With the ever-evolving video game landscape, the music and soundtracks have only gotten better and better. This year alone has given us Rise of the Ronin, as well as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, both of which have beautifully put together soundtracks that their respective composers poured their hearts and souls into.
Video game concerts are a sight to behold, and no one does it like Jason Michael Paul. Paul is the man behind the original Final Fantasy concerts, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses shows, and much more. Yet his latest project aims to be one of gaming’s biggest and greatest shows yet. Heroes: A Video Game Symphony is all about the hero’s journey and is set to premiere this year.
FandomWire had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Jason Michael Paul, where he discussed how the video game industry has evolved when it comes to the music side of things, as well as the upcoming show and some insight into the difficulties that he had to face along the way.
[Some of the answers have been edited for length and clarity]
Get Ready for a One-of-a-Kind Show – Heroes: A Video Game Symphony All Set to Feature Music from Rise of the Ronin, Final Fantasy, and More
With how video game music is more widely accessible to the masses because of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, do you think we’re at a point now where video game music and soundtracks are appreciated as they should be?
It’s slowly starting to happen. I wish it was happening faster. But no, it’s been a lot of work, but definitely, it’s becoming more recognizable, the music is basically in our everyday life now. You know, a lot of film adaptations of some of our favorite video games, it’s becoming ever increasingly more popular. Television series, Fallout, for example, Halo, definitely it’s becoming more and more popular. But we still have a lot of work to do. We still have a lot of work to do. Trying to convince publishers that this is something that they need to get behind to really showcase their titles, is the ultimate showcase.
Where else can you go to a concert and hear a full orchestra and a choir led by an amazing conductor and have these huge visuals suspended above the orchestra? Where else can you see that? In my opinion, this is the ultimate showcase for a title. So hopefully, with your support, and raising more awareness of my project, you’ll start to see it’s become more of a mainstream kind of cultural phenomenon that’s become even more widely accepted.
Do you think that the music in video games has evolved since the early days of gaming?
Oh of course. When I first started doing this, it literally was only blips and bleeps. I used to live in Tokyo and really Japan was the only place in the world where you could actually go to an orchestral performance of some of your favorite video games, like Dragon Quest for example, which was the first ever video game concert that I attended in Tokyo, so Sugiyama-san was conducting.
And then eventually I went to a Final Fantasy concert shortly thereafter, in Japan of course because they were doing this. So that was over twenty years ago. So as you can imagine we’ve come a long way but we still have a lot of work to do definitely.
Considering your long-standing history in the video game industry, what would you say the games are that shaped you into the person you are today?
Yeah well, The Legend of Zelda is definitely one of the titles that definitely helped shape my career. Final Fantasy was the first I did but The Legend of Zelda, I spent so much time with the franchise, almost a decade, touring it and developing it.
We took a format that is usually made for some of the works of Beethoven or Brahms. We created a true symphony.
That title in particular really lends itself to kind of what we did, what we developed. We really created a Symphony of the Goddesses. We took a format that is usually made for some of the works of Beethoven or Brahms. We created a true symphony. Everything from the overture to the prelude to the movements, we had over five movements.
What I’ve done with this show is kind of taken a different approach, where it’s more story-driven, so I actually conditioned the narrator to do prerecord narrations that are taking you on this hero’s journey. What I did is I took the framework that he [Joseph Campbell] wrote about in a monomyth called The Hero’s Journey, and I applied that to the show we’re doing here.
The Heroes show is basically instead of the mythological characters that he had in his journey, I’ve actually made it so that the heroes on our journey are our favorite video game characters. So each chapter has a game that is best suited for the chapter.
Then of course, Nigel Carrington is the voice of our journey, our Hero’s Journey. I commissioned him to be our narrator bringing you on this journey so there are seventeen chapters in our story and each story is being told through the eyes and ears of the video game that best suits that chapter, that is best suited for that chapter. So, for example, Mass Effect, Castlevania, Dragon Age, Metal Gear Solid, Starfield, which is a newer title.
In L.A. we’re gonna be doing Rise of the Ronin, which is a new game that just came out on PlayStation. So we have a lot of newer titles, and then of course we also have nostalgic titles like Castlevania. So it’s a really comprehensive kind of dive into video games and video game music.
I got kind of tired of doing kind of like the ‘best of‘. So I wanted to make something that was a little more artistic in nature. I have an amazing orchestra and choir at my disposal so why not try to create something that’s a little bit more kind of a nod to the wonderful storytelling that we all witness in video games.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recently released a few months back. How will it be integrated into the show?
Final Fantasy is kind of an interesting title because, since there are other touring shows devoted to Final Fantasy it’s hard for me to get the visual rights. So what I did was create a tribute to the first ever video game concert that I produced to showcase the title that I presented as part of my concert. The music is in this perfect sync with this homage to the first-ever video game concert that featured the works of Final Fantasy. A tribute to the title that I present as part of the show.
It’s really cool though, you’re gonna love it. I have some really cool behind the scenes photography from Uematsu himself.
