I have been attending several game music concerts in my hometown recently. One was a month ago by the Metropole Orchestra, but most of them were by the North Netherlands Orchestra (NNO), which has hit upon an amazing formula by having Arjan Tien at the helm as the conductor, Julie Elven as the dedicated vocalist and game developer and expert Rami Ismail as the host. I had a wonderful time at their previous concerts, but I also started to see some cracks in their formula, as I have mentioned in my last report: replaying the same pieces at their concerts began to wear me out a bit, and I was hoping for something new. Luckily, when I saw their announcement of their most recent game music concert, I was immediately excited because for this edition, they had heard my call, and their own choir joined forces with the orchestra, Het Noord Nederlands Concertkoor (The North Netherlands Concert Choir), for their very first game music concert.
When I arrived at the venue after my 15-minute bicycle ride, I immediately noticed that I was not the only one who was curious about the improved formula since I had a hard time finding a place to park my bike between all the other ones. When I entered the hall, it was also packed with people and despite the concert being practically sold out, I could still find a good seat with a good view, which is one of the perks of going to a concert by yourself.
Before the concert started, and while witnessing the approximately 80-person choir enter the stage, I was curious how the music would be with the choir. That question was answered immediately through the performance of “Liberi Fatali” from Final Fantasy VIII, an iconic choir piece written for games, which immediately resulted in goosebumps. After a suite from Sonic the Hedgehog, Julie Elven was introduced by performing “Still Alive” from Portal, joyfully sung and performed by her and the orchestra. She remained on stage for the next piece, “Blood Upon the Snow” from God of War: Ragnarok. When Elven started to sing, I got worried as the choir remained in their seats. I have heard this song several times before, and I have always missed the choir in those performances. I was ecstatic when I saw the choir standing up at the right moment to make their much-appreciated contribution to the piece, especially with this suite containing the main theme from God of War as well.
The following two pieces were, according to Ismail, a showcase of the two different styles of game music: one where the music can be written for linear sequence, like a cinematic or cutscene, and one where the music is written dynamically that can be heard while someone is playing the game. The music for these two styles was “Entering the Zone” from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and a suite from Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle & Sparks of Hope, respectively. The first half ended with an excellent suite from Super Mario Galaxy.
Most often I do not talk about the intermission itself. It is just the audience getting drinks and going to the bathroom, but it was a bit different in this case. In addition to these common intermission activities, people could also play games, ranging from competitive Mario Kart with each other to retro games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders on arcade machines in the lobby.
When everyone had returned to the hall, with or without drinks, the second half of the concert could start. The first piece was a great start with “Lullaby of Woe” from The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine. It is a familiar song for me, but I have not heard it that often with a choir, which added the emotional eeriness to what the lullaby needs. The next piece on the program was also fantastic, “Helghast March” from Killzone, music I had not heard before. The music for that game had, apparently, been rerecorded and released by Sony just a couple of months before this concert, and I would not mind hearing this powerful march with a choir more often. The choir did not have to sit down for the next piece because it was time for Julie Elven to return to the stage to sing the iconic “Ezio’s Family” from Assassin’s Creed II with them and the orchestra.
After a fabulous suite from The Legend of Zelda in which the orchestra was allowed to shine by itself, it was time for another highlight. When Ismail announced that the next piece was the theme for the antagonist, Sephiroth, gasps of excitement could be heard from the audience. I consider “One Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII one of the best pieces of game music. Most of the time I have listened to it without the choir singing the iconic Latin lyrics, and to hear the complete version is always a privilege and a treat. It was a perfect finale of the program. We were, of course, still treated to an encore, “The Dragonborn Comes” from Skyrim, which was already a gorgeous song and, like many other pieces that evening, was elevated to the next level by the extra emotion added by the choir.
In my last report of NNO’s game music concert, I was hoping for a proper sequel, and they did deliver. They played many pieces from famous franchises that they had not played before, making this concert a unique experience music-wise and recognizable for the audience, but the most significant improvement was the addition of the choir. I rarely get to experience a big choir at concerts like this, and having them present added that extra layer of emotion and excitement to the pieces, resulting in several goosebump moments during the evening. This concert was also performed in two other cities and both were also well attended. This will, hopefully, motivate the NNO to continue on this outstanding path. There are still many pieces of game music that can be performed by the orchestra and their choir. Their concerts are an excellent promotion of how awesome game music can be.
Concert information
Where: De Oosterpoort in Groningen, the Netherlands
When: January 31, 2025
Orchestra: The North Netherlands Orchestra (NNO) conducted by Arjan Tien
Choir: Noord Nederlands Concertkoor (NNCK)
Vocalist: Julie Elven
Host: Rami Ismail
Program
- Nobuo Uematsu – “Liberi Fatali” from Final Fantasy VIII
- Masato Nakamura – Suite from Sonic the Hedgehog
- Jonathan Coulton – “Still Alive” from Portal
- Bear McCreary – “Blood Upon the Snow” from God of War: Ragnarok
- Bear McCreary – “God of War” from God of War
- Richard Jacques – “Entering the Zone” from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Grant Kirkhope – Suite from Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle & Sparks of Hope
- Mahito Yokota – Suite from Super Mario Galaxy
Intermission
- Marcin Przybylowicz – “Lullaby of Woe” from The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
- Joris de Man – “Helghast March” from Killzone
- Jesper Kyd – “Ezio’s Family” from Assassin’s Creed II
- Koji Kondo – Suite from The Legend of Zelda
- Nobuo Uematsu – ”One-Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII
- Jemery Soule – ”The Dragonborn Comes” from Skyrim (encore)
