Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour-

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Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour-
Logo for the Orchestra -World Tour-
Premiered March 10, 2017
Composer Yoko Shimomura
Performers Tokyo Philarmonic Orchestra (Tokyo)
Marne-la-Vallée Symphony Orchestra (Paris)
Royal Philarmonic Orchestra (London)
Metropolitan Festival Orchestra (Singapore)
Selangor Symphony Orchestra (Kuala Lampur)
City Chamber Orchestra (Hong Kong)
Osaka Symphony Orchestra (Osaka)
Countries Japan
France
United Kingdom
Singapore
Malaysia
China
United States
Australia
Canada
Brazil
Germany
Italy
South Korea
Mexico

Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour- is an official orchestral concert of Kingdom Hearts music performed by a full orchestra. It is the first orchestral concert and first world tour for the series's music. It was created for the 15th anniversary of the series.

The concert was announced on the Kingdom Hearts Japanese Twitter page[1] on April 26, 2016. A Facebook page and website were created to promote the concert. The concert premiered on March 10, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.

On March 1, 2018, an encore concert tour was announced, with 18 performances worldwide, including two in São Paulo, Brazil. Additionally, plans for performances in 2019 to celebrate the release of Kingdom Hearts III were also revealed.[2]

Development

According to both series director Tetsuya Nomura and series music composer Yoko Shimomura, the idea for concerts based on the music of the Kingdom Hearts series had been discussed for a long time. Yoko Shimomura created a rough draft of the concert program, which Tetsuya Nomura checked and accepted. Unlike the Concert -First Breath- performances, all the performances for Orchestra -World Tour- have videos from the games that accompany each musical piece—with the exception of "Twinkle Twinkle Holidays", which did not feature a video.[3]

As part of the announcement of the concert, both Nomura and Shimomura released statements:

"The idea of a KINGDOM HEARTS concert has been in the works for several years, but even so, I was astonished to learn that our music would be performed by a full orchestra, in other countries no less. I've been given the opportunity to oversee the creation of the title, logo, and many other aspects of this amazing production, and as the director of the series, I am confident that what we've created will touch the hearts of our beloved fans everywhere.

The World Tour is slated for 2017, the same year as the KINGDOM HEARTS 15th anniversary. In the meantime, fans will get a chance to explore the world of KINGDOM HEARTS II.8, which is coming out later this year. I hope the excitement and joy they get from the experience will only increase their anticipation for the release of KINGDOM HEARTS III.
"
—Tetsuya Nomura
"I heard this quite often, and it echoed my own feelings. I've wanted to have a concert for some time, and I'm happy to announce that it's finally become a reality. When I began composing for the KINGDOM HEARTS series, I couldn't even dream this day would come. But it has, thanks to our beloved fans. This concert and the music of KINGDOM HEARTS could not have existed without their undying support. I can't thank them enough. The concert will encompass my feelings toward the series and those dear to me around the world. I look forward to seeing everyone there!"
—Yoko Shimomura

Performances

During the initial announcement in 2017, eleven performances were announced. The positive reaction to the announcement prompted the creation of four additional performances: May 13 in Kuala Lumpur, June 11 in Los Angeles, June 23 in New York, and July 8 in Osaka. The Hong Kong performance was originally scheduled for May 28, 2017 at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, but was moved to Hong Kong on April 14.[4]

Date Hall Location
March 10–11, 2017 Tokyo International Forum A Tokyo, Japan
March 18–19, 2017 Salle Pleyel Paris, France
March 24–25, 2017 Central Hall Westminster London, England
May 6–7, 2017 Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore, Singapore
May 13, 2017 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Plenary Hall Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
May 21, 2017 AsiaWorld-Expo Runway 11 Hong Kong, China
June 10–11, 14, 2017 Dolby Theatre Los Angeles, California, United States
June 23–24, 2017 United Palace Theatre New York, New York, United States
July 8, 2017 Orix Theatre Osaka, Japan

The 2018 encore performances began later in the year, and features three more performances in twice as many locations. The event returned only to Los Angeles at the beginning of the world tour in June, but in a different venue.

Date Hall Location
June 9, 2018 Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Los Angeles, California, United States
July 7, 2018 Sydney Opera House Sydney, Australia
July 13, 2018 Auditorium Theatre Chicago, Illinois, United States
July 14, 2018 Fisher Theatre Detroit, Michigan, United States
July 16, 2018 Heinz Hall Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
July 19, 2018 Wang Theatre Boston, Massachusetts, United States
July 21, 2018 Sony Centre Toronto, Canada
July 26, 2018 Fox Theatre Atlanta, Georgia, United States
July 28, 2018 Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie Dallas, Texas, United States
August 2, 2018 Mann Centre Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
August 4, 2018 Symphony Hall Phoenix, Arizona, United States
August 5, 2018 The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
August 12, 2018 Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
September 8–9, 2018 Teatro Bradesco São Paulo, Brazil
September 15, 2018 The Gasteig Munich, Germany
September 22, 2018 Teatro Dal Verme Milan, Italy
October 6, 2018 KBS Hall Seoul, South Korea
October 20, 2018 Auditorium Blackberry Mexico City, Mexico

