Symphonic Odysseys

Artwork by schech.net

Symphonic Odysseys in the Cologne
Philharmonic Hall: WDR radio orchestra
and choir directed by Arnie Roth
Photo © Philippe Ramakers

Autograph session with a cheerful
Nobuo Uematsuto
Photo © Philippe Ramakers

Cologne Philharmonic Hall in
wide-angle, impressive scenery
Photo © Philippe Ramakers

Soundtracks from Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy, Blue Dragon, The Last Story and Chrono Trigger were rearranged for orchestra, choir and soloists and were performed in two sold-out concerts at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall in July 2011.

Conducted by Grammy-winning artist Arnie Roth and supported by Benyamin Nuss at the piano, the musicians of the Cologne WDR Radio Orchestra and WDR Radio Choir presented an unforgettable experience to the audience. The concert was broadcasted live on WDR radio and via Internet video stream, so listeners and viewers were able enjoy the concert worldwide.

The orchestra versions of the original songs were written by Jonne Valtonen for the most part, who did a great job at the predecessor concerts Symphonic-Shades - Hülsbeck in Concert and Symphonic Fantasies already. To fans of the early PC demoscene he should be well-known by the name Purple Motion (Future Crew). Additional arrangements were done by Roger Wanamo, Jani Laaksonen and Masashi Hamauzu.

The double-CD album of the concert will be released on 28.12.2011 in Japan and is available here at the MAZ Shop as Japan-import straight from Dog Ear Records at the same time. It presents the complete Cologne concert including the two encores. In order to capture the impressive dynamics of the orchestra and choir in best possible quality, the multitrack-recordings of both concerts were edited and mixed at the WDR Studios. The material then passed the mastering process at the WDR Studios to get the final touch for the CD.