Symphonic Fantasies

Symphonic Fantasies: Music from Square Enix

Orchestral concert tour by Merregnon Studios
Conductor	Arnie Roth
Composers	Jonne Valtonen, Nobuo Uematsu, Hiroki Kikuta, Yoko Shimomura, Yasunori Mitsuda
Arrangers	Jonne Valtonen, Roger Wanamo
Venue	Cologne (Germany), Cologne Philharmonic Hall
Album recordings	Symphonic Fantasies (2010) Symphonic Fantasies Tokyo (2012)
Start date	September 11, 2009
End date	October 6, 2016
Supporting acts	Benyamin Nuss, Rony Barrak
Producer	Thomas Böcker (Merregnon Studios)
Merregnon Studios concert chronology
Symphonic Shades (August 23, 2008) Symphonic Fantasies (2009, 2012, 2016) Symphonic Legends (September 23, 2010)

Symphonic Fantasies: Music from Square Enix was an award-winning symphonic tribute concert originally held in Cologne, Germany on September 12, 2009, at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall featuring video game music from Japanese game developer Square Enix. The concert featured symphonic movements based on the Kingdom Hearts series, Secret of Mana, the Chrono series, and the Final Fantasy series. It was produced and directed by Thomas Böcker, with arrangements provided by Finnish composer and musician Jonne Valtonen with assistance by Roger Wanamo. Due to overwhelming demand, a second concert was added at the König-Pilsener-Arena in Oberhausen, on September 11, 2009. Both performances were by the WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne and the WDR Radio Choir Cologne under conduction from Arnie Roth, with guest performers Rony Barrak and Benyamin Nuss joining the orchestra. Symphonic Fantasies was broadcast over radio on the WDR4 station and streamed live video online.

In 2012, five new performances were scheduled, taking stage in Tokyo, Stockholm, and a reprise in Cologne. These performances featured slightly modified versions of the original arrangements, and like the original concerts, were sold out. Another performance was held in London in October 2016 by the London Symphony Orchestra. The original concert and the Tokyo concert both sparked the release of an album. These albums, along with the concerts themselves, were heavily praised, both for the quality of the performance and for the quality of Valtonen's arrangements, which overlaid themes from multiple pieces rather than relying on a traditional medley.