Zelda fans, both diehard and new, eagerly fought the Monday rush hour to make their way to the Dolby Theater to catch the current Legend of Zelda symphony tour. The concert event took excited attendees on a guided orchestral adventure of Nintendo’s 25-year-old franchise.
The Monday night symphony was the perfect way to hype up Nintendo’s latest game in the Legend of Zelda series: Breath of the Wild. Despite the relatively spacious environment, the Dolby Theater was entirely packed. A cinematic video accompanied a 4-movement symphony, which harmonized montages with the game’s captivating music arranged by Zelda Symphony music director Chad Seiter and played by a choir with full orchestra. This current tour features new music and visuals from the multiplayer co-op game, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes.
Guided by the music of the orchestra, the crowd set out on a voyage to Hyrule. Even for those unfamiliar with the franchise and the music, the overture swept the crowd into the Legend of Zelda universe where the multi-colored Links of the Tri Force Heroes happily greeted the audience.
Suddenly, the thunderous boom from the drums initiates a scene through Gerudo Valley and left the wanderers at a battle between Link and his eternal enemy Ganondorf. Upon hearing a more solemn variant of the Lost Forest, some were moved to tears by the nostalgic image of traversing through the forest of Hyrule and meeting Saria for the first time. Despite the polygon graphics, the heartfelt strings from the violins created a sentimental mood between Saria and Link while creating a tense, dramatic atmosphere when a mysterious force kidnapped Zelda. And with that, Link begins his tale.
Interspersed messages from Nintendo Representative Director Shigeru Miyamoto, Zelda composer Koji Kondo, and series creator Eiji Aonuma, elevated the music from a show to a living, interactive concert of Zelda music and helped to celebrate the 30th anniversary for this series.
Before the show, APA chats with producer Jason Michael Paul and conductor Amy Andersson on touring The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of Goddesses these past two years. Check out the interviews below!
Zelda Symphony Series: Interview with Producer Jason Michael Paul
Zelda Symphony Series: Interview with Conductor Amy Andersson