39TH ANNIVERSARY ORCHESTRA CONCERT
Music composed by Yoko Shimomura
Conducted by Arnie Roth
Performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Featured pianist: Yui Morishita
Choir: Barzz
Music arranged by Natsumi Kameoka, Yohei Kobayashi, Tomomichi Takeoka, Sachiko Miyano, Kosuke Yamashita, and Kaoru Wada
September 25, 2026
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Tokyo, Japan
PART 1: THIRTY YEARS AGO
It has now been about thirty years since I last played a video game.
At that time, I was in junior high and had been religiously playing one particular game on the family Sega Mega Drive: STREET FIGHTER II, the global fighting game sensation that was released in arcades in 1991.
I played it with my brother at home, with my best friend at his house when I slept over, and at dingy arcades during after school with my friends.
One thing burnt in my memory from that time is the music of STREET FIGHTER II. Each character’s musical theme perfectly encapsulated their character and playing background, and “clocking” the game without losing a round unlocked some very special end credit scenes and music.
So infatuated with the music was I that I would often load up the game and go straight into the “Option Mode” screen just to play the isolated music tracks – I believe I even dubbed it onto cassette somehow!
When I think about it, the music of STREET FIGHTER II was the very first instrumental music that I liked and could hum, so you could well say that it planted the seeds for my obsession with instrumental music, and in particular, soundtracks.
I am embarrassed to say that it took only twenty years to finally track down the music of STREET FIGHTER II on CD – via a reissue on Cassetron Records (CTN-005006) – and finally discover the composer of its iconic music: Japanese composer Yoko Shimomura.
When it was announced this year that she would be having a 39th Anniversary Orchestra Concert, I pounced on a ticket despite not seeing STREET FIGHTER II on the teased set list.
I needn’t have worried though, because not only did the concert feature a sensational suite of music from STREET FIGHTER II, but it also introduced me to Shimomura’s well-crafted and highly memorable music for video games and beyond.
PART 2: FROM CONSOLE TO CONCERT HALL
Yoko Shimomura brought her biggest hits from the video game world and more to the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre for a night of epic thrills and emotional highs.
Arranged for and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Barzz choral group under the baton of Arnie Roth, the audience was treated to a comprehensive set list including everything from the popular Square Enix/Walt Disney video game KINGDOM HEARTS to the music Shimomura wrote for the 2019 RUGBY WORLD CUP.
In between pieces was some light onstage banter from Shimomura who hilariously read aloud what the music arrangers for the night thought about her and her music.
Indeed, the whole evening felt like a friendly and intimate affair highlighted by nothing but memorable and spine-tingling music.
PART 3: THE SET LIST
The set list for the night was as follows:
– THE FIRST HALF –
- LEGEND ON MANA: Hometown Domina
- SUPER MARIO RPG: Beware of Forest Mushrooms
- STREET FIGHTER II: Ryu’s Theme / Guile’s Theme / Barlog’s (a.k.a. Vega’s) Theme
- FINAL FANTASY XV: Valse di Fantastica
- FRONT MISSION: Take the Offensive
- RADIANT HISTORIA: Blue Radiance / The Edge of Green
- LEGEND OF MANA: Going through the Flame – Legend of Mana Dragon Killer Medley
- RUGBY ANTHEM MEDLEY: Blooming in the Dawn / Japan Rugby League One Official Anthem
- FINAL FANTASY XV: Stand Your Ground
- LIVE A LIVE: Live a Live / Forgotten Wings / MEGALOMANIA
– THE SECOND HALF –
- XENOBLADE: Main Theme
- KINGDOM HEARTS II: The Other Promise
- LEGEND OF MANA: Bejeweled City of Ruins
- FINAL FANTASY XV: Somnus
- KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS: Vector to the Heavens
- MARIO & LUIGI RPG: In the Final
- ANCIEN AND THE MAGIC TABLET: Kokone’s Theme
- SUPER MARIO RPG: Goodbye Geno… ~ Seeking Dreams Through the Window of the Stars
- S SAY – SINFONIA –
- KINGDOM HEARTS III: Nachtflügel
– THE ENCORES –
- FINAL FANTASY XV: APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS
- KINGDOM HEARTS – MELODY OF MEMORY: Dearly Beloved (Swing Version)
Before I go into details about the concert, let me state that I can’t remember everything since I went into the concert cold – i.e. I intentionally did not listen to the music beforehand, and I am not familiar with any of the games they were written for. As a result, allow me to describe the highlights as I remember them.
