123-612: Symphonic Odysseys: Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu was a symphonic tribute concert first held in Cologne , Germany on July 9, 2011 at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. The concert exclusively paid homage to the work of Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu and featured music selected from his works as a video game music composer. Among the games featured were Lost Odyssey , Blue Dragon , Last Story , King's Knight , Chrono Trigger , Final Fantasy Legend , and selected works from
246-510: A temperate – oceanic climate ( Köppen: Cfb ) with cool winters and warm summers. It is also one of the cloudiest cities in Germany, with just 1,567.5 hours of sun a year. Its average annual temperature is 10.7 °C (51 °F): 15.4 °C (60 °F) during the day and 6.1 °C (43 °F) at night. In January, the mean temperature is 3.0 °C (37 °F), while the mean temperature in July
369-432: A "phenomenal album release", stating that it would appeal to both classical music fans and video game music fans. Neither Miller nor Borkowski made note of the differences between the concert and the album, and Schmädig did not review the album. Cologne Cologne ( / k ə ˈ l oʊ n / , kə- LOHN ; German: Köln [kœln] ; Kölsch : Kölle [ˈkœlə] )
492-422: A deeply felt anti-Prussian resentment, which was still significant after World War II, when the former mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer , became the first West German chancellor. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Cologne absorbed numerous surrounding towns, and by World War I had already grown to 700,000 inhabitants. Industrialisation changed the city and spurred its growth. Vehicle and engine manufacturing
615-686: A distinctly Japanese quality." He has been named one of the "Innovators" in Time 's "Time 100: The Next Wave — Music" feature. He has also been called the " John Williams of the video game world" and been credited for "increasing the appreciation and awareness" of video game music. Many of Uematsu's musical influences come from the United Kingdom and the United States. He cites Elton John as his biggest musical influence, and he has stated that he wanted to be like him. Other major inspirations include
738-412: A few tracks for Cruise Chaser Blassty . He met game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi shortly after, who asked him if he wanted to create music for some of his games, to which Uematsu agreed. For the next year, he created music for a number of games which did not achieve widespread success, such as King's Knight , 3-D WorldRunner , and Rad Racer . In 1987, Uematsu and Sakaguchi collaborated on what
861-467: A hiatus in order to recover from work fatigue, which led to him being hospitalized. He composed the main theme for 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake , "Hollow". Sakaguchi said that Uematsu's work on 2021's Fantasian could be his last major game score due to health issues. In a video posted to the Fantasian Twitter account on October 15, 2024, Uematsu announced that this was his last project as
984-600: A major research hub for the aerospace industry, with the German Aerospace Center and the European Astronaut Centre headquarters. Lufthansa , Europe's largest airline, have their main corporate headquarters in Cologne. It also has a significant chemical and automobile industry. Cologne Bonn Airport is a regional hub, the main airport for the region being Düsseldorf Airport . The Cologne Trade Fair hosts
1107-583: A mix of Shades and Fantasies , in that there was a mix of shorter pieces with longer suites. The titles chosen to be featured in the concert were the Final Fantasy series, King's Knight , Chrono Trigger , the SaGa series, The Last Story , Blue Dragon , and Lost Odyssey . Additionally, Uematsu composed an original fanfare to open the concert, which was arranged by Jonne Valtonen. The first two concerts were held on July 9, 2011, at 3:00 and 8:00 pm, at
1230-492: A music rental shop in Tokyo , a Square employee asked if he would be interested in creating music for some of the titles they were working on. Although he agreed, Uematsu at the time considered it a side job, and he did not think it would become a full-time career. He said it was a way to make some money on the side, while also keeping his part-time job at the music rental shop. Uematsu joined Square in 1986, with his first work being
1353-589: A number of trade shows . The first urban settlement on the grounds of modern-day Cologne was Oppidum Ubiorum , founded in 38 BCE by the Ubii , a Cisrhenian Germanic tribe . In 50 CE, the Romans founded Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Cologne) on the river Rhine and the city became the provincial capital of Germania Inferior in 85 CE. It was also known as Augusta Ubiorum . Considerable Roman remains can be found in present-day Cologne, especially near
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#17330923519171476-505: A permanent Allied occupation of the entire Rhineland. As part of the demilitarisation of the Rhineland , the city's fortifications had to be dismantled. This was an opportunity to create two green belts ( Grüngürtel ) around the city by converting the fortifications and their fields of fire into large public parks. This was not completed until 1933. In 1919 the University of Cologne , closed by
1599-758: A record 400,000 copies and was the first song from a video game to win an award at the Japan Gold Disc Awards , where it won "Song of the Year (International)" in 2000. Uematsu said that he gets more inspiration from walking his dog than from listening to other music. Uematsu resides in Tokyo with his wife, Reiko, whom he met during college. They have a summer cabin in Yamanakako, Yamanashi . In his spare time, he enjoys watching professional wrestling , drinking beer, and bicycling. Uematsu has said he originally wanted to become
1722-459: A rock band that focused on reinterpreting and expanding on Uematsu's compositions. He declined their offer at first because he was too busy with work; however, after agreeing to perform with Fukui and Sekito in a live performance as a keyboardist, he decided to join them in making a band. Another employee at Square, Mr. Matsushita, chose the name The Black Mages for their band. In 2003, Keiji Kawamori , Arata Hanyuda, and Michio Okamiya also joined
1845-691: A tremendous loss of cultural treasures. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks such as the Gürzenich event hall was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when the Romanesque church of St. Kunibert was finished. In 1959, the city's population reached pre-war numbers again. It then grew steadily, exceeding 1 million for about one year from 1975. It remained just below that until mid-2010, when it exceeded 1 million again. In
