Review: Classical Music Short Form: Epic “Distant Worlds” Final Fantasy Music Concert with the Nashville Symphony
Last week Bollywood, this week Gaming. Two concerts that don't necessarily fit the definite description of Musiterania's mission of purely acoustical music. However, I wanted to hear what I suspected would be 'acoustically enhanced' symphonic music. Both concerts were sound-enhanced with amplification, but I have to admit they were well done. It was difficult to tell sometimes.
My personal opinion is that orchestras don't need enhancement, but this is 'studio' music first and foremost. It is written to be recorded for film or video purposes. Several years ago I attended an Orchestra Kentucky concert featuring the music of John Williams and it was not enhanced and certainly didn't need to be. The clarity of a full orchestra playing this music is unsurpassable. But, people are so damaged in their hearing today that the feeling is you need to punch it up so it sounds like it does on recordings in the cinema or with headphones. The bottom line is, regardless of how you present it, the same notes have to be played. It is all about musicianship, artistry, and skill.
Before I get to the review, I want to discuss the topic of "Short Form Classical Music" that has become a topic of interest to me. Admittedly, I should write a complete article on the topic, but I wanted to mention it here as well.
One issue that classical music faces is the long duration of a lot of the repertoire. Many people just can't listen to something for 20 minutes without their minds drifting away or getting impatient for it to 'just be over with'. I started listening to Star Wars Soundtracks plus all of the John Williams soundtracks from other films. The thing that is great about them is that the longest pieces are 5:00 in length. I think composers should try to compose classical music this way. The Bollywood and Final Fantasy concerts have confirmed this idea for me. I love the long forms and am a huge fan of them because of their architecture and varied soundscapes. But, it seems to me that in today's world, there is definitely a place for pure classical music to be composed in the short form.
Performance Attended on April 1, 2026.
Nashville Symphony | Arnie Roth, conductor
Amanda Achen, vocalist
Nashville Symphony Chorus
Composer: Masayoshi Soken
Also music from:
- Composers:
- Nobuo Uematsu
- Masashi Hamauzu,
- Yoko Shimomura
- and others…
This program is performed by many orchestras the world over. The built-in fan base brings an audience that is new to the classical music genre and has great value in expanding the customer base for classical music.
Arnie Roth's conducting is absolutely clear and decisive, and the ability to keep on track with the multimedia video from the Final Fantasy series is no small task, especially with an orchestra that is essentially performing these pieces for the first time. I spoke with a couple of orchestra players after the concert, and they said they receive the music two weeks in advance to practice it themselves, then have two or so rehearsals before the concert. So, having a conductor familiar and experienced with the score is a must.
Amanda Achen, vocalist from the Final Fantasy recordings, is sublime. Her gorgeous soprano voice has that velvety, glowing warmth that reminds me of Karen Carpenter but is classically trained without being a "stuffy operatic singer." She sings with the mic and is a "stylist" in the jazz sense. I could listen to her all day, and the audience loved her.
Where do you go with this music in a review? There was no program list of titles, but they were introduced by the conductor. Most of the audience knew what he was referring to when he announced the pieces, but I had never heard any of this before the concert. I scribbled down some things on my reMarkable tablet, but it was dark, so I couldn't really see what I was writing. Now, admittedly, I could have done more research on this program ahead of time to become familiar with the whole thing, but I'm one to first just hear it for what it is. I prefer having no knowledge of it because I want to hear it for the first time live in concert—not listening for anything in particular, but listening for everything all of the time.
Now, for me, the experience is primarily music listening, but there was a large screen projection of video with animation from the series. I'll start with a figure that was quite enjoyable: Chocobo? From what I gathered, it appeared first as a "magical chick" of some kind and grew into the mighty chicken steed ridden by the heroes of the story. So, there is musical thematic material describing Chocobo.
Other titles I can read from my notes are "The Final Day," "Ascension Away," "My Star," and references to the different numbers in the series.
