By Carin Rutherford Creel
Eminence Symphony Orchestra
Shackles of Night
Performers
Hiroki Kikuta - Hiroaki Yura - Shihori
“When the Eminence Symphony Orchestra originally formed in October 2003 (initially under the name InfinityBlue), they truly were breaking new ground” (Shea, 2007). Through the emergence of the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, the sad days of the beeps and bleeps in video gaming have ended, and for those who believe video game noises are packed with only beeps and bleeps, Eminence says, “Behold”. The concept behind violinist and founder, Hiroaki Yura, of the full orchestra and symphonic choir, Eminence Symphony Orchestra, is to “inject something bold, dynamic and fresh into classical music” (Eminence, 2010) and create a musical sound that breaks the “barriers between the audience and the musicians” (Eminence, 2010) and “revive the prominent place of orchestra in today's society, particularly among the younger generation” (Eminence, 2010).
Their original music scores are composed by several varying artists within the orchestra and performed by over hundreds of musicians. They are probably best known among the younger generation given that the recordings have been inserted into (possibly) hundreds of video games, a fraction of these being - Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Shadow of the Colossus, God War 2, Dark Siders, Dragon Age Origins, Prince of Persia, Gears of War 2, Red Alert 3, Ace Combat 5, The iDOLLM@STER, Soul Calibur - and the widely popular, Super Mario Bros. Medley. In fact, there are so many video gaming music scores and compositions written and composed by Eminence Symphony Orchestra it would be almost impossible to find and list them all.
Their music scores and compositions are also featured in popular anime films such as Tsubasa Chronicles, Princess Mononoke, Steamboy, and My Neighbor Totoro. The orchestra has also done live performances, such as, "A Night in Fantasia; the Ultimate Games and Anime Experiment", in which was stated as being “the biggest game and anime concert the world has ever seen”, according to the concert trailer on YouTube, Eminence Symphony Orchestra: "A Night in Fantasia 2009" concert trailer! (YouTube, 2010). A concert series by Eminence was performed at the Sydney Entertainment Center on the 26th of September 2009. “After plastering Sydney with posters, the first concert - A Night in Fantasia - drew 1800 people, and Yura knew that there was an audience” (Shea, 2007).
According to information on their website, the orchestra is about “the quality of the composition, arrangement, and performance of the music” and they “strive to collaborate with the brightest minds in the industry to provide the best musical experience for fans the world over” (Eminence, 2010).
The Shackles of Night music is by Hiroki Kikuta, and performed by Hiroki Kikuta, Hiroaki Yura, and the concert performance will be featuring SHIHORI at vocals, in which in the original soundtrack was performed by Megurine Luka. In creating the design for Eminence, I saved photos of the Eminence orchestra, and images consistent to the Shackles of Night concert details. Below is the poster I created using Photoshop Elements 8 and photos collected from various internet sites.
Created by Carin Rutherford Creel (11/21/2010)
2010.04.16 "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" Original Soundtrack
2010.04.15 "PROMISE" - Makoto Shinkai Image Album
2010.04.13 "A Night in Fantasia 2009" Limited Edition
References
Eminence. (2010). Shackles of Night image character design by Kaya Nagahara. Retrieved from website: http://eminenceonline.com/store/SoN.html
Eminence. (2010). Eminence Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved November 20 2010 from Eminence website: http://eminenceonline.com/profile.html
©Hiroaki Yura. (©2010). Eminence - Otakorp, Inc. Images. Retrieved from website: http://eminenceonline.com/store/SoN.html
Shea, Cam. (2007 February 13). Eminence Orchestra AU Profile. Retrieved November 20 2010 from IGN Insider website: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/764/764242p1.html
YouTube. (2010). Eminence Symphony Orchestra: "A Night in Fantasia 2009" concert trailer! Retrieved November 20 2010 from YouTube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jnlcha-Up0
Some information borrowed from the website of ©Hiroaki Yura ©2010 Otakorp, Inc. without persmission. Please contact Carin Rutherford Creel if there are any issues concerning the use of any information or images contained in this page.