1968-532: A video game composer. This was later clarified on his Twitter account that he was not retiring from video game music entirely, but rather scaling back his involvement. He explained that while he would no longer take on full game soundtracks due to the time commitment, he would still be open to composing individual pieces, such as theme songs. Uematsu's video game compositions have been performed in numerous concerts, and various Final Fantasy concerts have also been held. Outside Japan, Uematsu's Final Fantasy music
2091-612: A violin on a white background, in the vein of the Symphonic Fantasies album, which had a cross between a violin and a game controller. The cover art was produced by German design house Schech, who earlier provided the artwork for the European release of Symphonic Fantasies. Accompanying the CD is a booklet which contains photos of the concert and discusses the arrangers and compositions included in each song. The album contains everything played at
2214-466: Is 19.0 °C (66 °F). The record high temperature of 40.3 °C (105 °F) happened on 25 July 2019 during the July 2019 European heat wave in which Cologne saw three consecutive days over 38.0 °C (100 °F). Especially the inner urban neighbourhoods experience a greater number of hot days, as well as significantly higher temperatures during nighttime compared to the surrounding area (including
2337-589: Is 37.5 m (123 ft) above sea level (the Worringer Bruch ). The city of Cologne lies within the larger area of the Cologne Lowland , a cone-shaped area of the central Rhineland that lies between Bonn , Aachen and Düsseldorf . Cologne is divided into 9 boroughs ( Stadtbezirke ) and 85 districts ( Stadtteile ): Located in the Rhine-Ruhr area, Cologne is one of the warmest cities in Germany. It has
2460-590: Is a small set of very closely related dialects, or variants, of the Ripuarian Central German group of languages. These dialects are spoken in the area covered by the Archdiocese and former Electorate of Cologne reaching from Neuss in the north to just south of Bonn , west to Düren and east to Olpe in the North-West of Germany. Kölsch is one of the very few city dialects in Germany, which also include
2583-408: Is considered one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community . He has composed the music for dozens of video games, including the majority of the Final Fantasy series, and his compositions had been a significant component of the Symphonic Fantasies concert. Böcker has said that he considers Uematsu to be "the most famous composer of video game music and in general one of
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#17330923519172706-547: Is regularly affected by flooding from the Rhine and is considered the most flood-prone European city. A city agency ( Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln , "Cologne Urban Drainage Operations") manages an extensive flood control system which includes both permanent and mobile flood walls , protection from rising waters for buildings close to the river banks, monitoring and forecasting systems, pumping stations and programmes to create or protect floodplains , and river embankments. The system
2829-569: Is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urban region . Cologne is also part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region , the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Centered on the left (west) bank of
2952-785: The Fifth Symphonic Game Music Concert held in Leipzig. As their ideas and plans materialized, three projects were set in motion to determine the interest of a younger audience in classical music performance and the aptitude of the WDR orchestra in focusing on a new source of compositions. The first project was PROMS: That's Sound, That's Rhythm , held in early 2008, featuring a mixture of classical works and video game music, ranging from works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Morton Gould as well as arrangements of music from video games such as Shenmue and Castlevania previously featured in
3075-607: The Final Fantasy series. The concert was produced and directed by Thomas Böcker , with arrangements provided by Finnish composer and musician Jonne Valtonen , along with Roger Wanamo, Masashi Hamauzu , and Jani Laaksonen. The concert was performed by the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln and the WDR Radio Choir Cologne under conduction from Arnie Roth , with guest performers Benyamin Nuss and Juraj Čižmarovič joining
3198-416: The Final Fantasy video game series by Square Enix . A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton John as one of his biggest influences in pursuing a musical career. Uematsu joined Square in 1986, where he first met Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi . The two later worked together on many games at the company, most notably in
3321-526: The Battle of Worringen in 1288, Cologne gained its independence from the archbishops and became a Free City . Archbishop Sigfried II von Westerburg was forced to reside in Bonn . The archbishop nevertheless preserved the right of capital punishment. Thus the municipal council (though in strict political opposition towards the archbishop) depended upon him in all matters concerning criminal justice. This included torture,
3444-470: The Cologne Bonn Region is home to 3,573,500 living on 4,415/km (11,430/sq mi). It is part of the polycentric megacity region Rhine-Ruhr with a population of over 11,000,000 people. There were 551,528 women and 527,773 men in Cologne. In 2021, there were 11,127 births in Cologne; 5,844 marriages and 1,808 divorces, and 10,536 deaths. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.3% under
3567-568: The Cologne Central Mosque run by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs . In 2011, about 11.2% of the population was Muslim . Cologne also has one of the oldest and largest Jewish communities in Germany. In 2011, 0.3% of Cologne's population was Jewish. Nobuo Uematsu Nobuo Uematsu ( 植松 伸夫 , Uematsu Nobuo , born March 21, 1959) is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to
3690-495: The Cologne mark ) were used throughout Europe. The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterised by the city's status as a major harbour and transport hub on the Rhine. Craftsmanship was organised by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women. As a free imperial city , Cologne was a self-ruling state within the Holy Roman Empire , an imperial estate with seat and vote at
3813-619: The Communist and Social Democrats members of the city assembly, and Mayor Adenauer was dismissed. Compared to some other major cities, however, the Nazis never gained decisive support in Cologne. (Significantly, the number of votes cast for the Nazi Party in Reichstag elections had always been the national average.) By 1939, the population had risen to 772,221 inhabitants. During World War II, Cologne
