Frieren Orchestra Concert in London: A Melodic Journey through Time and Nostalgia

Yesterday, I traveled from Durham to London to attend Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Orchestra Concert with a friend of mine. Held at OVO Arena Wembley and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (RPCO), the Concert took us from episode 1 of Frieren to season 3's teased Golden Lands. From the slower welcoming tunes of Journey of a Lifetime, to the heart thumping and blood rushing Zoltraak, and finally, the romantic and touching melodies of Mirrored Lotus, the concert was indeed one to remember, and incredibly gratifying for fans from all around the world (including me). I am by no means a professional critic nor someone well-versed in acoustics, but I nevertheless wish to share my fangirl ramblings semi-disguised as a review. Pacing To start, I really appreciated the pacing and broadly chronological order followed by RPCO. Going through the soundtracks from the beginning of season 1 was a nice throwback, and reminded me of all the feelings I had stumbling upon the anime a few years ago - of slow and steady interest, of comfort, and of reassurance. Accompanied by the live playing of Journey of a Lifetime, I was primed for - indeed - a melodic journey of time and nostalgia.

RPCO would also alternate between slow-paced and fast-paced soundtracks, thus keeping us attentive at all times. I did have a big meal right before attending, and as a first-time Orchestra Concert attendee, I was worried I would sleazily fall asleep from a food coma (so was my friend). However, those worries quickly dissipated. Slow-paced songs were followed up by a brief Evan Call appearance on stage that hyped the crowd, before heading back into slower songs (a notable one being Where the Blue-Moon Weed grows, which I shall elaborate later). Soon after however, RPCO would swiftly enter into an ensemble of combat music, such as Zoltraak, Demon's Bane, and of course, Frieren the Slayer. The peaks and troughs did their job in keeping the atmosphere up.

We entered a 20 minute intermission and I hurriedly went to pee, but afterwards, RPCO wasted no time. A few slow songs, and we quickly went back into fast and relentless soundtracks from Frieren's first-class mage examinations (think The Magic Within and Evolution of Magic). Claps, vocal runs, clear flutes, resonant strings and rolling drum taps reverberated through the arena and it was exhilarating.

Approaching the final minutes, we entered the Golden Lands, which served to build the already-high hype for Season 3 and its arc, as well as the final Beyond the Journey's End. I knew however, that while we approached the end, RPCO would have a final surprise.

Indeed, we ended the night with a 10-minute special encore, with the orchestra being conducted by none other than Evan Call himself! It was an absolute treat to see the man behind the various soundtracks take the stage himself and conduct with such quiet but charismatic presence. Effects & Timing

The concert timed and paired much of the soundtracks with iconic quotes and scenes from the anime, with the quotes serving as indicators to the audience when the next soundtrack was commencing. Complementing this was the eclectic mix of visual effects each time a new soundtrack was being played. Despite one particular ceiling light blinding me consistently (wrong seating choice I suppose), I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of effects that lit up the arena. I especially liked when the various beams would imitate the combat animations itself. For example, when thin bright blue beams shot through the arena during Demon's Bane and Zoltraak, it was as if I was seeing Zoltraak being cast in real life. I liked the colour-coding too, where red and yellowish light beams would accompany Stark and Richter's scenes respectively. It really brought Frieren out of the two-dimensional screen into the arena itself. Perhaps one can say that these accompaniments took attention away from the live music, but for me, it served to further amplify all the emotions and atmospheres that define the mystical world of Frieren.