So we don’t have any new music from Final Fantasy, but rather we have music from one of the older titles of Final Fantasy. That’s the one title that I don’t have the visual rights for, but I definitely have the rights to perform the music, and in the absence of that I’ve created more or less a tribute where I kind of did a retrospective piece on Final Fantasy. It’s really cool though, you’re gonna love it. I have some really cool behind-the-scenes photography from Uematsu himself.
It’s something that’s never been seen before, so I’m really excited.
The Fallout TV Series came out recently. What can fans of the TV Show expect from the show?
We feature Fallout 4. What they can expect is, for example, in L.A. Inon Zur, the composer of Fallout 4, and the piece that we perform from Fallout 4, he’s actually gonna perform the piece on piano. The composer is actually gonna be an attendant.
We don’t really focus on the television side of things, we just stay true to the video game. So that’s what you can expect.
So we’re really excited for that. The audience that they developed from the video game fans of Fallout, it all started with the video game, so we kind of just focus on the video game and fans will hopefully see that what we’re doing is similar to what they can see on the big screen or at their home on Amazon. We don’t really focus on the television side of things, we just stay true to the video game. So that’s what you can expect.
We’re less concerned with that because it all started with the video game, so we just try to focus on what we’re presenting and staying true to the video game that we’re featuring. Fallout for example, Halo for example. We’re not really looking to integrate the show itself. We just want to focus on the video game.
Another big legend in the industry, Inon Zur, will be performing during Heroes, particularly for Rise of the Ronin. What was it like coordinating with such a big personality when it comes to music-making?
He is amazing. He’s got a ton of energy, and he’s very supportive. He’s really true to their craft and promoting their music and it’s been a real delight to work with Inon just because he is so prolific. We have over four titles of games that actually feature his music.
Prior to that, we used to present [The Elder Scrolls] Blades as part of our show. We just have so many titles. He’s an amazing composer and an amazing human being.
So, Rise of the Ronin is doing pretty well right now. Which part of the OST resonated you with the most, and what would you say is the highlight of the soundtrack?
I would say that the main theme. There’s a lot of music part of that game as I was doing research. We’re gonna perform a suite. Usually, we’re kind of limited on time. So it’s kind of hard, it’s a challenge because there is so much music that he wrote.
Considering that you’re one of the pioneers when it comes to video game concerts, especially when it comes to the States, what would you say is one of the biggest challenges for the upbringing of something like this?
Just convincing presenters and orchestras that this is something that is good for them. Trying to convince people that video game music is something to be recognized by some of these major orchestras, and also just a lot of convincing. Not only orchestras and presenters but also the publishers of these games. A lot of times, they’re so focused on the video game itself that a lot of them don’t want to be bothered with the music because they don’t think it’s that important.
A lot of times, they’re so focused on the video game itself that a lot of them don’t want to be bothered with the music because they don’t think it’s that important.
The thing that I had to do the most throughout my career is really just trying to get them to see that this is a great opportunity for them to attract these dedicated fans and also something that is not just a concert but also something that can be a good marketing vessel to really create more mass appeal for these video games.
Apart from Heroes, you also did shows for The Legend of Zelda. Do you ever see yourself going back to Zelda to make more shows, especially since Tears of the Kingdom came out recently?
I’m working on it. I’m kind of at the mercy, I’m in a holding pattern, unfortunately. But definitely, there’s no shortage of me trying to convince Nintendo that we need to go back on tour.
But right now, this is the show that we’re focused on. I’m just gonna continue doing what I do with Heroes, and really strive to make it better and better and to create something that is as big, if not bigger, than The Legend of Zelda.
Truth be told, I had seventeen The Legend of Zelda‘s as part of my concert. I have seventeen unique video games as part of my concert. I think, that to me, is something that’s amazing.
But definitely, there’s no shortage of me trying to convince Nintendo that we need to go back on tour.
It’s the only show in the world quite like it. And I want to just encourage everyone to come out and watch the show because I assure you that when you see my show, you’re gonna realize that this is something not to be missed.
Going forward, what is one thing you’d like to add even more to your show?
Hopefully, someday, I can add The Legend of Zelda. Link is my ultimate hero, so I’m a little remiss not to have it as part of the Heroes show, but I truly feel that even though The Legend of Zelda is not represented at the show, I’m just really proud of this show.
I feel like this is a very good representation of video game music and it’s worldwide. It’s not just Japanese titles, it’s also Western titles as well. I feel like any gamer who comes to my show can appreciate everything about it. I’m really looking forward to the show. I just want everyone to come out and see it when it comes to their city.
This is it!
With how gaming has evolved, it’s clear that the music in our favorite games is only becoming more and more vibrant in our everyday lives. The Game of the Year orchestra, for example, is clear evidence that the music in video games is in a better place than ever before.
Jason’s show looks to be even more grandiose and epic than any other video game concert that has come before. Be sure to check out Heroes: A Video Game Symphony when it comes to your location. We thank Jason Michael Paul for speaking with us and would love to talk to him again once the show has premiered.