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3936-667: The Final Fantasy series and was conducted by Arnie Roth. Uematsu and several of his fellow composers were in attendance at the world premiere of Play! A Video Game Symphony in Chicago in May 2006; he composed the opening fanfare for the concert. The style of Uematsu's compositions is diverse, ranging from stately classical symphonic pieces and heavy metal to new-age and hyper-percussive techno - electronica . For example, in Lost Odyssey ,
4059-614: The Final Fantasy series. After nearly two decades with Square, Uematsu left in 2004 to create his own production company and music label, Dog Ear Records . He has since composed music as a freelancer for other games, including ones developed by Square Enix and Sakaguchi's studio Mistwalker . Many soundtracks and arranged albums of Uematsu's game scores have been released. Pieces from his video game works have been performed in various Final Fantasy concerts , where he has worked with conductor Arnie Roth and Game Concerts producer Thomas Böcker on several of these performances. Uematsu
4182-616: The French Republic (which had already occupied Cologne in 1794). Thus this region later became part of Napoleon's Empire. Cologne was part of the French Département Roer (named after the river Roer, German: Rur ) with Aachen (French: Aix-la-Chapelle) as its capital. The French modernised public life, for example by introducing the Napoleonic code and removing the old elites from power. The Napoleonic code remained in use on
4305-539: The Holy Roman Empire and one of the major members of the trade union Hanseatic League . It was one of the largest European cities in medieval and renaissance times. Prior to World War II , the city had undergone occupations by the French (1794–1815) and the British (1918–1926), and was part of Prussia beginning in 1815. Cologne was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany during World War II. The bombing reduced
4428-689: The Imperial Diet , and as such had the right (and obligation) to contribute to the defense of the Empire and maintain its own military force. As they wore a red uniform, these troops were known as the Rote Funken (red sparks). These soldiers were part of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire ("Reichskontingent"). They fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th century, including the wars against revolutionary France in which
4551-483: The Lost Odyssey suite. He stated that the concert "sets new standards as to how a professional game music event should be organised." In contrast to the enthusiastic praises of other critics, Kyle Miller of RPGFan felt that many of the pieces were "disorganized and ineptly arranged", and that the arrangements had a lack of enthusiasm. He reserved praise only for the fanfare and the Lost Odyssey suite. Benjamin Schmädig of
4674-535: The Rhineland ; it hosts more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. There are many institutions of higher education, most notably the University of Cologne , one of Europe's oldest and largest universities; the Technical University of Cologne , Germany's largest university of applied sciences; and the German Sport University Cologne . It hosts three Max Planck science institutes and is
4797-577: The Royal Air Force in World War ;II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed 600 acres (243 ha) of built-up area (61%), killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. The devastation was recorded by Hermann Claasen from 1942 until the end of the war, and presented in his exhibition and book of 1947 Singing in
4920-661: The Second Temple in the Siege of Jerusalem and the associated dispersion (diaspora) of the Jews , there is evidence of a Jewish community in Cologne. In 321 CE, Emperor Constantine approved the settlement of a Jewish community with all the freedoms of Roman citizens. It is assumed that it was located near the Marspforte within the city wall. The Edict of Constantine to the Jews is the oldest documented evidence in Germany. Early medieval Cologne
5043-627: The Symphonic Fantasies concert. A website was set up for news and updates on the concert, including video messages from Nobuo Uematsu himself. Tickets for the concert went on sale on December 1, 2010, and were sold out within 12 hours, prompting the addition of a second performance to be held earlier in the afternoon of the same day. This too sold out, resulting in a total attendance of over 4000. Third and fourth performances were held almost six years later on June 18, 2017 in Paris, and June 20, 2017 in London, both by
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5166-700: The Symphonic Game Music Concerts . The second project, held in August 2008, was a composer-specific concert titled Symphonic Shades – Hülsbeck in Concert , focusing entirely on the works of German video game composer Chris Hülsbeck , while the third project was a concert of music from the video games by Square Enix titled Symphonic Fantasies: Music from Square Enix , held in September 2009. A third "Symphonic" concert, Symphonic Legends – Music from Nintendo ,
5289-656: The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California, and was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale . It was conducted by Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra director Miguel Harth-Bedoya . Due to a positive reception, a concert series for North America followed. On May 16, 2005, a follow-up concert called More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy
5412-583: The dialect spoken in Berlin , for example. As of 2015, 35.5% of the population belonged to the Catholic Church , the largest religious body, and 15.5% to the Protestant Church . Irenaeus of Lyons claimed that Christianity was brought to Cologne by Roman soldiers and traders at an unknown early date. It is known that in the early second century it was a bishop's seat. The first historical Bishop of Cologne
5535-449: The 17th and 18th centuries, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire. Cologne lost its status as a free city during the French period. According to the Treaty of Lunéville (1801) all the territories of the Holy Roman Empire on the left bank of the Rhine were officially incorporated into
5658-449: The 1980s and 1990s Cologne's economy prospered for two main reasons. The first was the growth in the number of media companies, both in the private and public sectors; they are especially catered for in the newly developed Media Park, which creates a strong visual focal point in Cologne's city centre and includes the KölnTurm , one of Cologne's most prominent high-rise buildings. The second was