The music was excellently orchestrated. Most of the music is aggressive, but there are many different colors used throughout, with many obviously poignant moments composed in to feature the harp, the grand piano, flutes, and brass. Obviously, percussion plays a huge role in this music, and they were hustling all night long! Great fun! The Nashville Symphony Chorus was a smaller group that was fitted onto the back left side of the stage and was well miked for the performance. The epic effect of the chorus is the last thing you hear in the performance, giving us a feeling of a cry for humanity in the vast violence of the world portrayed by the videos.
"Art shows us who we can be."
I wrote these words down during the concert. The Arts are basically "the study of human nature." I have given theater the definition of "the laboratory for human nature," and cinema definitely falls in that category. I'm not sure what gaming teaches us. I don't game, so I am not one to comment about something I have no clue about. I believe that humans are fed by the sensory experiences they incur during a lifetime. The mind accepts everything it receives through the senses as true. We think about these impressions and give them meaning. We define our world, but our world is given to us 24/7, and that is a lot of input to define. So, often, we take it at face value.
With these games, it seems there is a lot of violence, a lot of killing, and a lot of fight-or-flight emotions being displayed. I'm not sure this is psychologically supportive material. But it makes you feel important, I guess, and it is easy to get sucked into the violence as being normal. Not sure this is great for our society...but hey...it sells.
There are moments when the video reveals a young man or woman in a state of thoughtful reflection. They desire to be good people, to do the right thing, and to stand for something virtuous. When we look in the mirror and plan our lives, do we realize that the world is watching us every day? We are creating our reality with our thoughts. What kind of world are we building inside? These are the thoughts that I had during the concert.
"Pretty Music"
This music is pretty. It is powerful. It is colorful. Most of all, it is short! I have a composer friend who sort of disdains "pretty music", I'm not sure why. That is also a topic for another day. But, I love the orchestral colors that great composers can create. You sort of have to hear with 'different ears.'
The concept of writing short pieces for orchestra is something I believe should be focused on today. A storyline gives us thematic material we can latch onto. However, musical melodies and sounds can impart meaningfulness without being definite. I do believe that themes are the key to writing great music. A theme is nothing but a musical idea that is created by a composer. Give them a catchy melody they will remember—that is the A and O of popular music songwriting, and so it can be for classical orchestral music. This music is aggressive and sweet, but it comes from a world without multimedia.
The day and trip
It was a beautiful day and I am very grateful for spring. I wanted to try a different route so I first went to the Opry Mills Mall and had dinner at the huge Bavarian Restaurant there. It was ...okay...in the past it was good. After walking the Sauerbraten meal off inside the mall I took the 20 minute drive to the parking structure at the Holiday Inn on Peabody Street, a nice couple of blocks away from Schirmerhorn. I took Briley Parkway east, 155, exit 8 onto Highway 70 that leads downtown. It is a 4-lane road going through a sort of industrial area. But, the drive is very low stress in comparison to the interstate spaghetti of I 24-40-65 around downtown. I recommend it, but I have not driven it when things are popping, so be aware that Nashville traffic can be horrid depending.
There are several things I'd love to do when I go to Nashville that I never seem to have time to do. First off, walk the streets, go the various museums, do some Honky Tonk hopping, go down to the waterfront, walk across the bridge, go to a restaurant for dinner, go to the symphony, then go out for a nightcap afterwards. Driving home after all that would be extremely tiring. So, I have to consider my energy when I go. There is a lot to experience in Nashville, and it is an energetic town.
Musiterania
Experiences like this remind us that music is constantly evolving, meeting audiences where they are while still carrying the timeless language of human expression. Whether through symphony, screen, or story, what matters most is the connection—the moment when sound, thought, and feeling align. At Musiterania, we believe every performance is an opportunity not just to listen, but to reflect on who we are and who we are becoming through the art we choose to embrace.