The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary

Last night was The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony at the Hammersmith HMV Apollo in London. I arrived at a venue that was ridiculously busy outside as people queued round the corner to get inside and try out Skyward Sword in the lobby before grabbing a quick drink, getting some merchandise and finding their seats.

We were in for a treat because as we sat down we were confronted by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra waiting patiently on the stage, along with a big projected screen above them to show the visuals from the Zelda games over the past 25 years. After much anticipation the lights went down and the fans let out a massive cheer which I don’t think the orchestra were expecting. Some of them looked rather bemused.

An equally bigger cheer rang out when producer Eiji Aonuma came on stage to introduce the show and classically trained musician Eimear Noone who would be conducting. Before we heard the music though, we were introduced to yet one more guest. Randomly, Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams who is named after the games series and thankfully not that evil hag from Terrorhawks. She reminisced about the games but all I could think was ‘doesn’t she look A LOT like her Dad?’ which is a strange thing to think as she’s also rather cute as well! Confusion reigns.

That confusion was short lived though, when the music started. I’ve never seen a live orchestra before and as they broke into the theme from Hyrule Castle I was covered in goose bumps. The full track list went something like this:

• Hyrule Castle Theme
• Princess Zelda’s Theme
• The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement
• Ocarina Melody Suite
• Boss Battle Medley
• Kakariko Village - Twilight Princess Theme
• The Legend of 25th Zelda Anniversary Medley
• Ganandorf’s Theme
• The Legend of Zelda: Selected Shorts Suite
• Gerudo Valley
• Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time
• Great Fairy’s Fountain Theme
• Twilight Princess Symphonic Movement
• The Legend of Zelda Main Theme Medley

And then a very special treat when music supervisor Koji Kondo came on for an encore to play another theme on the piano and the main theme from Skyward Sword was played by the orchestra to rapturous applause and standing ovations. All in all a great evening and hearing the music along with the visuals from the game brought back some great memories and was oddly emotional!

I know, I know, you wish you were there but here’s the thing - it was also announced by Aonuma San that the live concert will also be available on CD with every copy of Skyward Sword so if you do wish to hear it, you don’t have to wait long. The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword release date is November 18th 2011.

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Related: Zelda, The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword release date