It begins!
The concertmaster takes a solo.
The orchestra kicked off the show with the straightforward but majestic "Hyrule Castle Theme" from A Link to the Past and subsequent Zelda entries. One of the most memorable songs from the franchise, the castle theme was a pleasant introduction that put a smile on everyone's face, though it held no surprises.
The conductor introduces the first set.
After the opener, Ms. Noone introduced the next set of songs, starting with a lovely arrangement of "Princess Zelda's Theme", also known as "Zelda's Lullaby". The song started with an excellent first violin solo crooning over the well-known melody, with the rest of the orchestra joining in the background shortly thereafter. There were several tasteful artistic liberties in this arrangement, which introduced twists to the basic melody and curious countermelodies to keep the audience engaged.
Wake up, Sleepy!
This was followed by my personal highlight of the concert's first half, "The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement". A medley of themes, this arrangement essentially told the entire story from the titular GameCube game, all accompanied by well-timed visuals on the screen. The orchestra began with a "telling" of the ancient legend of the Hero of Time, followed by the enjoyably light theme of Outside Island with Link exploring his hometown on-screen. The orchestra and its visual accompaniment then transitioned to the pirate ship, complete with the letting down of the sails and lumbering pirate ship music, accompanied by Link's humorously text-heavy lecture from the pirates. The arrangement climaxed with music and footage from the final confrontation with Ganondorf, going as far as to show the gruesome final blow, where Link thrusts his sword into Ganondorf's forehead! The entire orchestra was at its best during this song, with a smattering of solos sprinkled throughout, but the cello and bass sections in particular impressed with their rich accompaniment in the lower registry.
Violent spoilers!
The orchestra cooled down with the "Ocarina Medley Suite", which introduced the audience (presumably younger attendees) to the sections of the orchestra. Each section played one or more Ocarina melodies as heard in the Nintendo 64 games upon learning them for the first time, with a solo followed by light accompaniment in the form of harmonies or countermelodies. Surprisingly, they featured selections from Majora's Mask as well as Ocarina of Time. Highlights included the New Wave Bassanova from the woodwinds; a boisterously dissonant (though perhaps not creepy) Elegy of Emptiness from the brass section; the beautiful Serenade of Water on the harp; an unexpected drum solo of the Song of Healing; and an appropriately hammed-up, twangy string performance on Epona's Song and chaotic Song of Soaring. The whole ensemble brought it home with a more extended performance of the Lost Woods theme.
"The ocarinas of the orchestra."