5781-505: The Alps. Cologne is shown on the 4th century Peutinger Map . Maternus, who was elected as bishop in 313, was the first known bishop of Cologne. The city was the capital of a Roman province until it was occupied by the Ripuarian Franks in 462. Parts of the original Roman sewers are preserved underneath the city, with the new sewerage system having opened in 1890. After the destruction of
5904-518: The Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty . Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in Bonn and later in Brühl on the Rhine. As members of an influential and powerful family, and supported by their outstanding status as electors , the archbishops of Cologne repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during
6027-534: The Beatles , Emerson, Lake & Palmer , Simon & Garfunkel , and progressive rock bands. In the classical genre, he cites Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as a great influence. Uematsu has said that 1970s bands, such as Pink Floyd and King Crimson , influenced his Final Fantasy compositions. The lyrics for the piece "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII were taken from the medieval poetry on which Carl Orff based his cantata Carmina Burana , specifically
6150-436: The Cologne Philharmonic Hall in Cologne , Germany . Symphonic Odysseys was performed by the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln and the WDR Radio Choir Cologne, conducted by Arnie Roth . Nobuo Uematsu was in attendance, and Ralph Erdenberger served as the presenter. The concert was also broadcast live online. The concert was divided into two acts separated by an intermission, with the first act focusing on Uematsu's earlier works and
6273-531: The French in 1798, was reopened. This was considered to be a replacement for the loss of the University of Strasbourg on the west bank of the Rhine, which reverted to France with the rest of Alsace . Cologne prospered during the Weimar Republic (1919–33), and progress was made especially in public governance, city planning, housing and social affairs. Social housing projects were considered exemplary and were copied by other German cities. Cologne competed to host
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#17330923519176396-603: The German site 4Players.de felt that while some of the arrangements were "excellently arranged", they did "not make a mark in the overall impression", specifically noting "On Windy Meadows", "Main Theme and Save the World", and "Spreading Your Wings" as "spot-on, but conventional fan service", and found that the Lost Odyssey suite was lacking a rousing finale, with a relatively unremarkable choir compared to Valtonen's previous work. He also dismissed
6519-458: The London Symphony Orchestra. Jonne Valtonen and Roger Wanamo, the arrangers for the Symphonic Fantasies and Symphonic Legends concerts, returned as the lead arrangers for the concert. Additional arrangements were made by Jani Laaksonen and Masashi Hamauzu , and Mikko Laine served as the lyricist for the choral components of the concert. Uematsu was not involved in any aspect of the production, even song selection, as he wanted to be surprised by
6642-453: The Olympics, and a modern sports stadium was erected at Müngersdorf. When the British occupation ended, the prohibition of civil aviation was lifted and Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport soon became a hub for national and international air traffic, second in Germany only to Berlin Tempelhof Airport . The democratic parties lost the local elections in Cologne in March 1933 to the Nazi Party and other extreme-right parties. The Nazis then arrested
6765-409: The Philharmonie de Paris in Paris, France and on 20 June at the Barbican Centre in London, United Kingdom. The concert in Cologne was recorded and released as an album titled Symphonic Odysseys by Dog Ear Records , Nobuo Uematsu's recording label. It was announced to be in production on October 26, 2011, and released on December 28, 2011. The artwork for the album features a cross between a sword and
6888-421: The Rhine , Cologne is located on the River Rhine ( Lower Rhine ), about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of the North Rhine-Westphalia state capital Düsseldorf and 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Bonn , the former capital of West Germany . The city's medieval Cologne Cathedral ( Kölner Dom ) was the world's tallest building 1880–1890 and is today the third-tallest church and tallest cathedral in
7011-502: The age of 18, and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. 203 people in Cologne were over the age of 100. According to the Statistical Office of the City of Cologne, the number of people with a migrant background is at 40.5% (436,660). 2,254 people acquired German citizenship in 2021. In 2021, there were 559,854 households, of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18; 51% of all households were made up of singles. 8% of all households were single-parent households. The average household size
7134-399: The airport, where temperatures are classified). Still temperatures can vary noticeably over the course of a month with warmer and colder weather. Precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year with a light peak in summer due to showers and thunderstorms. The progressing climate change can be seen by looking at the climate data of the previous decade with lower mean temperatures. Cologne
7257-432: The archbishops of Cologne first gained noteworthy secular power when bishop Bruno was appointed as duke by his brother Otto I , King of Germany . In order to weaken the secular nobility, who threatened his power, Otto endowed Bruno and his archiepiscopal successors with the prerogatives of secular princes, thus establishing the Electorate of Cologne , formed by the temporal possessions of the archbishopric and included in
7380-399: The arrangements for the concert were "top notch", and brought attention to works by the composers which were typically overlooked. Joe Hammond of Square Enix Music Online said that it was "an outstanding concert — possibly the most successful in Europe to date" and added that it was "a tour de force of flawless performances and impeccable orchestrations and arrangements". He felt that several of
7503-488: The availability of trade opportunities. The intersection of these trade routes was the basis of Cologne's growth. By the end of the 12th century, Archbishop Phillip von Heinsberg enclosed the entire city with walls . By 1300 the city population was 50,000–55,000. Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League in 1475, when Frederick III confirmed the city's imperial immediacy. Cologne was so influential in regional commerce that its systems of weights and measurements (e.g.
