If you did not attend the Zelda Symphony concert on Friday and live in LA (which I assume you do if you’re reading this, unless we became nationally known overnight), then shame on you!

The brilliant musicians of Orchestra Nova assembled together to perform music selections from all the games that make up The Legend of Zelda series, resulting in nothing short of an absolutely amazing performance.  The menagerie of notes flooded the Pantages Theatre as they guided attending fans on a journey to revisit Hyrule and all the adventures that have transpired throughout the beloved series that has spanned a quarter century.

The air of excitement pulsing through the eagerly-awaiting guests was tangible as I made my approach from the parking lot.  The theater was adorned with banners reflecting the art of the various iterations of Link and his quests.  There were fans that had been so since the beginning, mixed with ones of a younger generation, reminding the otherwise unaware how the love for the series has transcended time itself.  Many came dressed for the occasion, whether it had been simply sporting a shirt depicting the iconic Triforce, or (but far fewer) had come in full-costume fatigues.

Link and Zelda

Throughout the lobby there were several Wii and 3DS stations set up for people to demo next month’s highly-anticipated Skyward Sword (Wii) or play Four Swords, which was recently released on the 3DS’ e-shop.  Surprisingly, the horde of bodies that formed only the faintest resemblance of what is traditionally to be recognized as a line had not been for these demo stations (although there had certainly been a good handful), but had instead been to nab a commemorative tee or poster; I quickly inserted myself among them (damn my love for shirts and the wearing of them that imminently follows!).  As I awaited my chance to fork over a twenty for that torso-shaped bundle of cottony goodness, conversations concerning everything Zelda poured from excited mouths to be received by prosthetic, elven ears.  3DS-wielding patrons huddled together to get their own game of Four Swords going, independent of the aforementioned stations.

The minutes until showtime grew rapidly fewer, and I hadn’t moved more than a foot or two in this “line”.  Not wanting to miss even a moment of the show, I took one final, longing glance at the merch booth, and darted off to find my seat (“I’ll come back for you, shirt!”).

The seating was not unlike that of what you would expect to find at a baseball stadium; everyone’s knees went right up to the backs of the seats of the row in front of them, making it a pain in the ass to get situated.  The ushers ushered, and just like any other assigned-seating event, there was no shortage of people who had yet to master the extremely difficult, and long sought-after ability of verifying whether the numbers on their tickets matched those located on their seats, causing the shuffling of numerous parties (mediated by the highly-skilled-at-number-matching ushers) to last several minutes into the start of the show.

More Link and Zelda (in Shiek form)

The show began with an introduction by Eiji Aonuma, assisted by his translator, and included him informing everyone of the potential spoilers that could be found in the accompanying video of Zelda footage that would be playing during the performance (there are actually people who have not played Ocarina of Time???).   Eiji also told us of the tears shed by the audience of the first show in Tokyo, and expressed his hope that they would make some of us cry that night too (they did).  The excitement really piqued when the conductor, Eimear Noone, took the stage.  I had often wondered why they had not already put on a fully orchestrated concert of Zelda music for as long as I had been a fan of the series (roughly around A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening), so I felt like I had been waiting a long time for this and it was surreal to see that it was actually about to happen.  I un-holstered my digital camera with the same fierce and demanding fervor as Harry Callahan does his .44 magnum, because  even though it was quite clear that the event was getting professionally recorded for an eventual DVD release, I wanted to capture every moment myself right there in the very back of the theater.

The Hyrule Castle Theme filled the theater and I was suddenly being awakened telepathically by a plea for help from Zelda, and found myself, once again, ignoring uncle’s warnings and heading off to save the Princess.  Unfortunately, before this first piece even finished, the usher next to my section of seats finally spotted me with my camera and asked that I turn it off.  This wasn’t the worst thing, as it allowed me to enjoy the show without having to hold up a camera in front of my face the whole time, although I would have liked to at least have captured the entire first song.  The rest of the first half of the show continued to grow even more awesome as it progressed.