Program

The performance is approximately two hours long, and features seventeen pieces of musical arrangements from the Kingdom Hearts series. The musical pieces were performed by a full orchestra and were accompanied by gameplay footage from all the games. Additionally, the performances featured segments considered canon to the series, including conversations by Kairi, Xion, and Aqua, performed by their Japanese voice actors on-stage. The Tokyo performance on March 11 first featured the conversations by performances of Kairi, Xion, and Aqua's voice actors; subsequent performances featured only the audio with translated subtitles on-screen. The Los Angeles performance on June 10, which coincided with the beginning of E3 2017 in Los Angeles, also premiered a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts III.

The 2018 performances added three songs, with "Dearly Beloved -χ Back Cover Ver.-" replacing "Dearly Beloved -KINGDOM HEARTS II Ver.-" and "Traverse Town" replacing "Twinkle Twinkle Holidays". "Toy Box Medley" is the first public performance of a theme from Kingdom Hearts III.

Piece Composer Arrangement
"HIKARI - Kingdom Orchestra Instrumental Version-" Yoko Shimomura Kaoru Wada
"Dearly Beloved -KINGDOM HEARTS II Ver.-" (2017) / "Dearly Beloved -χ Back Cover Ver.-" (2018) Yoko Shimomura Kaoru Wada
"Destati" Yoko Shimomura Natsumi Kameoka
"Organization XIII" Yoko Shimomura Natsumi Kameoka
"Twinkle Twinkle Holidays" (2017) / "Traverse Town" (2018) Yoko Shimomura Natsumi Kameoka
"Treasured Memories" Yoko Shimomura Sachiko Miyano
"The World of KINGDOM HEARTS" Yoko Shimomura Kaoru Wada
"Fate of the Unknown" Yoko Shimomura Kaoru Wada
"Threats of the Land: KINGDOM HEARTS Battle Medley" Yoko Shimomura Natsumi Kameoka
Intermission
"Heroes and Heroines: Characters' Medley" Yoko Shimomura Souhei Kano
"Lazy Afternoons ~ At Dusk, I Will Think of You..." Yoko Shimomura Souhei Kano
"Vector to the Heavens" Yoko Shimomura Sachiko Miyano
"Wave of Darkness" Yoko Shimomura Natsumi Kameoka
"Daybreak Town: The Heart of χ" Yoko Shimomura Kaoru Wada
"The Other Promise" Yoko Shimomura Natsumi Kameoka
"Let Darkness Assemble: Final Boss Battle Medley" Yoko Shimomura Sachiko Miyano
"Passion -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-" Yoko Shimomura Kaoru Wada
"Fantasia alla marcia for piano, chorus and orchestra" Yoko Shimomura ???
"Toy Box Medley" (2018) Yoko Shimomura ???

Album

Album cover for Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour-
The Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour- album cover.

An album for the concert was announced for public sale on March 12, 2017,[5] and features several, but not all, of the pieces performed at the concert. Originally, the album was available exclusively at each performance. The album released on April 14, 2017 for 3564 yen. On June 26, 2017, Square Enix announced on the Kingdom Hearts Twitter page that the album would be available on the North American online store in August 2017[6] for $40.[7]

Track Title Length Artist Composer
1 "Dearly Beloved -KINGDOM HEARTS II Ver.-" 4:10 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
2 "Destati" 3:22 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
3 "Treasured Memories" 4:01 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
4 "The World of KINGDOM HEARTS" 9:59 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
5 "Fate of the Unknown" 3:30 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
6 "Threats of the Land: KINGDOM HEARTS Battle Medley" 8:12 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
7 "Heroes and Heroines: Characters' Medley" 12:32 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
8 "Vector to the Heavens" 5:46 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
9 "Wave of Darkness" 3:11 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
10 "Daybreak Town: The Heart of χ" 4:05 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
11 "The Other Promise" 5:13 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura
12 "Let Darkness Assemble: Final Boss Battle Medley" 7:58 Yoko Shimomura Yoko Shimomura

Merchandise

The performance events also featured additional event-exclusive merchandise for sale. The products included T-shirts, the album, and an orchestra guide.

  • The Album was originally an event-exclusive product, and costs 3500 yen.
  • The Orchestra Guide is a forty-page guide to the performance, including messages from Yoko Shimomura and Tetsuya Nomura, musical commentary, and the text from Terra and Naminé's conversation from the Kingdom Hearts Concert -First Breath- performances. It cost 2500 yen.
  • A Keyblade-shaped baton cost 3700 yen.
  • An original concert-inspired T-shirt cost 3000 yen
  • A card holder, which also holds the tickets for the concert, cost 2000 yen
  • A concert-themed purse cost 3500 yen

See also

Notes and references