BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
What happens when a classical pianist and a jazz pianist come together to make music?
You probably wouldn’t predict the answer to be the launch of a new initiative celebrating video game music.
That’s exactly what Sinister Creative is all about. Founded by classical virtuoso Nicholas Young and multi-genre composer and performer Julian ‘Zorsy’ Sanchez, this Melbourne creative collaboration serves up some of the best-love music for screen — starting with a Final Fantasy Piano Party and a new album dedicated to the soundtrack.
Hey, Zorsy. Nicholas has a long history with classical piano — but your own background is with more contemporary music, including a few compositions for game. Tell me why you wanted to pull together so many techniques (classical, jazz-fusion, and even synths) to create your duo project.
As a pianist, I have also been classically trained through high school but found myself growing up with the influences of jazz, hip-hop, heavy metal, and — of course — video games! I wouldn’t be the same musician without my classical training, but my own playing is rooted in an eclectic sound from many streams of music.
I think for both of us, the combination of this duo project allows us to explore all of these hybrid genres through video games, a genre which has its own nostalgic origins and magic about it.
On a technical level, where does this coming together of “hybrid genres” sit in terms of your ability to express yourselves as musicians?
The wonderful thing about video game music is that it inherently expresses many genres within its soundtrack. So between the two of us, we are able to convey the vast landscapes and emotions that exist within [game soundtracks such as] Final Fantasy VII.
A lot of the music of this game, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, has a large degree of technical virtuosity in its core, or provides enough improvisatory passages to allow for it. The original soundtrack had created orchestral scenes and motifs with a combination of heavy rock and synths. It’s a drastic change from the typical music both Nick and I perform, but a very rewarding challenge recreating these masterpieces on our instruments, nonetheless.
What are some of the instruments you’re working with for your new album of Final Fantasy music?
Our upcoming album has a combination of a wonderful grand piano [Stuart and Sons, loaned to venue Tempo Rubato by maker Wayne Stuart], combined with the recent Roland Fantom 8. It’s amazing combining the clarity and strength of the grand piano with such a workhorse of a synthesiser to really bring our own arrangements to life.
Roland’s powerful synth engine allowed me to customise sounds, from deep buzzing Sawtooth basses to wonderfully recreated harps and electric pianos, to name a few.
There are definitely a few surprise sounds that harmonise with Nicholas’ playing on the grand piano quite well, and due to the nature of the project, you get to hear him on a few tracks on the Fantom!
As a musician who loves the music of Final Fantasy, I’d imagine you must get right into the game. But why did you want to go so far as to create a live performance experience of the soundtrack, and release an album of reimagined works? And what sort of audience do you think will listen — gamers, or music lovers?
The soundtrack of Final Fantasy VII is one of the key factors into why this game has been such a global success. It boasts a tracklist of over 80 tunes, and not many concerts currently have a dedicated show to purely FFVII.
Our performance is a really detailed chronological concert that explores the beauty of the first portion of this game’s plot focused around the slums of Midgar and its escape. There is a lot more exploration in some of the more subtle tracks, and our arrangements seek to explore a lot more of the emotional plot-line that will hopefully allow lovers of the game — and first timers — to truly experience the stories of our childhood.
Final Fantasy is perhaps the most-performed video game soundtrack in Australia. There are often symphonic performances as well as chamber or solo events taking place across the country. Why do you think this soundtrack — out of the entire history of video games — has been the one to make it to main stages with sell-out audiences?
At the time of the game’s release in 1997, Final Fantasy VII revolutionised the idea of the Japanese role-playing game to the whole world. It blew the world away with the graphics and storyline for its time, and the soundtrack as well had shifted to such a progressive production.
A lot of the instruments and sound effects created would alone be enough for a diehard fan to relive the memories. From its final boss theme One Winged Angel to its lush main theme, the soundtrack perfectly tied a lot of the gripping story together, and is probably a staple inclusion to any video game concert!
You could say that Uematsu reflected the Beethoven within the video game world.
What have you learnt from Nicholas’s experiences on the classical concert stages of the world?
It’s been a joy to be able to work with Nicholas within his expertise in the classical genre. As a youthful classical pianist myself, it has been really great to work on virtuosic-orchestrated arrangements. That’s improved my sensibilities in dynamics and performing contour, especially when coming up with a program from start to finish.
I’ve definitely appreciated the detail in constructing both the arrangements and set-list order in such a way that conveys the most effective performance and reaction that has definitely brought some audience members to tears in previous iterations of this concert.
On the flip side, what do you feel you’ve taught Nicholas through your collaboration with him?
Bringing some of my experiences within the contemporary music world into this performance, it’s been great to see Nicholas adapt some of these traits.
I’ve seen him open up in relation to suggestions for the show, as well as take a lot more risks within his performance, whether it was ambitious cadenzas, or on-the-spot improvisations. His jazz playing has definitely shaped up a lot since the show, and he’s definitely not too shy to try to improvise within this whole body of work! Wait til you hear the album!
Any parting words about why the world needs to listen to more video game music?
If it wasn’t for video games in the first place, I probably wouldn’t have continued piano lessons as a younger child. It was so nice to be able to connect music and its joys within the context of some of my own childhood experiences through the worlds that these games had conveyed.
For the past few years, I have been composing for video game soundtracks, as well as pushing the video game music ideas within my video game cover band The Consouls.
Despite working on a lot of online content through those two projects, working on the Final Fantasy VII project with Nicholas has rekindled a lot of my love for video game music as a whole, and has been a great way to connect with people together to truly create a magical experience.
After the Final Fantasy VII Piano Party (1 March, Tempo Rubato, Brunswick), keep up to date on the new album releases on the Sinister Creative website.
Images supplied.
