Game publisher Square Enix U.S.A. Inc. will present the first U.S. symphony concert featuring music from its hugely popular Final Fantasy video game franchise on Monday, May 10 at the newly opened Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Calif. The performance, timed in conjunction with E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), will feature the acclaimed Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Series composer Nobuo Uematsu will create the score for the two-hour concert. Square Enix has dedicated a web site to Uematsu’s work at www.square-enix-usa.com/uematsu. The site also contains concert information, though ticket prices and on-sale dates are yet to be announced.
The first Final Fantasy concert was performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan in February 2002. That successful engagement has led to a six-city, seven-show concert series titled Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy, which will be held this coming March and April in Japan.
The Final Fantasy soundtracks, which are original compositions, have grown to such popularity that Uematsu was named as one of the innovators in Time Magazine‘s “Time 100: The Next Wave" music feature. The scores can also be heard on the Final Fantasy radio station, available exclusively on America Online’s Radio@ Network, which features 200 tracks from the top-selling games.