PART 4: THE FIRST HALF
The first half kicked off with a few fantasy-themed pieces before going full-throttle with some sensational action pieces that had the audience in raptures.
LEGEND ON MANA
– Hometown Domina
The opening piece from LEGEND OF MANA, an action RPG from 1999, had a wondrous fantasy vibe before transitioning into a theme full of whimsy and charm. LEGEND OF MANA actually featured various times throughout the concert, suggesting it is something Shimomura holds close to her heart.
SUPER MARIO RPG
– Beware of Forest Mushrooms
“Beware the Forest Mushrooms” from SUPER MARIO RPG came next with a pizzicato-filled piece that featured a fun part for tuba.
STREET FIGHTER II
– Ryu’s Theme
– Guile’s Theme
– Barlog’s (a.k.a. Vega’s) Theme
Then came what I had been waiting many years to hear live: a suite of music from STREET FIGHTER II.
We were immediately off to the races with a sensational trumpet-led (or cornet? It sounded like one, but I couldn’t see it clearly) take on “Ryu’s Theme.” As the music blazed through the auditorium, my mind went back to my school days wasting (?) hours of my life playing the game.
Then came a performance of the cooler than cool “Guile’s Theme” followed by a tremendous arrangement of “Vega’s Theme” (or “Balrog’s Theme” to the Japanese!) Driven by castanets and orchestra members stamping their feet on stage, it featured a killer theme played with the urgency of the game clock running down.
I was certainly out of breath by the end… and I wasn’t even the one performing it!
FINAL FANTASY XV
– Valse di Fantastica
“Valse di Fantastica” from FINAL FANTASY XV marked a welcome change a pace with a lovely waltz that featured short but memorable violin solos and one gorgeous harp and violin interlude.
FRONT MISSION
– Take the Offensive
I had no idea what to expect with FRONT MISSION, but I was immediately swept away by its heroic and pulsating theme. Google says it’s a mech strategy RPG, and I can only imagine that this music brings it to another level.
RADIANT HISTORIA
– Blue Radiance
– The Edge of Green
“Blue Radiance ~ The Edge of Green” from the time travel RPG, RADIANT HISTORIA, saw the choir step up to the plate to provide a powerful performance of Shimomura’s epic theme. As with many other action pieces during the night, this one built into a huge climax while giving off the feeling that a huge showdown was afoot.
LEGEND OF MANA
– Going through the Flame – Legend of Mana Dragon Killer Medley
After LEGEND OF MANA returned with an epic medley conjuring images of dragons and high adventure, a stupendous two-piece medley called “Rugby Anthem Medley” was performed.
RUGBY ANTHEM MEDLEY
– Blooming in the Dawn
– Japan Rugby League One Official Anthem
The first piece, “Blooming in the Dawn,” was written as the official player entrance theme for the Rugby World Cup 2019 held in Japan. This was epic battle music that packed a huge punch – listen for yourself below:
The second piece, which is the official anthem for JAPAN RUGBY LEAGUE ONE, was another epic piece that evoked nothing but glorious victory.
Together with “Blooming in the Dawn,” this was probably my favourite suite for the night.
FINAL FANTASY XV
– Stand Your Ground
I hate to admit it, but I have not played a single FINAL FANTASY game in my life. Save for the 2001 animated film – which has a brilliant score by Elliot Goldenthal – I really had no idea what to expect with Shimomura’s music but was pleasantly surprised with “Stand Your Ground,” a furious and urgent action piece that did not let up until the very end. And that theme – fabulous!
LIVE A LIVE
– Live a Live
– Forgotten Wings
– MEGALOMANIA
Closing out the first half was catchy music from LIVE A LIVE. I particularly liked that brief interlude that featured tubular bells tolling away before a short but gorgeous classical arrangement for violin was performed.
PART 5: THE SECOND HALF
The second half, which featured grand piano by the excellent Yui Morishita, kicked off with a few melancholic pieces before picking up later for some tremendous action set pieces.
XENOBLADE
– Main Theme
The sweet piano-led main theme from XENOBLADE got a stunning performance from the orchestra and pianist to open the second half.
KINGDOM HEARTS II
– The Other Promise
This was followed by “The Other Promise” from KINGDOM HEARTS II, a melancholic romantic theme featuring solo flute and piano. So beautiful was this theme that I found it hard to believe that it was written for an action RPG!
