Last night Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts celebrated the middle of their summer season with a National Symphony Orchestra masterpiece. Hundreds of video game fans flocked to the one night performance of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses to spend an evening with their childhood and great music. Nothing can beat the sight of generations of Zelda fans cheering when the songs of their childhood light up the evening.
The show kicked off with an introduction from Producer Jeron Moore, the creative mastermind behind the first ever video game symphony. With heart and soul, and a little Hyrulian magic, NSO launched into a spectacular and cinematic event that attendees will remember for a lifetime. Never before have a I seen a crowd of the size and magnitude at Wolf Trap, though the overwhelming attendance was easily understandable.
Conductor Eimear Noone demanded nothing but perfection from her musical army. With each and every swoosh of her baton, talented musicians brought the world of Zelda to life. In a special tribute to the musical history of the Zelda franchise, No one drew out a special replica of the Wind Waker baton to use specifically for the Symphony.
Two huge screens furthered the feeling of playing along with projections of complementary gameplay. From the hardest challenges to our favorite funny characters, each level, boss, and memorable cut scene drew us through all of the emotions originally experienced during our own game play. I personally felt as if I’d sailed, flown, and rode along with Link before fighting each boss to the death.
To warm up, the National Symphony Orchestra started with some light fare. “Overture,” “Dungeons,” “Karariko Village,” and “Songs of the Hero” wafted through the warm Virginia air as just a tease of what was to come. Halfway through the evening, the sky opened and poured rain down on the packed lawn audience, but if anyone left because of it, it was an unremarkable few. Split before and after intermission, the “Symphony of the Goddesses” contained a prelude and four unforgettable movements. Fans cheered incessantly for “The Creation,” “The Ocarina of Time,” “The Wind Waker,” “The Twilight Princess,” and “Time of the Falling Rain.”
By the finale, the vocal audience surged to their feet to cheer and shout with pure, unadulterated groupie joy. Moore satisfied the audiences’ musical blood lust with not one encore, but three! NSO continued for nearly 30 more minutes to play “Gerundo Village,” “Suit from Majora’s Mask,” and “Link’s Awakening: Ballad of the Wind Fish.”
While this may have been a one-time only performance, I highly urge you to check out a performance in another city.
Five stars for a cinematic and musical evening full of nostalgia, beautiful compositions, and unforgettable memories.
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses plays through December 14, 2012 at various venues across the United States. For tickets visit them online to find a city near you. To view upcoming events at Wolf Trap, check out their calendar.
LINK
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses website.