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#17330923519177626-412: The band. The Black Mages released three studio albums and performed at several concerts. Uematsu left Square Enix in 2004 and formed his own production company, Smile Please. He later founded the music production company and record label Dog Ear Records in 2006. The reason for Uematsu's departure was that the company moved their office from Meguro to Shinjuku, Tokyo and he was not comfortable with
7749-498: The baton of Eckehard Stier, with guest performer Mischa Cheung. The first concert took place on 18 June at the Philharmonie de Paris in Paris , France , the second on 20 June at the Barbican Centre in London , United Kingdom . Same as in Cologne years before, Nobuo Uematsu was present at both events as guest of honour. A recording of the concerts in Cologne was published as a two-disc album on December 28, 2011 by Dog Ear Records , Uematsu's own record label. The albums, along with
7872-480: The cancelled game Cry On . Uematsu created the main theme for Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008. He then composed the music for the 2009 anime Guin Saga ; this marked the first time he provided a full score for an animated series. Uematsu has contributed music and story to e-books , such as "Blik-0 1946". Uematsu appeared five times in the top 20 of the annual Classic FM Hall of Fame . In 2012, " Aerith's Theme ", written by Uematsu for Final Fantasy VII ,
7995-399: The capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and as the headquarters of the Roman military in the region until occupied by the Franks in 462. During the Middle Ages the city flourished as being located on one of the most important major trade routes between east and western Europe (including the Brabant Road , Via Regia and Publica). Cologne was a free imperial city of
8118-403: The city during World War II, destroying 61% of its built up area. During the Bombing of Cologne in World War II , Cologne endured 262 air raids by the Western Allies , which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the central part of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of " Operation Millennium ", the first 1,000 bomber raid by
8241-493: The city fell to him in the Battle of Cologne . Charles fled to the Eifel mountains, rallied supporters and took the city back that same year after defeating Chilperic in the Battle of Amblève . Cologne had been the seat of a bishop since the Roman period; under Charlemagne , in 795, bishop Hildebold was promoted to archbishop . In the 843 Treaty of Verdun Cologne fell into the dominion of Lothair I 's Middle Francia – later called Lotharingia ( Lower Lorraine ). In 953,
8364-471: The city, the remains of which can be seen to this day. The military demands on what became Germany's largest fortress presented a significant obstacle to urban development, with forts, bunkers, and wide defensive dugouts completely encircling the city and preventing expansion; this resulted in a very densely built-up area within the city itself. During World War I Cologne was the target of several minor air raids but suffered no significant damage. Cologne
8487-467: The concert, with the Final Fantasy suite split into three tracks, and the album is split at the intermission into two CDs. Its fourteen tracks have a duration of 1:34:56. While Dog Ear Records published the album in Japan, the album was released in Europe through the online music retailer MAZ-Sound. The Symphonic Odysseys concert received varied reviews, with praise given the performance and choice of source material, and both praise and criticism given to
8610-461: The concerts themselves, received varied reviews, with some critics giving enthusiastic praise, especially in regards to the quality of the performance, the choice of source material, and the quality of the arrangements, while one critic greatly disliked several of the arrangements. Thomas Böcker and then WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne director Winfried Fechner began collaborating on orchestrated video game concerts in 2007, after Fechner had attended
8733-418: The efforts of the concert's moderator as childish. Unlike Miller, however, he felt that the other concert pieces were outstanding, especially the Final Fantasy concerto and "Silent Light". He also praised the concert's use of Uematsu's less-often arranged pieces and concluded his review with the verdict of a "fantastic, sometimes even magnificent evening of games". The album release received similar reviews to
8856-594: The end a strip of territory along the left Bank of the Rhine east of Jülich , as well as the Duchy of Westphalia on the other side of the Rhine, beyond Berg and Mark . By the end of the 12th century, the Archbishop of Cologne was one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Emperor. Besides being prince elector, he was Archchancellor of Italy as well, technically from 1238 and permanently from 1263 until 1803. Following
8979-400: The end of 1945, however, the population had already recovered to approximately 450,000. By the end of the war, essentially all of Cologne's pre-war Jewish population of 11,000 had been deported or killed by the Nazis. The six synagogues of the city were destroyed. The synagogue on Roonstraße was rebuilt in 1959. Despite Cologne's status as the largest city in the region, nearby Düsseldorf
9102-530: The expense of the city's historic heritage with much being demolished (for example, the city walls or the area around the cathedral) and sometimes replaced by contemporary buildings. Cologne was designated as one of the Fortresses of the German Confederation . It was turned into a heavily armed fortress (opposing the French and Belgian fortresses of Verdun and Liège ) with two fortified belts surrounding
9225-532: The first was an arrangement from Final Fantasy X , and the second a suite of battle music from Final Fantasy VII . The programme of the performances by the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Chorus differed only slightly from the first performance in Cologne. Conducted by Eckehard Stier and with guest performer Mischa Cheung, the concerts took place on 18 and 20 June, 2017, at
9348-606: The focus of the conflict. In 1837 the archbishop of Cologne, Clemens August von Droste-Vischering , was arrested and imprisoned for two years after a dispute over the legal status of marriages between Catholics and Protestants ( Mischehenstreit ). In 1874, during the Kulturkampf , Archbishop Paul Melchers was imprisoned before taking asylum in the Netherlands. These conflicts alienated the Catholic population from Berlin and contributed to
9471-522: The furnace. Cologne – Remains of an old city . Cologne was taken by the American First Army in early March 1945 during the Invasion of Germany after a battle . By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. By
