Five years on, Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses is still beautiful

Breath of the Wild was added this year

Years back I attended my first Symphony of the Goddesses concert. It was perfect timing as the 25th anniversary was happening and I was in the process of replaying every Zelda game to date. It all sort of just came together during that magical period of time, but I didn’t expect the production to last as long as it did.

With the incorporation of Breath of the Wild though, it’s just as relevant as ever.

For those of you who haven’t attended a Symphony of the Goddesses performance before, it’s basically a full orchestral concert with some accompanying game footage. The idea has been replicated myriad times with productions like Video Games Live, but Zelda‘s timeless compositions and the charm of the games themselves mesh very well together. Seeing a silly in-game quote that makes the audience laugh or a bit of physical comedy that brings a smile to our face is something very few properties can pull off consistently.

Each movement tells a story, facilitated by the on-screen playthrough. Most of it is cutscenes but there’s plenty of raw “Let’s Play” style boss fights and dungeon runs, with close-ups of the musicians weaved in for solos and the like. One of the big things I noticed seeing a recent show is how monumental the remakes (mostly Ocarina 3D, Majora 3D, and Twilight Princess HD) have been in terms of providing cleaner video quality.

There’s still some fine-tuning required though, as the LPs very sparingly feature a garish UI (especially for Skyward Sword‘s full screen waggle and Wiimote chicanery). It’s a reminder of how de-cluttered and under-tutorialized (in a good way) older games were. At worst it’s a minor distraction, I just wish Nintendo maybe helped out the production a little more in this department other than providing pre-recorded clips with Miyamoto and several other members of the Zelda team.

The actual production team has stepped up its game though, as they’re starting to show more Breath of the Wild as of this year. While the main theme has been played for several months now, my showing at Wolf Trap had a surprise encore medley, which showcased quite a bit of the new beloved title. My favorite part? The Ballad of the Wind Fish is still a part of the event as one of the two portable features in a show packed with console focus.

Speaking to several attendees I noticed that many people haven’t played Breath yet, or have an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for the older games. That’s the power of Zelda. Fans are still coming out in full force, so these concerts are still happening (you can see the crowd for yourself in the gallery below). As long as Nintendo keeps making Zelda games with great music and the setlist keeps getting updated, I’ll attend them every few years too.

If you’re curious, you can find the full schedule here and the setlist (as of July 2017) below.

ACT I

• Overture
• Dragon Roost Island
• Majora’s Mask Suite
• Breath of the Wild Main Theme (new)
• A Link Between Worlds Suite
• Movement I ~ Ocarina of Time

ACT II

• Intermezzo ~ Temple of Time
• Movement II ~ The Wind Waker
• Movement III ~ Twilight Princess
• Movement IV ~ Time of the Falling Rain
• (A Link to the Past)
• Ballad of the Wind Fish
• Breath of the Wild Suite (new)

_{[Entry to the concert was provided by the production company.]}