SEGA Sound composers speak about the upcoming Symphonic SEGA concert

As we reported previously, SEGA and the Tokyo Chamber Orchestra teamed up for a Symphonic SEGA concert to be performed on October 10 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space in Japan. Today, Dengeki Online, has teased some of the Official Symphonic SEGA Concert Program magazine interview excerpts. In this concert magazine, to be sold at the venue on the concert day, the SEGA Sound producers speak about their involvement with the concert and some nostalgic anecdotes.

TAKASHI IZUKA & JUN SENOUE

• Senoue’s compositions have been played in many concerts and games, please share to us some anecdotes in the production of some, for example, Emerald Coast Zone 
• Senoue: “Emerald Coast Zone” is a place with that feel of speed. This would be fueled by the image of a faster tune while you are on your way, but it’s not like that, I made it ​​aiming to be a melody to match the atmosphere of a resort stage. I used an “Electric sitar” for an unexpected sound.
• And what about City Escape? 
• Senoue : I wonder if this is the feeling that you get with a first image. Yet there was no texture, the Harbor City was shown to me, Sonic came down from the top, at that moment I heard the explanation of Sonic landing over there and then descending the hill while riding the snowboard, from then the intro base had to get started, then the tempo and so on, it is a song that was made ​​with a cherished momentum of a first impression.
• Iizuka : The vocal part was proposed by Senoue. But in the middle of the stage’s story, the vocal song part suddenly pops in, it was possible that would be the very first stage, it became “City Escape”.
• About Live and Learn?
• Senoue : There’s a story about placing “Live & Learn” on the trial version of “Sonic Adventure 2” included as bonus on “PSO”, so the title song was going to be necessary, first I made ​​a prototype of just a simple intro, so it was placed on that trial version. So that title track was supposed to become the intro for the final boss, in order to take advantage of that format, It is a feeling that went creating it at a later date from that intro as a reference. As Crush 40 it is a song we want to play well, but in this case this version will be orchestral, it is a special fun song.
• So, how much the Sonic Music has been taken care for this concert’s arrangements?
• Senoue : Masato Nakamura’s “Sonic the Hedgehog”, Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” and “DREAMS COME TRUE” will be played at the concert, there is also a medeley but I guess won’t be that long. The regular melody is about a half a minute, while others about 50 seconds. It is impressive that we cared about not leaving much out, there is no waste in a good way. It has to be as much as possible inherited from those sections.
• What is the factor that produced the exhilaration on the Sonic the Hedgehog music?
• Senoue : I think the speed of the songs. Then the loose tempo of the songs. Quite strange for a combination.

 

HIRO & TAKENOBU MITSUYOSHI

• Project Rub and its sequel, 2 works were the impact of theme was very strong
• Mitsuyoshi : Today I’m responsible for the sound in a SEGA rhythm game called “Chunithm”, or was it the music that’s on Nico Nico Douga… I have a job to make an impact in the music that young people listen, for these 2 titles this work was trending in the internet. In the sense that the boom is born from the net, and the status of the current singer, I thought that this is very similar. I think we were pioneering in the sense of raising songs and games in the process.
• Speaking of SEGA music different than your own, which ones have left an impression on you? 
• Hiro : “Jet Set Radio”, there is quite a good view of the world in good songs. After that I like “NiGHTS”. Which also gives a feeling of the music and view of the world and how we raise each other, I like them.
• Mitsuyoshi : I like Naofumi Hataya’s songs rather than just a title. Even if he is asked to sing the theme song of “Burning Rangers”. We have a friendly competition with each other and we are aware of each other, we are comfortable with that and sometimes we work together. Sometimes we make a one by one concept before composing a song, they become another sound in his head. Moreover, not only I like “NiGHTS” and “Burning Rangers”, I also like “I would die for you” (Project Rub theme song) as a song, I have lots of hourly musical stimulus every time.
• Hiro sensei, you have been doing amazing music for 30 year, has something changed in how to make game music?
• Hiro : In the old days, how to express music in a lower sound source was challenging, also difficult for performance, now the boundary line with the general music has been lost, and nowadays I think the challenge is space or that it is liked on the game. The capacity constraints have been eliminated, you put the same kind of music in a game or CDs, I think music is the only type of “BGM” flowing in games. So if you do a standalone song, it would interfere with the game. It has to have conjunction with the situation of the scene, when it is not made ​​with further thought in the users feelings, it is not game music. It needs to be made to considering the push and pull. The visual, the story and the players feelings together, music is sounding on the spot. It is when all becomes fused that it becomes a good BGM. I think it is the interesting thing about making game music.

SASAKI TOMOKO & NAOFUMI HATAYA

• Which was the first NiGHTs song made?
• Hataya : “DREAMS DREAMS” a song that became the prototype for the orchestra melodies. After that, “Message from Nightopia”. Then I made ​​the three songs for the presentation video.
• Have you done anything in production regardless music for NiGHTs at the time?
• Hataya : I did a story for “ChristmasNiGHTS”.
• Sasaki : Yes. After the NiGHTs website was created, in partnership with HTML. It still remains even now (laughs). (Sega Saturn version of “NiGHTS” sound official site)
• Hataya : I had been saying BGM lives, there are systems that change the situation even for the same song, without the things you were doing for that kind of thing at the time, I had such hard times. Certainly that’s right, because it is putting the cart before the horse if you think like a weakened impression of music because of the system, it was created using with a considerable care for that.
• It is a system that has been increasing in the recent years, but at the time it was quite a pioneering one.
• Hataya : Now… the sound for “Phantasy Star Online 2″… I have been doing it for quite the authentic and dense thing.
• So… for this concert… do you have anything to be worried about the songs to be played by the orchestra?
• Sasaki : Because surface songs give the orchestra feel, there is an interest that those get performed as such. Meaning that some people will after chorus, I’m looking forward to whether what becomes into what.
• Hataya : Because Wiseman theme is a very huge, I’m looking toward the ending if it is raised in the second half, I am thrilled. I’m looking forward to Clarice, or”Growing Wings”,”Suburban Museum”, I think far from listening to is enough for me.

The full interview, and more SEGA composers will be featured in the concert magazine to be sold at the event, so unless we’re able to get 1 we won’t be able to know the rest, so for now, this will have to do…

Wanna know which symphonies will be performed at the concert? Venue and ticker information? Who will be special guests? Be sure to check our previous report here:

A SYMPHONIC SEGA CONCERT WILL BE PERFORMED AT JAPAN

In the meantime you can check the flyer for the concert:

As for the venue, it looks like this:

Dengeki Online has revealed the Concert’s brochure cover, it will be sold at the event, take a look:

[Program excerpts and Photos via Dengeki Online, Flyer via Yuji Naka]