9594-837: The left bank of the Rhine until 1900, when a unified civil code (the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch ) was introduced in the German Empire . In 1815 at the Congress of Vienna , Cologne was made part of the Kingdom of Prussia , first in the Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and then the Rhine Province . The permanent tensions between the Catholic Rhineland and the overwhelmingly Protestant Prussian state repeatedly escalated with Cologne being in
9717-458: The main theme for the 2000 animated film Ah! My Goddess: The Movie and co-composed the 2001 anime Final Fantasy: Unlimited with Shirō Hamaguchi . He also inspired the Ten Plants concept albums, and released a solo album in 1994, titled Phantasmagoria . Feeling gradually more dissatisfied and uninspired, Uematsu requested the assistance of composers Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano for
9840-421: The most influential", and that Uematsu's 20020220 - Music from Final Fantasy concert in 2002 was a big influence on his own concerts. The decision to focus the event on Uematsu was made in part due to Uematsu's own desire to one day hear a concert based on his compositions as a whole; he was also very interested in hearing more experimental arrangements of his pieces than have been done in the past after watching
9963-450: The new location. He also stated that he had reached an age where he should gradually take his life into his own hands. He does, however, continue to compose music as a freelancer for Square Enix. In 2005, Uematsu and several members of The Black Mages created the score for the CGI film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children . Uematsu composed only the main theme for Final Fantasy XII (2006); he
10086-533: The orchestra. Another world premiere was "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI , performed by orchestra, choir, and pipe organ. The event in 2007 included "Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy XI , performed by Japanese opera soprano Izumi Masuda. A series of successful concert performances were held in Japan, including a Final Fantasy concert series titled Tour de Japon . The first stateside concert, Dear Friends – Music from Final Fantasy , took place on May 10, 2004, at
10209-561: The orchestra. A video recording of Symphonic Odysseys was streamed live online. The concert was initially scheduled for a single performance, but after selling out within twelve hours a second concert was added prior in the same day in Cologne. This too sold out, resulting in a total attendance of over 4000. In June 2017, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Chorus performed Symphonic Odysseys under
10332-420: The original concert. Napolitano, in addition to reiterating some of Sorlie's praises from the original concert about the quality of the arrangements, praised the production values of the album, noting the "crisp, clean sound" as similar to the listening experience of being at the concert and superior to that of the live stream of the concert and that the applause between pieces had been edited out. Hammond called it
10455-576: The permanent improvement of the diverse traffic infrastructure, which made Cologne one of the most easily accessible metropolitan areas in Central Europe. Due to the economic success of the Cologne Trade Fair , the city arranged a large extension to the fair site in 2005. At the same time the original buildings, which date back to the 1920s, were rented out to RTL , Germany's largest private broadcaster, as their new corporate headquarters. Cologne
10578-445: The piece was a throwback to Nuss's performance at Symphonic Fantasies , where he also performed a piano concerto at the beginning of the concert. The concerto was the one that Wanamo was most excited about arranging for the concert. It was followed by arrangements of individual pieces from King's Knight , Chrono Trigger , the SaGa series, and Final Fantasy X . After a brief intermission,
10701-481: The pieces surpassed the arrangements played in the Distant Worlds and Symphonic Fantasies concerts, and made special note of the third movement in the Final Fantasy concerto and the Lost Odyssey suite. Polish site GameMusic.net's Mariusz Borkowski, in his review of the album, made particular note of Benyamin Nuss's piano performance during the Final Fantasy concerto and Juraj Čižmarovič's violin performance in
10824-422: The population by 93% mainly due to evacuation, and destroyed around 80% of the millennia-old city center. The post-war rebuilding has resulted in a mixed cityscape, restoring most major historic landmarks like city gates and churches (31 of them being Romanesque ). The city nowadays consists of around 25% pre World War II buildings and boasts around 9,000 historic buildings. Cologne is a major cultural center for
10947-401: The quality of the arrangements. Audun Sorlie of Original Sound Version stated that it was "the greatest live music event I have ever attended," and said that the standing ovation at the end was "the longest[...] I've been part of". Original Sound Version named the concert as the best of the year for 2011 in their year-end awards. In his review of the album for the site, Jayson Napolitano said that
11070-402: The result. The style of arrangements followed in the tradition of the shows preceding Symphonic Odysseys , featuring a number of rich, sophisticated suites structured for melodic storytelling. A focus was put on presenting a balanced mix of fan favorites as well as lesser known material that was not commonly performed in orchestra concerts based on video game music. Böcker styled the concert to be
11193-408: The score ranges from classical orchestral arrangements to contemporary jazz and techno tracks. Uematsu has stated that he is a big fan of Celtic and Irish music , and some of his work contains elements from these musical styles. Uematsu's Final Fantasy scores vary from upbeat, to dark and angry, to melancholic in nature. For instance, the music of Final Fantasy VIII is dark and gloomy, while
11316-443: The score to Final Fantasy X in 2001. This marked the first time that Uematsu did not compose an entire main-series Final Fantasy soundtrack. For Final Fantasy XI from 2002, he was joined by Naoshi Mizuta , who composed the majority of the soundtrack, and Kumi Tanioka ; Uematsu was responsible for only eleven tracks. In 2002, fellow Square colleagues Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito asked Uematsu to join them in forming
11439-420: The second act made up of material composed in the later parts of his career. The event was initiated by the original opening fanfare composed by Uematsu followed by a nearly nineteen-minute-long piano concerto of Final Fantasy music from the first six titles in the series, presented in 3 movements: "Grave - Allegro", "Adagio Cantabile", and "Allegro Molto". The piano was played by Benyamin Nuss . The placement of
