Chris: Next month, you will premiere Symphonic Odysseys dedicated to Nobuo Uematsu in Cologne. What inspired you to create your own tribute to this much-loved musician? How will this production differ from others dedicated to the composer?
Thomas Boecker: The difference is, like with all the Cologne concerts, that the content is completely new and exclusively written for the performances at the Philharmonic Hall. We will present a fanfare composed by Nobuo Uematsu and Jonne Valtonen to open the event, and from there we are showcasing different stops in the career of Nobuo Uematsu.
In terms of the general mood, the concert will reflect various facets of Nobuo Uematsu's personal musicality. I would say that, in general, Symphonic Odysseys might have a soft tone to it, comparable to Symphonic Fantasies. I find Nobuo Uematsu's music very melody-driven and vast in terms of emotional scope. His music is quite melancholic and sad at times despite his battle themes. Nevertheless, Nobuo Uematsu is a very humorous person, so this is something to expect to be shown at our latest concert production too.
Chris: With Symphonic Shades, you produced a program that effectively balanced well-known representative works with more obscure historic gems. Is this also true for Symphonic Odysseys? What lesser-known pieces should listeners expect from the night?
Thomas Boecker: While we are naturally taking into account how much music he composed for the Final Fantasy series. You can expect an all-new suite of Final Fantasy music in the way of what we did for the Symphonic Fantasies concert — meaning an elaborated arrangement spanning over more than 15 min. Besides that, there will be stand-alone pieces featured from that series. I guess it is not too surprising that we are concentrating on material that has not been performed yet, and if it does, then we are offering a different take on the scores.
We are also presenting a lot of music from Lost Odyssey. Or to be more specific, the concert will feature two big segments of similar length; there is the "Final Fantasy Suite" and the "Lost Odyssey Suite". Roger Wanamo and Jonne Valtonen are the responsible arrangers.
Besides this, the concert will have shorter pieces from other games, some of them quite exotic. I think that King's Knight definitely belongs to the category of an obscure gem. We are also going to perform music from The Last Story, which is of course not exotic at all, but one should keep in mind that the game has not been released yet in Europe. Among other items, there is also an adaptation from Chrono Trigger too, where Nobuo Uematsu contributed several memorable pieces alongside Yasunori Mitsuda.
Beyond this, I do not want to reveal too many specific details at this point, as I feel that the surprise aspect at the concert is of benefit for a special, personal experience.
Chris: On Symphonic Odysseys, Arnie Roth will once again conduct the WDR Radio Orchestra, after an absence at Symphonic Legends. Is it satisfying to reunite with the conductor and ensemble? Will the concert once again receive extensive rehearsal time?
Thomas Boecker: Yes, the extensive rehearsal time is fortunately one of the big advantages when working with this outstanding orchestra. It is good to see that the WDR invited Arnie Roth as the conductor, which is definitely a nice bonus for Nobuo Uematsu as well, as they have such a long and successful co-operation on the Distant Worlds concert tour.
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