Although it would seem that the importance of a game would be the adventure, for fans of Final Fantasy, it is all about the musical journey. If one were not an avid player of the video game, they may not have understood the excitement that was laced throughout the auditorium of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The eagerness could be seen—even through flamboyant hair and costume—and in a mixed crowd of people. While they were prepared, the inexperienced found themselves vulnerable to the unexpected. The music was very different from what was anticipated and the energy by which it was received was seemingly mind blowing. I expected a spacey, techno-filled ambiance when I entered the Academy, but was instead met with a large orchestra who called themselves “Distant World Philharmonic.” The first few songs performed were played along side a choir who held songbooks and tried to harmonize.  The violinists strung fluidly against the tinkering of the harp, all giving the affair a very melodramatic environment that was already intensified by the fancy auditorium. It was sweet sounding music, but it gave off the air of something that was far too formal for what everyone had been seated to hear. What was even more surprising was the intense energy that the audience exuded as conductor Arnie Roth introduced the composer of all the songs played during the show, Mr. Nobuo Uematsu. It was quite clear that everyone who had come to this concert was very familiar with the material at hand and took it seriously.

The night became a bit strange for me after they played a victory chime and began playing songs from the games, which most audience members could identify by name. The marching—at times romantic sounding—pieces were accompanied by videos from the actual games, and this is where the truth was revealed. Without the video accompaniment, much of the meaning behind the music is lost. The songs were made only to be coupled with the video game, and without it, there isn’t much of a performance. It all grew to be very redundant, and the thought of why anyone would pay so much money to hear live background music from a video game baffled my senses.

In addition to the instrumentals, Susan Calloway graced the stage with her vocals several times during the night. Her vocal ability was in an acceptable range, and her voiced collided rather elegantly with the choir. However, her pronunciation of Japanese phrases were not as impressive (it was quite clear that she was not a fluent speaker), and nor was the rest of the concert.

If you never played Final Fantasy, to say you would have been displaced at the concert is an understatement. This was likely the reason for my disconnection with the performances, but one thing was for sure—if you came to hear game music that is exactly what you received. Nothing more and nothing less, despite any false pretenses they gave to display the evening as anything other than a largely congregated video game session.