"To hear good music, not to watch visuals onstage - that’s the right reason to be at the game music concert".
Interview with Arnie Roth
Added by: Kamil Rojek, 2009-09-20 15:50:55
GameMusic.net: While we’re talking about Final Fantasy music - did you ever consider introducing the tracks of the Distant Worlds programme to such composers as Hitoshi Sakimoto, who scored Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics?
Arnie Roth: We’re considering whether we can bring in more composers right now. We’ve only been featuring Nobuo Uematsu’s music so far, but we haven’t exhausted his catalog yet. People still want more from him. But you’re right, there’s many other composers connected with the Final Fantasy franchise. I’ve worked with some of them previously, at other concerts. The problem really is deciding what composers fit, in terms of these particular concerts. If I can bring in Uematsu, I would - I know the fans would really appreciate him being there. I’m not trying to say “no” to the others. On September 12th, we will do Symphonic Fantasies, which features different music from all of Square-Enix’s games.
GameMusic.net: In addition to conducting in the Square Enix-centric Distant Worlds and Dear Friends concerts, you will also conduct in the aforementioned Symphonic Fantasies show, which is similar in scope. What will distinguish this show from these other Square Enix events?
Arnie Roth: What’s unique is that the music from four Square-Enix series will be presented in one concert. Also, there’s no video on stage. The third thing is that Thomas and I decided to try a different take and split the concert into 20 minute-long medleys. Five to seven different songs are connected in one medley, which is difficult in terms of musical arrangement. It’s a big challenge for me, as well, because it’s a longer span of time. You have to pull this off over the scale of 15 to 20 minutes. Orchestras are used to concentrating that long, but I hope audiences are too.
GameMusic.net: You have been a long-time participant in “PLAY! A Video Game Symphony.” But you were absent at this year’s PLAY! concert in Scandinavia. What was the reason of your absence?
Arnie Roth: Yeah, my son Eric Roth was conducting. I had a conflict with this particular one. It was presented by Norwegian Olaf Petersen. I knew we were going to do Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. I just couldn’t come in for that show.
Kamil Rojek (GameMusic.net), Arnie Roth and Mariusz Borkowski (GameMusic.net)
GameMusic.net: How do you organize concerts in new countries, where you’ve never performed before? Pehaps we could work something out in Poland.
Arnie Roth: I know we can do the concerts ourselves, but most of the time, it works best when there’s an orchestra that’s sponsoring us. An orchestra plays in their own concert hall; otherwise, you have to find a hall, rent it, and bring everything there. We’ve done that many times, but it’d be much better to work with Warsaw Philharmonic, for instance. The other way is to go is conservatories, as they have their own orchestras too. I’ve done that before, and it just requires more rehearsals.