On Friday night Honolulu’s Blaisdell Concert Hall was blessed by the sounds of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. performed by the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. I was fortunate enough to attend the event, my first orchestral concert, and came away thoroughly impressed with the experience. Fans came out in droves, some even in full costume, to celebrate a franchise that was clearly near and dear to many hearts. The show began promptly at 8:00 and carried on with two acts:

• Act I
  • Overture
  • Gerudo Valley
  • Boss Battle Medley
  • Suite from Majora’s Mask
  • A Link Between Worlds
  • Prelude ~ The Creation of Hyrule
  • Movement I ~ Ocarina of Time
  • Movement II ~ The Wind Waker

• Act II
  • Intermezzo ~ Great Fairy’s Fountain
  • Movement III ~ Twilight Princess
  • Movement IV ~ Time of the Falling Rain (A Link To The Past)
  • Finale

The view of the Symphony of the Goddesses from our seats at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. 4 Rows back from the front of the balcony.

As the lights of the Blaisdell Concert Hall dimmed to start the show, a lone fan shouted a well-timed and spot-on “Hey, listen!” Navi impression and the show opened with the iconic overture that defines the franchise’s soundtrack. I’ll admit, as the show opened I found myself getting more emotional than I expected. If there’s one thing I took away from my first live orchestra concert, it’s the feeling of pure power that comes with the experience. Being surrounded by the sound of the orchestra makes it incredibly easy to pick out and appreciate each instrumental section highlighted in a piece of music.The sweeping overture rolled across the hall while classics scenes from the franchise played on screen. The moment instantly brought me back to my own history with Link’s adventures and hit just the right chord.

From there the concert continued to explore the many different pieces from the Zelda franchise. The setlist did a masterful job of displaying the wide range of musical styles found throughout different games, including pieces from A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and A Link Between Worlds.    I was particularly impressed by Gerudo Valley and the Suite from Majora’s Mask; whose heavy percussive sounds benefited greatly from the extra oomph that comes with listening to a live performing orchestra. The Blaisdell sound system did seem to snap, crackle, and pop a few times during the show, but not so much as to distract from the evening.

As I said in my opening paragraph, I came away from the Symphony of the Goddesses quite pleased with the evening. The concert managed to celebrate the very best music of every generation of the franchise and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra did a wonderful job bringing each piece to life. It was a night to gather and geek out with other fans over a series of legends that have given us so many memories. The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses has just begun its Master Quest tour across the country. I highly recommend it to anyone with an appreciation for both video games and music.