Press Start -Symphony of Games-
Encyclopedia
Press Start -Symphony of Games- is a series of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese video game music concerts introduced in 2006. It was initiated by several industry professionals and is sponsored by the Japanese publishing company Enterbrain
Enterbrain
is a Japanese magazine publisher established on April 1, 2000. Enterbrain magazines are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy guides. In addition, the company publishes a small selection of anime artbooks. Enterbrain is based in Tokyo, Japan...

.

Development

Inspired by the big success of earlier events, such as the Orchestral Game Music Concerts
Orchestral Game Music Concerts
The were a series of Japanese video game music concerts. The events took place in Tokyo from 1991 to 1996 and were performed by different orchestras. Recordings of the concerts were released as a series of albums, which are known for their rarity....

 and the Symphonic Game Music Concerts, several industry professionals collaborated to create a new Japanese game concert series. In 2006, conductor Taizo Takemoto, game designer Masahiro Sakurai
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game designer, the creative force behind both the Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series on Nintendo platforms. He is currently Director of Software Development for the video game developer's Sora Ltd. and Project Sora. He is also the author of a weekly column for Famitsu...

, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima
Kazushige Nojima
is a Japanese game scenario writer and is the founder of Stellavista Ltd.. He is best known for writing parts of Square Enix's Final Fantasy video game series—namely Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2—and the Kingdom Hearts series...

 and composers Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...

 and Shogo Sakai formed an executive committee to develop Press Start. Hoping to distinguish the performances from foreign concerts and making it better than the other series, Uematsu preferred to select only music from Japanese games, though Press Start was always designed not to be limited to just one game series or console.

Press Start 2006 -Symphony of Games-

Date: September 22

Venue: Bunkamura
Bunkamura
The Bunkamura is a concert hall, theater and museum located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyu Group.- Venues :The four main venues are:*Orchard Hall: 2,150 seats*Theatre Cocoon: 747 seats*The Museum - Changing art exhibits...

 Orchard Hall

Conductor: Taizo Takemoto

Orchestra: Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra


Press Start 2006 marked the first Japanese orchestral performance of music from various game series after the ten-year hiatus following the Orchestral Game Music Concert 5. The event took place one day before the Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...

 opened for the public and was presented by Rie Tanaka
Rie Tanaka
is a singer and voice actress . Notable among her numerous roles are Lacus Clyne in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, Chii and Freya in Chobits, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke in Strike Witches and Suigintou in the anime adaptation of Rozen Maiden.-Personal life:As a child, Tanaka took singing classes...

, with Sakurai and Uematsu joining her as commentators. Additionally, every track featured guest appearances of the respective composers telling an anecdote from the time they composed that specific soundtrack. The executive committee expressed its satisfaction with the concert afterwards and announced there were plans for another event at a bigger concert hall in 2007.

Press Start 2007 -Symphony of Games-

Date and venue (Yokohama): September 17, Pacifico Yokohama
Pacifico Yokohama
Pacifico Yokohama is a convention center in Japan located in the western region of Minato Mirai Nishi-ku Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture....



Date and venue (Osaka): September 22, Umeda Arts Theater
Umeda Arts Theater
is a Japanese theater located at Chayamachi Applause in Chayamachi, Kita-ku, Osaka, operated by Umeda Arts Theater Co., Ltd. It opened in 1992.-Access:*Hankyu Umeda Station - approx. 3 minutes from Chayamachiguchi Gate on foot...



Conductor: Taizo Takemoto

Orchestra: Press Start Gadget Orchestra and Press Start 2007 Chorus


Due to positive reactions and support from fans, the series was expanded to offer two performances in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

 and Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, allowing more people to attend the event in 2007. Both concerts featured exclusive tracks that were not performed at the other venue and were accompanied by game footage on a big screen. Press Start 2007 was presented by Chisa Yokoyama
Chisa Yokoyama
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She is founder and head of her own voice company called Banbina after leaving Arts Vision. When she was a high school student, she was an assistant of Jump Broadcasting Station of Weekly Shōnen Jump...

.

Press Start 2008 -Symphony of Games-

Date and venue (Tokyo): September 14, Bunkamura Orchard Hall

Date and venue (Shanghai): October 31, Shanghai International Gymnastic Center

Conductor: Taizo Takemoto

Orchestra: Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra


In 2008, the series expanded again to hold one concert in Tokyo and one in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, China. Both performances were presented by Keiko Washino. The event in China dropped some of the new arrangements and replaced them with tracks from earlier Press Start concerts.

Press Start 2009 -Symphony of Games-

Date: August 2

Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space
The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space is a Japanese concert hall and theater located in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture.- External links :...




Two concerts were held at the same venue in the Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro
is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits....

 district of Tokyo, with one performance beginning in the early afternoon and the other one in the evening.

External links

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