Symphonic Fantasies

Symphonic Fantasies: Music from Square Enix was a concert series that won awards, first staged on September 12, 2009, at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall in Germany. The program consisted of symphonic movements drawing from the Kingdom Hearts series, Secret of Mana, the Chrono series, and the Final Fantasy series, all developed by Square Enix. Thomas Böcker produced and directed the event, while Finnish composer Jonne Valtonen handled the arrangements, with Roger Wanamo assisting.

Because of high demand, a second performance took place the day before, on September 11, 2009, at the König-Pilsener-Arena in Oberhausen. Both concerts featured the WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne and the WDR Radio Choir Cologne, conducted by Arnie Roth, with guest musicians Rony Barrak and Benyamin Nuss. The event was broadcast on WDR4 radio and streamed live online.

In 2012, five new performances were added in Tokyo, Stockholm, and another in Cologne. These used slightly altered versions of the original arrangements and, like the first shows, sold out. A London performance followed in October 2016, played by the London Symphony Orchestra. Albums were released from the original concert and the Tokyo show. Both the concerts and albums received strong praise for the quality of the performances and for Valtonen's arrangements, which layered themes from multiple pieces instead of using a standard medley.

The collaboration between Thomas Böcker and WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne director Winfried Fechner began in 2007, after Fechner attended the Fifth Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig. Their plans led to three projects aimed at testing younger audiences' interest in classical music and the orchestra's ability to handle new material. The first, PROMS: That's Sound, That's Rhythm, in early 2008, mixed classical works by composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams and Morton Gould with video game music from titles such as *Shenmue* and *Castlevania*. The second, Symphonic Shades – Hülsbeck in Concert, in August 2008, focused entirely on German composer Chris Hülsbeck. After that concert, Fechner revealed a third project: a concert featuring music from a single game company, later confirmed as Square Enix. A website was launched for announcements and interviews.