Originally formed under the name of ‘Infinity Blue’ in 2003, the orchestra was soon reformed in 2004 under the name of ‘Eminence’. Hiroaki Yura is the man behind this ambitious organization and is a talented violinist and performer in his own right. He is also the main front man of the orchestra. Eminence essentially performs and records video game and anime music. They are on a mission to promote this sort of music as an art form and bring it to mainstream attention.
They have recorded music for video games such as Soul Calibur IV,Odin Sphere, Grim Grimoire and more recently Diablo 3, while some of their major anime soundtrack recordings include music for Romeo x Juliet. Apart from these major studio projects they are famous here for their flagship concert series ‘Night in Fantasia’. They are also known for their other special concert series such as ‘Piano Stories’ and ‘Destiny’.
Today we will hand pick some their fantastic live performances, which will cover classics from both video game and anime soundtracks.
- Most Notable Members
- Hiraoki Yura – Founder and Violinist
- Philip Chu – Conductor and Director
Video game music
You can tell that the talented individuals at Eminence share a strong passion for video games, clearly acknowledging and promoting the artistic aspect of this interactive medium. Video game music has evolved substantially over the years and has reached the level of becoming timeless classics that any listener can appreciate. Eminence has done fantastic renditions of some popular tracks.
One Winged Angel: One of the darker tracks that can be heard in an Eminence concert. This performance is Eminence’s most popular ones and is often well received by the audience. We love Final Fantasy VII, we love the its music and story and yes Sephiroth is the coolest villain with an epic theme song.
Shadow of the Colossus: The main boss theme has been performed in a manner much similar to the original recording. Eminence generally retains the original style and pace of the orchestra tracks that they cover but still add much of their own flair and variation. This track is delivered with great energy and passion, a near flawless cover of the original.
Scars of Time: This classic Chrono Cross track is one of the most breathtaking pieces you can find in video game music, playing a track like this is truly a challenging and ambitious feat. Eminence did a commendable performance of this beautiful piece.
While the symphony orchestra tracks retain their original style and nature for the most part, Eminence have also taken ambitious steps to bring new life to classic video game pieces. Pieces that never were recorded by a symphony orchestra in the first place. We take a look at a few examples below.
Super Mario Bros.: This performance always receives a huge pop from the crowd, and is filled with laughter and joy. This is one Eminence’s more popular performances, It certainly brings a smile because of its light-hearted, amusing and uplifting nature.
Meridian Dance: A fantastic track from one gem of a game. Sure we haven’t seen a decent Mana video game in ages but at least we have found memories of the original.
Anime music
Sure this is a video game site but who here doesn’t enjoy some Japanese animation? Most of us love eastern video games, which in turn is heavily influenced by anime art style and conventions. Let us take a look at some anime music pieces.
Thanatos: Taken from everyone’s favourite Scifi anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is an emotional and sorrow filled piece that really brings a tear to the eye. The track is beautifully performed and features some breathtaking violin work. It really sets a standard for live orchestra performances.
Studio Ghibli is well known for creating some of the most acclaimed and unforgettable works of Japanese animation. Anything they create seems to be made of gold. Princess Monoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away are names that even casual anime fans have heard about. These movies have also featured some amazing music.
Cave of Mind: Taken from Howl’s Moving Castle, this is a very touching and mellow piece that carries a calm and spiritual tone.
Wrapping it up
With companies like Eminence doing such hard work, we can always rest easy knowing that video game and anime music will continue to become more popular. While we mainly focused on music from eastern franchises, the orchestra has covered a good deal of western music and the upcoming Night in Fantasia 2009 will feature music from western video game franchises such as Diablo, Dragon Age, Prince of Persia and Darksiders.
We hope you enjoyed our small track selection in this special edition of the Sound Test. Eminence has always covered various tracks from a wide range of anime and video game franchises and those of you who are going to attend the upcoming concert, we hope this Sound Test has psyched you up for a magical aural journey.
Metal Gear Solid Theme: This dramatic piece is performed in a similar fashion to the original but Eminence has indeed given it a major face lift and is full of adrenaline. This is why video game music is awesome.
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