SEMO can exclusively reveal that accomplished classical pianist Benyamin Nuss will release his debut album for the record label Universal Music (Deutsche Grammophon/DECCA) this summer. Entitled Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu, the album will commemorate Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu’s music with a wide range of creative and evocative piano arrangements. The album promises to demonstrate Nuss’ virtuoso technique and will transfer his emotional connection with the music to the audience. To be released this summer, it will be the first time game music has ever been commemorated by a major classical label and promises to be the greatest game music piano album ever released.
Once hailed a childhood prodigy, Benyamin Nuss is a classically-trained pianist who has been playing the piano since he was six. He is deeply influenced by pianists from a range of backgrounds, including Classical performers such as Svaitoslav Richter and Vladimir Horowitz, and Jazz greats like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. In addition, he has enjoyed video games since his youth and, in particular, the RPG scores of Nobuo Uematsu. He notes that "Nobuo Uematsu has an unbelievable sense for melodies and, without his music, the videogames he scored wouldn’t be as powerful and emotional." It therefore seems fitting that the artist decided to dedicate his first album release to the composer.
While still at the start of a promising career, Nuss already has several eminent recordings behind him. Last year, he recorded Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G with the WDR Radio Orchestra and performed Shimomura’s Kingdom Hearts fantasia at the game music concert Symphonic Fantasies – Music from Square Enix. Now 21, he is signed to the world's biggest record label, Universal Music, and aims to appeal to game music fans and classical listeners alike with his most momentous production to date.
In collaboration with manager Thilo Berg and supervisor Thomas Boecker, Benyamin Nuss selected some of the greatest pianists from the classical, popular, and video game music worlds to arrange the album. The album is led by Imagine’s Shiro Hamaguchi, known for his works on Final Fantasy’s piano and orchestral albums, and Merregnon Studios’ Jonne Valtonen, the arranger of Symphonic Fantasies and Symphonic Shades. Other arrangers include prolific Russian piano composer Alexander Rosenblatt, Luxembourgian Baroque specialist Francesco Tristano Schlimé, German ECHO award-winning modernist composer Torsten Rasch, and American jazz professor Bill Dobbins. Nuss promises that their different nationalities and cultural backgrounds will have a big influence on the music.
The track listings for the album will be equally diverse. Classics from Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy VI to Final Fantasy IX will headline the album. The composer’s latest RPG scores will also feature, alongside a surprising tribute to one of his first composition works. While the majority of the arrangements are dedicated to specific pieces, listeners should also expect three expansive suites, dedicated to Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and, of course, Final Fantasy VII. Readers should check back in coming days for full details on the track listings for the album. Featuring wonderful melodies, pioneering arrangers, and a passionate pianist, Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu is the most ambitious game music piano production of all time and looks set to at last bridge the worlds of classical and game music. The album will be released by Universal Music on September 17, 2010.
-Source-
Wasn't sure where to put this, but dang! This sounds awesome
Once hailed a childhood prodigy, Benyamin Nuss is a classically-trained pianist who has been playing the piano since he was six. He is deeply influenced by pianists from a range of backgrounds, including Classical performers such as Svaitoslav Richter and Vladimir Horowitz, and Jazz greats like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. In addition, he has enjoyed video games since his youth and, in particular, the RPG scores of Nobuo Uematsu. He notes that "Nobuo Uematsu has an unbelievable sense for melodies and, without his music, the videogames he scored wouldn’t be as powerful and emotional." It therefore seems fitting that the artist decided to dedicate his first album release to the composer.
While still at the start of a promising career, Nuss already has several eminent recordings behind him. Last year, he recorded Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G with the WDR Radio Orchestra and performed Shimomura’s Kingdom Hearts fantasia at the game music concert Symphonic Fantasies – Music from Square Enix. Now 21, he is signed to the world's biggest record label, Universal Music, and aims to appeal to game music fans and classical listeners alike with his most momentous production to date.
In collaboration with manager Thilo Berg and supervisor Thomas Boecker, Benyamin Nuss selected some of the greatest pianists from the classical, popular, and video game music worlds to arrange the album. The album is led by Imagine’s Shiro Hamaguchi, known for his works on Final Fantasy’s piano and orchestral albums, and Merregnon Studios’ Jonne Valtonen, the arranger of Symphonic Fantasies and Symphonic Shades. Other arrangers include prolific Russian piano composer Alexander Rosenblatt, Luxembourgian Baroque specialist Francesco Tristano Schlimé, German ECHO award-winning modernist composer Torsten Rasch, and American jazz professor Bill Dobbins. Nuss promises that their different nationalities and cultural backgrounds will have a big influence on the music.
The track listings for the album will be equally diverse. Classics from Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy VI to Final Fantasy IX will headline the album. The composer’s latest RPG scores will also feature, alongside a surprising tribute to one of his first composition works. While the majority of the arrangements are dedicated to specific pieces, listeners should also expect three expansive suites, dedicated to Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and, of course, Final Fantasy VII. Readers should check back in coming days for full details on the track listings for the album. Featuring wonderful melodies, pioneering arrangers, and a passionate pianist, Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu is the most ambitious game music piano production of all time and looks set to at last bridge the worlds of classical and game music. The album will be released by Universal Music on September 17, 2010.
-Source-
Wasn't sure where to put this, but dang! This sounds awesome
