Very Nice and Geeky

Cosplayers, video games, and an 8-bit gaming soundtrack were all part of the Seattle Symphony last Thursday when they performed The Legend of Zelda, Symphony of the Goddesses to an auditorium of faithful fans, old and new.

The Legend of Zelda is a fantasy video game that was first released in 1986 and over the last 20 years has gathered a huge fan base of its roleplaying fantasy series. One of the unique things about this fun game is its beautiful soundtrack. Every Legend of Zelda fan will tell you that the orchestrations are part of what they love about the game.

This touring production was amazing and so much fun to attend. I had only played the game one time prior, and I still enjoyed every aspect. Upon arrival I noticed immediately that many of the attendees has showed up in cosplay. Many were the main character, Link, and some had dressed as Zelda. It sure created excitement. I also noticed that as many as half of the attendees were walking around with their Nintendo DS’s playing the game. Also, Nintendo was there with demos of the newest games. I got to spend some time reacquainting myself with the characters before the performance.

As I settled into my seat, the screen above the stage had a slideshow of the winners of the Fan Art Contest. Some extremely talented artists had created beautiful art. I had a chance to talk to the people around me and discovered that almost everyone near me was a Nintendo employee and they had bought their tickets months and months in advance. I knew I must be in for a good show. Then the lights went down, the first chair violin came on to stage, then the conductor, Susie Benchasil Seiter. Later we discovered she had created the orchestrations.

Then the music started and I immediately had chills. The screen showed visuals of the game that went right along, and matched the mood with the music. I guess everyone felt the same way because the audience cheered like it was a rock concert. Everybody seemed like they were enjoying it all. They laughed when the visuals were funny, they gasped when it showed their favorite characters, and were silent the rest of the time, obviously enjoying the music to its fullest. I looked back from my seat once and they were all swaying side to side in their seats to the music. Between the movements, the Zelda team came out to talk a bit about the music and to introduce the symphonies. At one point they handed over a Wind Waker, a sword from the game, for Seiter to conduct the symphony. The audience went crazy for it! Thanks to Vocalpoint! Seattle, we got all got to experience a full vocal orchestration too. It was truly beautiful.

The audience was young and lively, very nice and geeky! I am a major geek myself and I have to say that this performance was beautiful, well put together, and extremely worthwhile, not to mention lots of fun! The only disappointment is that it was a one-night only show and I really want to take my little brother to see this performance. Come back to Seattle Legend of Zelda, I’m your newest fan!

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses was a one-night-only event

But mark your calendar for Hitchcock's Psycho, October 30 & 31

See master-of-suspense Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho on screen at Benaroya Hall as the Seattle Symphony performs the spine-tingling soundtrack. Perfect for Halloween! (Note: Psycho is rated 'R')

More info here.