When the first half concluded, a 20 minute intermission commenced.  I saw this as another opportunity to get the coveted Zelda Symphony shirt.  Despite the fact that I sprinted all the way back to the merch lines, there were plenty more people there who had the same idea, and it didn’t help that I wasn’t exactly that close to the lower doors.  As soon as I made it out there in the lobby, it appeared as if no one had even left from before the show had started.  My hope was waning.  Knowing that there was no way I was going to get my shirt during the brief 20 minutes, I instead bought a $5 bag of M&M’s and headed back to my seat, figuring that I had one last shot at the end of the night.

The second half of the show was filled with more amazing renditions of several classic Zelda scores, including Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time, which had been played back in June at Nintendo’s Keynote for E3.  It all ended entirely too soon.  When the final bit of the last song concluded, The Legend of Zelda Main Medly, everyone in the audience gave a standing ovation and, of course, shouted for more.  The Orchestra had something prepared, and came back to the stage to play a piece not listed in the program, which turned out to be the main them from the upcoming Skyward Sword, a perfect way to truly end the show with the start of Link’s next adventure.  But even still there had been one last surprise of the night, and that was in the form of Koji Kondo himself making an appearance and performing a solo piece on the piano.

I was reluctant to leave the auditorium at the show’s final conclusion when they started clearing the stage, but I still had a mission to complete. ..

One more of the same Zelda from the first shot

The line was longer than ever.  Extending through the doors into the performance hall, it had become seamlessly merged with the people who were exiting.  There was nothing else to go back to, so I didn’t mind the prospect of waiting what would like be at least 40 minutes or so; I was determined.  As I waited in line this final time, I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the cosplaying fans as they passed by.  There were a few people with ocarinas in the line who began playing some of the ocarina themes, including the epic Song of Storms.  By the time I reached the front of the line, I discovered that they had run out of the black shirts (the one I had wanted).  But I had waited far too long to leave the night empty-handed, so I opted for the white version.

Orchestra Nova was amazing and I look forward to the DVD release, as well as the music CD of selections from the show that will be packaged with Skyward Sword.  Although I did not get the shirt I originally wanted, I still got one and considered the night a success.

The Shirt!

Favorite Moments:

Bolero of Fire (my personal favorite Ocarina dungeon theme) was played by the brass section when they were introduced following the first piece.

Lon Lon Ranch them played by the Violin section when they were introduced

The Boss Battle Suite:  This was easily one of the most epic performances of the night with Orchestra Nova taking everyone back to all the great showdowns Link has encountered over the years.

Gerudo Vally:  One of the coolest grooves in Ocarina of Time made even more awesome by a full Orchestra.

Great Fairy’s Fountain Theme:  This one started off with 2 dueling Harps.  I was literally on the edge of my seat, feeling the pressure of messing up during a solo part, but of course the very talented Harp players nailed it, resulting in a stunningly beautiful rendition of one of the most recognizable scores in the series.

And of course the biggest surprise of the night was when the brilliant master behind the music, without whom this night would not have happened, Mr. Koji Kondo himself came out and played a piece on the piano from Wind Waker.

This elfish-looking fellow was only too eager to point at things!

Here’s the full set:

[Part One]

1. Hyrule Castle Theme
2. Princess Zelda’s Theme
3. The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement
4. Ocarina Melody Suite
5. Boss Battle Medley
6. Kakariko Village — Twilight Princess Theme
7. The Legend of Zelda 25^th Anniversary Medley

[Part Two]

1. Ganondorf’s Theme
2. The Legend of Zelda:  Selected Shorts Suite
3. Gerudo Valley
4. Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time
5. Great Fairy’s Fountain Theme
6. Twilight Princess Symphonic Movement
7. The Legend of Zelda Main Them Medly

[Unlisted in Program]

1. Main Theme from Skyward Sword
2. Koji Kondo solo performance from Wind Waker (sorry, not sure which one it was; I need to replay it)