The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Live Review

Peter’s Passion | The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Live Review & Photos | Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando, FL | August 6, 2016

by • August 15, 2016

Peter is an educator. Not the cliche “difference maker” coded with hints of “those who can’t, teach,” but a truly special influence on underserved children who are bursting with potential. He is a transformative force, the kind of man to which we can aspire ourselves.

Watching him teach is a thing of beauty. His personal penchant for games and comic books colors his interactions with students and the content he teaches. That passion, for fantasy and for education took root during childhood. His fantastical upbringing in a Chicago suburb reads like a scene from a graphic novel. The female pastor of his church advised him to “whack it in a bush” if sexual desire arose before marriage. She also taught the kids how to put on a condom. Stories of Peter’s childhood abound with characters, like the liberal pastor, plucked straight from video games, books, and an overactive imagination.

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Live Review

Peter’s mostly deaf father worked construction and left little energy for familial interactions in the evening. Truth is, he did not really want kids. His mother kept the family together when not teaching at the local school. A portly kid, he did not spend a lot of time chasing girls around the playground, or later, around the football field. Instead, like so many kids born after about 1978, he played video games. The only difference between then and now is that he had to work on building his character, instead of looking for the best build eso guides to help him progress through the Elder Scrolls Online ranks, for example.

“The Legend of Zelda theme was the lullaby of a generation.” Peter relays a quote from Edgar Wright, the director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim. “The music was simple but powerful. Its creators were bound by the constraints of the technology of the day. So often the stronger the constraints, the more beautiful the results.”

Like Peter, Benji grew up on Zelda, but a generation later. His Zelda was the one for GameBoy. “The music was simple but emotional, which led to a very real feeling game. If you found a weapon, you had that weapon. A whole world was created and you had ownership.” With the consoles where the game began growing increasingly harder to get hold of, it is a good job that it is available on gamulator and similar simulators so that it can still be played by the masses.

“So little was handed to you in Zelda. You filled in and created,” Peter says. He lets out a chuckle seconds into The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. Despite the fact that this is a symphony, no one minds. If anything, the kindred spirits in the room silently applaud his emotional outburst. Thirty years after its creation, we are at a symphony inspired by The Legend of Zelda. A groundbreaking concept. A legitimization of the video game as art, perhaps even high art.

The show opens with a female conductor in leather pants, like a lost member of Dresden Dolls, taking the stage with flare. Her gender, like that of the equally excellent concertmaster to her left, should not be remarkable today but it is. The Orlando Philharmonic is her instrument. Behind them stands the Orlando Choir. Above the stage hangs a huge projection screen. The first images flashing across it are of the opening sequence from the original The Legend of Zelda.

Peter is transported to his basement on a Friday night. Friends have come over to play. The portal to a different world, one they are creating, has opened. They laugh and give each other shit. One shushes the other during a particularly difficult puzzle.

Back in the splendiferous Walt Disney Theater, the Philharmonic is all in on this music. So much so that where to direct the eye becomes challenging. Simple tones have been given the complexity of a symphony. The concertmaster wields her bow like one of Link’s swords. Cheers arise from the audience as favorite clips play on the screen. A smile is affixed to Peter’s face, and the girl in front of him, and the guy three rows up.

Drama builds purposefully. Clips from various incarnations of Zelda, symphonic clamoring- class, charm, and showmanship carry the performance. The show builds to intermission.

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Live Review

Peter is emotional. His childhood has been laid out before him. The lobby of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts buzzes with excitement. He is not alone. An anonymous gentleman nods in agreement with Peter’s rapid fire praise. The blazered dude behind him, wearing an obscure Zelda reference on his t-shirt, jumps in to confirm his status as fully delighted.

Half the room claps wildly as the break gives way to more music. An African American couple, a Jewish guy in a t-shirt and yarmulke, and a couple dressed like they are going to prom are each transported to their respective basements.

The conductor aggressively praises chorus members and instrumentalists alike. The diverse crowd loosens a little as alcohol and familiarity begin to work their magic. The Peters, Benjis, and anonymous forty-year-olds are satisfied beyond expectations. The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses has successfully challenged conventions of what is high art and who is best suited to consume it. Zelda’s influence is firmly planted.

[Not a valid template]

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Live Review by Jason Earle, edited by Matthew Weller.

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Live Photos by Richie Williams.

▼ SHOWS TO GO TO ▼

LIVE-NATION---BOTTOM-GIF-NEW-033024

 

Thanks to our Sponsors, Kingfish Records in Clearwater, FL!

Kingfish Records Ad

Check out our South Florida SIGT Website! 

Shows I Go To South Florida Giveaway, Reviews, Photos, and more

Please support our friends who support us! Tell them Shows I Go To sends love! 🙂

Recommended Posts