treated to another Majora’s Mask medley, but this was an special occasion since we got asked to put some Majora’s Masks that were left on our seats for a massive photo of everyone, including the people on stage, wearing them. Pretty cool moment in the concert.
Finally, we got the final stretch of the concert, the last pieces they played were Time of the Falling Rain, a medley of the ocarina songs you play from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s mask and accompanied by some of the towns’ music. They continued with Dragon Roost Island, which is another of my favorite songs from Wind Waker. And to end it all off, we got a Skyward Sword medley, which is another game In the series I know little to nothing about. The song was great too but some of the attendees, including me, felt underwhelmed that the concert ended with that and not of the other Zelda games. Maybe it’s my ignorance on Skyward Sword but I would’ve preferred the concert ending on another song but nonetheless it was great and I enjoyed it to the fullest.
Overall, the concert had some ups and downs but it was worth the trip down to Mexico City just to listen to it. Had a great time, listened to some freaking amazing music, played by some incredibly talented people. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how good the National Symphonic was at this concert. They treated the music like something special and unique and not just simply like a “kid’s thing”. The crowd adored them without a single doubt. Props to them for making the night quite memorable. So if you’re a fan of Zelda, it’s almost a must to go this concert. It’s a celebration of gaming’s most beloved franchises and most important music in the whole industry.
That’s it for today people, expect to see more regular ILTS articles in the near future. And if you like this article, don’t forget to share it and spread the word of the VOG Network. It really helps us a lot. And of course, any suggestions for future songs and articles are always welcomed in the forums, so register and participate!
Until next time, keep on adventurin’!
Here is a clip from Nintendo UK of another Symphony of the Goddesses Concert
Mike “deft” Ibarra is a staff writer for the VOG Network. You can follow him over at Twitter at @act_deft
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Flaco_Jones
3/19/2015 8:32 AM
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