11562-522: The second act was started by arrangements of pieces from The Last Story , Final Fantasy XIV and Blue Dragon . The Blue Dragon piece featured a violin performance by Juraj Čižmarovič, who also performed at the Symphonic Legends concert. They were followed by a suite of music from Lost Odyssey to round out the second half of the concert, which lasted twenty minutes. The concert was extended by two encore performances featuring Benyamin Nuss on piano;
11685-506: The sentence for which was only allowed to be handed down by the episcopal judge known as the greve. This legal situation lasted until the French conquest of Cologne. Besides its economic and political significance Cologne also became an important centre of medieval pilgrimage, when Cologne's archbishop, Rainald of Dassel , gave the relics of the Three Wise Men to Cologne's cathedral in 1164 (after they had been taken from Milan ). Besides
11808-502: The series, Final Fantasy Legend II he was assisted by Kenji Ito . In late 1994, Uematsu was asked to finish the soundtrack for Chrono Trigger after Yasunori Mitsuda contracted peptic ulcers . In 1996, he co-composed the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard , and created the entire score for Dynami Tracer . He also created music for three of the games in the Hanjuku Hero series. Outside of video games, he has composed
11931-482: The small force was almost completely wiped out in combat. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, the Rote Funken . The Free Imperial City of Cologne must not be confused with the Electorate of Cologne , which was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire. Since the second half of the 16th century the majority of archbishops were drawn from
12054-498: The songs "Estuans Interius", " O Fortuna ", "Veni, Veni, Venias" and "Ave Formosissima". In turn, Uematsu has had a major influence on video game music and beyond the video game industry as well. For example, " Liberi Fatali " from Final Fantasy VIII was played during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens during the women's synchronized swimming event. From the same game, " Eyes on Me ", featuring Chinese pop singer Faye Wong , sold
12177-487: The soundtrack to Final Fantasy IX is more carefree and upbeat. His Final Fantasy music has been described as being able to convey the true emotion of a scene; an example is "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII . In an interview with the Nichi Bei Times , Uematsu said "I don't really self-consciously compose music for Japan or for the world, but I do think there is something in my more melancholy pieces that has
12300-405: The third largest city by area. The population density was 2,700/km (7,000/sq mi). Cologne first reached the population of 1,000,000 in 1975 due to the incorporation of Wesseling , however this was reversed after public opposition. In 2009 Cologne's population again reached 1,000,000 and it became one of the four cities in Germany with a population exceeding 1 Million. The metropolitan area of
12423-420: The three magi Cologne preserves the relics of Saint Ursula and Albertus Magnus . Cologne's location on the river Rhine placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west as well as the main south–north Western Europe trade route, Venice to Netherlands; even by the mid-10th century, merchants in the town were already known for their prosperity and luxurious standard of living due to
12546-524: The war a large increase in automobile traffic could be anticipated. Plans for new roads had already, to a certain degree, evolved under the Nazi administration, but the actual construction became easier when most of the city centre was in ruins. The destruction of 95% of the city centre, including the famous Twelve Romanesque churches such as St. Gereon , Great St. Martin , St. Maria im Kapitol and several other monuments in World War II, meant
12669-527: The wharf area, where a 1,900-year-old Roman boat was discovered in late 2007. From 260 to 271, Cologne was the capital of the Gallic Empire under Postumus , Marius , and Victorinus . In 310, under emperor Constantine I , a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. Roman imperial governors resided in the city and it became one of the most important trade and production centers in the Roman Empire north of
12792-618: The world . It was constructed to house the Shrine of the Three Kings and is a globally recognized landmark and one of the most visited sights and pilgrimage destinations in Europe. The cityscape is further shaped by the Twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne . Cologne is famous for Eau de Cologne , which has been produced in the city since 1709; "cologne" has since come to be a generic term. Cologne
12915-508: Was Saint Maternus . Thomas Aquinas studied in Cologne in 1244 under Albertus Magnus . Cologne is the seat of the Archdiocese of Cologne . According to the 2011 census, 2.1% of the population was Eastern Orthodox , 0.5% belonged of an Evangelical Free Church and 4.2% belonged to further religious communities officially recognized by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (such as Jehovah's Witnesses ). There are several mosques, including
13038-579: Was 1.88. Cologne residents with a foreign citizenship as of 31 December 2021 is as follows: Cologne is home to 90,000 people of Turkish origin and is the second largest German city with Turkish population after Berlin . Cologne has a Little Istanbul in Keupstraße that has many Turkish restaurants and markets. Famous Turkish-German people like rapper Eko Fresh and TV presenter Nazan Eckes were born in Cologne. Colognian or Kölsch ( Colognian pronunciation: [kœɫːʃ] ) (natively Kölsch Platt )
13161-456: Was a Military Area Command Headquarters ( Militärbereichshauptkommandoquartier ) for Wehrkreis VI (headquartered at Münster ). Cologne was under the command of Lieutenant-General Freiherr Roeder von Diersburg, who was responsible for military operations in Bonn , Siegburg , Aachen , Jülich , Düren , and Monschau . Cologne was home to the 211th Infantry Regiment and the 26th Artillery Regiment. The Allies dropped 44,923.2 tons of bombs on
13284-618: Was also the keyboardist in The Black Mages in the 2000s, which played various hard rock versions of his Final Fantasy compositions. He has since performed with the Earthbound Papas , which he formed as the successor to The Black Mages in 2011. Uematsu has made several listings in Britain's Classic FM Hall of Fame , with the station referring to him as the Beethoven of game music. Uematsu