LEGEND OF MANA
– Bejeweled City of Ruins
After a lovely performance of “Bejeweled City of Ruins” from LEGEND OF MANA came the spine-tingling “Somnus” from FINAL FANTASY XV.
FINAL FANTASY XV
– Somnus
This somber but gorgeous theme featured solo piano, violin, viola and cello playing off each other during one part of the piece. As the piece built in speed, the piano part became more passionate and beautiful to bring it to a satisfying close.
KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS
– Vector to the Heavens
This was another winner featuring an epic theme played with gusto by the piano soloist. This one also had a great buildup, suggesting something significant was to happen in the next part of the game (which I have not played!).
MARIO & LUIGI RPG
– In the Final
What a catchy theme… and from MARIO & LUIGI RPG no less!
Fast, heroic and full of drive, this piece worked like gangbusters as an orchestral arrangement. As I have not played the game, I have no idea how it functions during play – but you can bet your ass that it would help me beat the boss and lead me to the next stage!
ANCIEN AND THE MAGIC TABLET
– Kokone’s ThemeSUPER MARIO RPG
– Goodbye Geno… ~ Seeking Dreams Through the Window of the Stars
Two short pieces followed with the first being “Kokone’s Theme” from ANCIEN AND THE MAGIC TABLET, and the second coming from SUPER MARIO RPG. I honestly can’t recall the themes here due to their brevity, so I’ll have to track them down and give them a proper listen.
S SAY – SINFONIA –
“S say – Sinfonia – ” was a short but dreamy and fantastical piece that transitioned into a driving action piece with an epic sweep.
I was surprised to discover after the concert that it was written as a lead-in piece on the album for a popular Japanese boy band called Hey! Say! JUMP. You can hear the studio recording below:
KINGDOM HEARTS III
– Nachtflügel
The concert proper concluded with “Nachtflügel” from KINGDOM HEARTS III. Featuring choir and a truly memorable and filmic theme, it was a fantastic way to end the main program for the night.
PART 6: ENCORES
As I was hearing the two encore pieces for the very first time, I had to look up their titles on X after the concert.
The first piece came from FINAL FANTASY XV, which had featured quite heavily throughout the concert:
FINAL FANTASY XV
– APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS
As soon as the opening notes of “Apocalypse Noctis” from FINALY FANTASY XV played, the couple sitting next to me immediately rocked in their chairs in excitement, and I immediately understood why: it was an incredibly epic piece for chanting choir and orchestra. You could feel that the stakes were high in the scene it was written for as it just kept coming at you with this amazing power and intensity – it was ridiculously infectious and totally blew the roof off the concert hall!
KINGDOM HEARTS: MELODY OF MEMORY
– Dearly Beloved (Swing Version)
The second and final encore for the night was a huge surprise: Shimomura came back out on stage and perched herself next to Morishita at the piano to play a delightful swing version of “Dear Beloved” from KINGDOM HEARTS: MELODY OF MEMORY. While it was wonderful seeing Shimomura play the piano live, it was unfortunate that it was all but inaudible as the audience was encouraged to clap along with the beat – as a result, we could barely hear her.
I – as well as many others I suspect – would have much preferred Shimomura giving a solo piano performance of her theme. Maybe next time 🙂
PART 7: CONCERT MERCH
Now this is how you do concert merch: make it affordable (take note Hans Zimmer Live!), produce it in quantities to satisfy all those interested, and then throw in an autograph from Shimomura for good measure!
For those that spent over 7,000 yen – i.e. if you bought one of each piece of merch available – you were given a postcard pre-signed by Shimomura.
Very cool!
PART 8: A COSTLY REVELATION
Save for STREET FIGHTER II, I was pretty much hearing everything for the first time at the concert.
I know it sounds cliche, but getting to hear the full breadth of Shimomura’s music truly was a revelation.
Her music is heroic and epic in scope, but it can also be soft and intimate, all while sounding highly filmic and being deeply emotional.
The form of this musical performance was certainly very different from the synthesized sounds of STREET FIGHTER II that I was used to from my Sega Mega Drive days – where that was raw and direct, this performance, which was orchestrated for full symphony orchestra and choir, was more nuanced and given that much-needed human touch. All credit then to the many arrangers who brought Shimomura’s music to the concert hall – it really was an incredible achievement!
I now know what I must do next: go out and buy everything she’s put out on CD. A costly revelation, but certainly a very exciting one – I cannot wait to discover the many gems waiting for me in her vast catalogue 😊
PART 9: OVER TO YOU
Did you go to this concert too? How did you like it?
And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.
