Eminence Symphony Orchestra

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing a seven-piece ensemble from Eminence Symphony Orchestra perform live as part of Wai-Con, one of Perth’s major anime conventions. Most gamers and anime fans will probably be familiar with Eminence, if not by name then through their body of work. They are a Sydney-based group that mostly plays music from anime and video games, founded in 2003 with the aim of re-connecting young people with orchestral music in a live setting.

They’ve played many successful concerts both in Australia and across the globe, and after forging a high reputation for themselves have also been asked to record a number of soundtracks. You may have heard their work in games such as Valkyria Chronicles and Soul Calibur IV or anime such as Romeo x Juliet and The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk, and they will also be featured in two very high-profile upcoming releases: Diablo III and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Last night’s concert was entitled Destiny: Promised Legacy and featured songs from films by Studio Ghibli and Makoto Shinkai as well as songs by famed videogame and anime composer Yasunori Mitsuda, who was a guest of honour at the concert. Mitsuda-san was a composer for the legendary Chrono Trigger soundtrack, as well as its sequel Chrono Cross and much more.

I am a huge fan of Tenmon's soundtracks for Makoto Shinkai's films, so to hear those songs and other familiar and beloved songs from anime played live by the Eminence ensemble was a truly captivating and memorable experience. You can read my longer and more detailed review of the concert (which includes a list of the songs played) on my blog.

Here is a video of Eminence (not from the concert I saw - recording wasn't allowed - but from a similar performance) for those who have not yet had the pleasure of hearing them.