13407-508: Was born in Kōchi, Kōchi , Japan. A self-taught musician, he began to play the piano when he was twelve years old, and did not take any formal piano lessons. He has an older sister who also played the piano. After graduating from Kanagawa University with a degree in English, Uematsu played the keyboard in several amateur bands and composed music for television commercials. When Uematsu was working at
13530-539: Was chosen as the political capital of the federated state of North Rhine-Westphalia . With Bonn being chosen as the provisional federal capital ( provisorische Bundeshauptstadt ) and seat of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (then informally West Germany ), Cologne benefited by being sandwiched between two important political centres. The city became–and still is–home to a number of federal agencies and organizations. After reunification in 1990, Berlin
13653-506: Was especially successful, though the heavy industry was less ubiquitous than in the Ruhr area . The cathedral , started in 1248 but abandoned around 1560, was eventually finished in 1880 not just as a place of worship but also as a German national monument celebrating the newly founded German empire and the continuity of the German nation since the Middle Ages. Some of this urban growth occurred at
13776-588: Was founded and established in Germanic Ubii territory in the 1st century CE as the Roman Colonia Agrippina , hence its name. Agrippina was later dropped (except in Latin), and Colonia became the name of the city in its own right, which developed into modern German as Köln . Cologne , the French version of the city's name, has become standard in English as well. Cologne functioned as
13899-472: Was made the capital of Germany. In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of rubble". Schwarz designed the master plan for reconstruction in 1947, which included the construction of several new thoroughfares through the city centre, especially the Nord-Süd-Fahrt ("North-South-Drive"). The master plan took into consideration the fact that even shortly after
14022-593: Was occupied by the British Army of the Rhine until 1926, under the terms of the Armistice and the subsequent Versailles Peace Treaty . In contrast with the harsh behaviour of the French occupation troops in Germany, the British forces were more lenient to the local population. Konrad Adenauer , the mayor of Cologne from 1917 until 1933 and later a West German chancellor, acknowledged the political impact of this approach, especially since Britain had opposed French demands for
14145-636: Was originally offered the job of creating the full score, but Hitoshi Sakimoto was eventually assigned as the main composer instead. Uematsu was also initially going to create the theme song for Final Fantasy XIII (2010). However, after being assigned the task of creating the entire score of Final Fantasy XIV , Uematsu decided to hand the job over to Hamauzu. Uematsu also works closely with Sakaguchi's development studio Mistwalker , and has composed for Blue Dragon (2006), Lost Odyssey (2007), Away: Shuffle Dungeon (2008); The Last Story (2011); and Terra Battle (2014). He also wrote music for
14268-408: Was originally to be Sakaguchi's last contribution for Square, Final Fantasy . Final Fantasy 's popularity sparked Uematsu's career in video game music, and he would go on to compose music for over 30 titles, most prominently the subsequent games in the Final Fantasy series. He scored the first installment in the SaGa series, The Final Fantasy Legend , in 1989. For the second game in
14391-569: Was part of Austrasia within the Frankish Empire . Cunibert, made bishop of Cologne in 623, was an important advisor to the Merovingian King Dagobert I and served with domesticus Pepin of Landen as tutor to the king's son and heir Siegebert III, the future king of Austrasia. In 716, Charles Martel commanded an army for the first time and suffered the only defeat of his life when Chilperic II , King of Neustria , invaded Austrasia and
14514-526: Was performed in Los Angeles at the Gibson Amphitheatre ; the concert was conducted by Arnie Roth . Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was presented in the concert Voices – Music from Final Fantasy , which took place on February 18, 2006, at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center. Star guests included Emiko Shiratori , Rikki , Izumi Masuda, and Angela Aki . The concert focused on the songs from
14637-467: Was performed live for the first time at the first event of the 2003 Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig , Germany. Other events of the Symphonic Game Music Concerts featuring Final Fantasy music were held in 2004, 2006, and 2007. The concert in 2004 featured a world premiere of Those Who Fight from Final Fantasy VII . Japanese pianist Seiji Honda was invited to perform the arrangement together with
14760-594: Was redesigned after a 1993 flood, which resulted in heavy damage. In the Roman Empire, the city was large and rich with a population of 40,000 in 100–200 AD. The city was home to around 20,000 people in 1000 AD, growing to 50,000 in 1200 AD. The Rhineland metropolis still had 50,000 residents in 1300 AD. Cologne is the fourth-largest city by population in Germany after Berlin , Hamburg and Munich . As of 31 December 2021, there were 1,079,301 people registered as living in Cologne in an area of 404.99 km (156.37 sq mi), which makes Cologne
14883-529: Was the focus of the 2015-16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany , with over 500 women reporting that they were sexually assaulted by persons of African and Arab appearance. The metropolitan area encompasses over 405 square kilometres (156 square miles), extending around a central point that lies at 50° 56' 33 latitude and 6° 57' 32 longitude. The city's highest point is 118 m (387 ft) above sea level (the Monte Troodelöh ) and its lowest point
15006-497: Was then held in September 2010, and afterwards Böcker decided to have one final production to close out the "Symphonic" series. The fourth concert was first announced by Winfried Fechner in March 2010 as Symphonic Odysseys - Uematsu in Concert , with the subtitle later changed to "Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu". The sole composer featured in the concert is Nobuo Uematsu , a Japanese video game composer best known for his work at Square Enix, who
15129-654: Was voted into the number 16 position in the annual Classic FM (UK) "Hall of Fame" top 300 chart. This was accompanied by " Dancing Mad " and " To Zanarkand ". It was the first time that a piece of music written for a video game had appeared in the chart. In 2013, music from the Final Fantasy series received even greater support and was voted into the third position on the Classic FM Hall of Fame. Uematsu and his Final Fantasy music subsequently appeared at number seven in 2014, number nine in 2015, and number 17 in 2016. In September 2018, Uematsu announced that he would take
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