I was a bit confused with some of the scene pairings however. When Denken was quoted with “If this wasn't an exam, I would've broken my bottle already”, I envisioned this to pair with an epic Dark-Souls boss-like introduction, which would be the soundtrack Frieren the Slayer, but what played was instead To Travel for Aureole. Perhaps it was a stylistic choice, and I do understand that Frieren the Slayer was already played, but it perplexed me nonetheless. There were some technical mishaps as well. Some silent transitions were slightly interrupted by walkie-talkie communications. Mics were also wonky, as Ben Palmer, the conductor of the night, couldn't get his own mic to work in the first QNA instance with Evan Call. Certain quotes were repeated (the quote accompanying the track Life as Legacy), and one quote for Song for the Beyond was cut off before it finished displaying. Nothing huge, but something significant to be of note. I used to work with livefeed systems however, so I empathise with how difficult it is to achieve perfect technical performance. Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra & Ben Palmer It was my first time listening to RPCO (or any Orchestra ever), but damn they were sickkkkk!!! Sopranos/altos were heavenly, while tenors/bass (if I am labelling correctly) were majestic. Flutes and harps gave such pleasant tickles to the ears, made all the more dynamic by the trumpets, pianos, violins, and other string instruments which my uneducated ass is probably unaware of, but still enjoyed. RPCO did have some messy moments in which sections of the Orchestra were not aligned - but honestly, it didn't take away from the experience and I'm more impressed by (1) how quickly they would recover and (2) how few mistakes there were for some of the combat soundtracks which are quite fast-paced.

I must confess that I didn't know who Ben Palmer was. However, his years of experience and skill as an acclaimed conductor really showed through. He conducted with such zeal that it was as dynamic as the Orchestra itself. Every time a fast-paced combat soundtrack ended, he would fiercely turn his body with a strong and swift flick of the conducting stick to finish it. It felt like I was pushed back by the force and vigour of Ben and the Orchestra.  He was also cheeky with his conducting. I recall that for one of the soundtracks (the name escapes me), there was a long pause which the audience mistook as an end and clapped. When the actual ending came, Ben did a quick turnaround and pointed at us in a “hah, gotcha!” manner. Humorous, mesmerising and theatrical - that was the wondrous Ben Palmer. Evan Call  The Man, the Myth, the Legend himself - Evan Call - was present at the arena. During the QNA sections, he shared various insights into the composing process. For instance, Ben asked what new approaches he adopted when he had to compose for season 2. Evan said he wanted to keep a sense of continuity with the same heartwarming tone season 1 had, but give it progression by making it more grand as the world of Frieren expanded with the introduction of new lands. He also spoke of using instruments that reminded us of an age past to evoke themes of time. I enjoyed the QNA segments, though I wish we could have more detail. I was curious about the specifics of the composing process itself. However, there are understandably time constraints, and these are not particularly pressing questions. Magical Moments

Finally, I want to bring you through two moments that made my night. Firstly, halfway through Where the Blue-Moon Weed grows, blue confetti began raining down from the arena's ceiling, right when blue-moon weed petals fluttered in the air on the anime scene being played. The confetti came down again towards the end of the encore. It. was. magical. I was already a little emotional when Journey of a Lifetime was playing (and I can't explain why other than it gave me a melancholic feeling), but the confetti mimicking the petals truly lifted the arena into a dazzling dreamscape. My literary skills are insufficient to explain how beautiful the whole spectacle was, but it was truly enchanting. The place temporarily transformed into a fairy-tale, so pretty and ethereal, yet so fleeting, just like the blue-moon weed. Superb!!!

Secondly, I was incredibly excited by Dragon Smasher, which played right after Stark's Fear Brought Me This Far. I resonate a lot with Stark's character, who uses fear as an empowering force to drive growth. The build up to Dragon Smasher - which to me, signifies the act of overcoming fear itself to achieve growth with uncertainty but also courage - was epic and literally filled me with determination. It is my favourite track, and I was very happy I got to experience it live. Beyond the Concert’s End

Out of 10? It was a solid 8. The mishaps and mistakes were noticeable, and the arena was an alright venue (hence the -2). Still, the concert kept me on my toes and fed all the fans with fan favorites, cool/beautiful effects and a special encore with Evan Call as the conductor. It was very cute to see Ben and Evan acknowledging each other, hugging, bowing, and acknowledging RPCO as well. I thoroughly had fun and do not regret the train cancellations I suffered the day after (aka today…) It also makes you reflect on the concept of time and existence. Frieren itself revolves around these two themes, but the fleeting nature of this concert punches it in. It reminds you to appreciate the present, remember the past, and face the future. In a world that is increasingly volatile and complex, the concert - as does the anime - reminds us to cherish everyday life. All Frieren soundtracks are available on Evan Call's Spotify if you are interested! Thank you for reading~ P.S. I wrote this on my trains back to Durham👍