About
AWR Music Productions, LLC is proud to present the official symphony concert world-tour Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY
Launched in conjunction with the twentieth anniversary of FINAL FANTASY, this concert production features the music of the great video game series FINAL FANTASY and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The concerts are performed by symphony orchestra, choir, and renowned vocal and instrumental soloists, under the direction of GRAMMY Award-winner and acclaimed conductor Arnie Roth. With HD video direct from the FINAL FANTASY game developers SQUARE ENIX projected onto giant screens throughout the concerts, a rapidly growing repertoire of classic FINAL FANTASY music, and an extraordinary fan base, Distant Worlds is a unique multimedia concert experience every time.
History
After the success of the 2002 FINAL FANTASY concert held in Japan, SQUARE ENIX announced a six-city tour of Japan in 2004, Tour de Japon: music from FINAL FANTASY. Under Music Director Arnie Roth, the 2005 U.S. concert tour Dear Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY was the first concert production that featured the music of FINAL FANTASY outside Japan. This award-winning music was then featured in the More Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY performance in Los Angeles, also in 2005 (again under Roth’s baton). In 2006, the Voices: music from FINAL FANTASY concert took place in Yokohama, Japan. This performance featured premieres, guest soloists and Uematsu’s band, the Black Mages along with the Prima Vista orchestra and choir under the direction of Arnie Roth.
In 2007, Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY had its first performance in Stockholm, Sweden. Since then, Distant Worlds has performed regularly in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, with more and more new repertoire and video. In addition to the worldwide concert tour, there have been two acclaimed CD releases and a live concert DVD from Japan 2010.
About Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu is one of the most celebrated composers in the history of video game music, recognized for his work on the FINAL FANTASY series and other games. Nobuo Uematsu has been a major contributor to the increasing appreciation and awareness of video game music. The FINAL FANTASY VIII theme song, "Eyes on Me," composed and produced by Uematsu, featured Hong Kong pop star Faye Wong. "Eyes On Me" sold 400,000 copies and won "Song of the Year (Western Music)" at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1999, the first time in history that music from a video game had attained this illustrious honor. In 2001, Nobuo Uematsu was named as one of the "Innovators" in Time Magazine's Time 100: the Next Wave Music feature.
About Arnie Roth
Music Director Arnie Roth is a GRAMMY Award-winning artist known for his work with a renowned list of international recording and performing artists from pop music, classical, R&B, rock, and musical theater, including Il Divo, Diana Ross, Jewel, The Irish Tenors, Charlotte Church, Josh Groban, Patrick Stewart, Branford Marsalis and Andrea Bocelli. Roth has conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Sydney Symphony and the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln. He is well known in the world of video game music for his work with Nobuo Uematsu and SQUARE ENIX as music Director and conductor of Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY; as conductor of the WDR Radio Orchestra of Cologne’s concerts including Symphonic Fantasies, Symphonic Odysseys and Symphonic Legends; as Music Director and Conductor of PLAY! A Videogame Symphony, and many other successful concert productions in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He was the winner of the Best Score Award at the 2003 DVD Premier Awards for his score for the film Barbie™ as Rapunzel and was nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for his original song "Shine" from the movie Barbie™ in The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Roth has produced dozens of best selling CDs. For more information visit www.awrmusic.com.