I went to the Masonic Auditorium last night to join a sell-out crowd at the Nobuo Uematsu gig, where the Silicon Valley Symphony Orchestra performed the greatest hits of the Final Fantasy music. It was a surreal event, and not just because the majority of the audience were under-30 year old FF fanatics (some in costume!), but also because the classical music that was performed was strangely out of context in the arena in which it was played. While it's exciting that Uematsu's compositions are exposing a new audience to classical genres, the disjointedness of the pieces made it seem like we were party to a different kind of pop gig.
The response of the audience was rapturous, but I wonder how many of the attendees would have reacted to a more traditional concert, with movements, arias and other standards of classical fare. The whole product seemed strangely jumbled together, with no real sense of consistency. Sure, the individual songs were dramatic and featured everything that they're traditionally celebrated for, but all together the concert was something a games fan would appreciate more than a season ticket holder to the Chicago Pops.
What really stood out was the difference between game music and compositions created for other media. Game music is far more repetitive, needing to react to the gamer at a moment's notice, while film music, for example, has the opportunity to lead a viewer through a consistent and extended emotion.
Or maybe that's Uematsu.
Ultimately, it was an interesting experiment. If it proves successful it may change the shape of classic concerts and their audiences in the future.
Now I'm just waiting for the audience with Danny Elfman.
