A New World

Last night, I had the privilege of experiencing something very special. It was at St Luke's, a modest converted church in London's centre where I witnessed the world premiere of A New World – Intimate Music from Final Fantasy.

First things first, I cannot state how lucky we were to get tickets. There were very limited tickets with it being such an intimate show, in fact it didn't seem that the were more than 150 people there when the show actually started. Final Fantasy concerts, both Distant Worlds and Final Symphonies are known to sell out exceedingly quick, but this was a matter of minutes.

We arrived at St Luke's around an hour early. The venue is quite unassuming from the outside, the church's spire was lit a nice blue, but other than that it seemed quite at home on Old Street. Quaint compared to the others, the grand Royal Albert Hall and the modern Barbican complex.

Anyway, what a lovely venue! It was more of a studio on the inside, with microphones littering the set up (we'd later find out they were recording this session for a CD release later this Spring) and a very casual layout of chairs. St Luke's is after all, the LSO's rehearsal hall. I do like the pomp and sense of occasion with other sweeping orchestral sets, but this was a nice change to see something a little less formal, a little more involving for both audience and performers. In place of harps and rows of woodwind was a drum kit, a small (but perfectly formed!) string quartet, a piano, Spanish guitar, and curiously enough a ukulele.

The evening began with a toned-down version of VII's One Winged Angel (what else?). A delight it was too, as much of a fan as I am of the pious pomp of Sephiroth's theme it was wonderful hearing a different, less ostentatious take on a classic. One of only a few full set pieces performed this evening, it had an element of fun and mischief as opposed to the fear-of-God menace that Sephiroth's theme usually evokes.

And so went the evening, an evening dedicated to the lesser known Final Fantasies and their unsung tracks. Of both solo performances and full set pieces, the evening was a myriad of experimental imaginings. I do love the sweeping orchestral movements of Distant Worlds and Symphonic Fantasies, but it was very interesting seeing different interpretations of classic pieces. A string quartet tribute to Seymour of FFX? Check. A version of VI's Dark World where Uematsu and conductor Arnie Roth played alongside the orchestra? Amazing! Benyamin Nuss performing his Advent Children rendition of Those Who Fight? Even more breathtaking when you see his hands dance across the keys in person.

We all know and love VII onwards, as in Europe they were the first games to be localized back in the Playstation days, though I must admit it can be a little tiresome to hear the same iconic pieces at every concert. Who am I kidding?! I'll never tire of it... What I'm trying to say is that it's nice to see some other games get a little spotlight. I, II and III are usually featured as a medley in Distant Worlds (if indeed at all), so it was special to hear them get their own songs this evening. II's Rebel Army theme was a full set, rightly so with the marching tone it commands. Town from I was a particular favourite of mine, how sweet to reach your first village all those years ago – even sweeter to hear such nostalgia translated from it's 8 Bit glory!

Conductor Arnie Roth made a point throughout the evening to introduce each performer and address their talents, I was particularly excited to see piano virtuoso Benyamin Nuss on stage who had his share of solos and a very special duet with Roth himself on violin performing XIII's The Promise / Blinded by Light. Who knew Roth was such a talent on violin? I sure didn't, but call me ignorant.

The Navarra Quartet were particularly impressive, their tribute to X's Seymour was outstanding, possibly my favourite piece of the evening. It truly amazes me how one can turn this, into this. Seymour was always one of the more imposing villains I found, and I can't wait for X HD even more now! I bought a Vita for that game. Still waiting years later. But they gave me a promo leaflet at the concert, so that's progress right?

Right..?

The evening was not without comedy too! In one bizarre moment, I bore witness to a member of the London Symphony Orchestra playing a ukulele to the ever-present Chocobo theme. In this same piece, world renowned pianist Benyamin Nuss simulated a Chocobo's Kweh! with what can only be described as a squeaky orange (my vision is not the best). Ukulele Guy later had a slide whistle mimicking a Chocobo's chirp, it was possibly the most fun I've seen in a professional recital! Everyone was grinning ear to ear, both audience and performers alike laughing. It was adorable and totally unique to all other Chocobo medleys I've heard before!

How wonderful it was to hear a tribute to Moogles, Final Fantasy's other signature creatures! Sadly, this was the only hint of IX in this evening – a shame as IX is arguably my favourite, both in story and music. Moogle Theme was both playful and unexpected, building to a climax that suggested Mognet itself was on the verge of collapse.

Later on in the evening, Arnie Roth introduced III's piece as Elia the Watermelon, which he quickly corrected as – of course – the Water Maiden. The whole thing was taken in good humour, one of the advantages of a smaller concert, there's much more warmth from both performers and audience than you don't feel with the distance of an amphitheatre.

Uematsu himself even played on VI's Dark World, adding a special spark to an already sombre magical piece. It's not often you get to hear composer, conductor, and orchestra all play as one unit. The music of course was lovely, but it was a moment to treasure for the sheer rarity of the situation. 

That's his shoe by the way, he took it off to have better control over the pedals.

It was truly a treat to have both Uematsu and Roth perform – both together and in separate pieces on this evening. Although Uematsu regularly attends performances of his music, it's pretty much unknown for him to take part in the playing, and as I mentioned earlier, I wasn't even aware of Roth's amazing violin talent.

It was truly a special evening, both unique and familiar. If they tour again, I highly recommend making the effort to witness it, and if not, please take the time to listen to the YouTube recordings that inevitably surface. It's a unique take on the classics we all love, and a few you may not have experienced before. With all the warmth and interaction that sometimes seems absent from larger halls, a smaller venue, audience and set made the perfect atmosphere for establishing a more... well, it says it in the title, intimate evening with our favourite music. I only wish IV's Within the Giant made an appearance, as I believe it would have translated beautifully either as one of Nuss' solo piano performances, or one of the Navarra quartet's sublime tributes.

I'm usually an emotional wreck after the pure power of orchestral pieces seen at the likes of the Distant World concerts. Last night was a lighter night, certainly interesting and refreshing, and though I can't say I necessarily prefer it to the sweeping symphonies, it truly was a special night. Here's hoping many more come our way.