There is an epic artistic pileup happening at the end of the alphabet.
Zelda meets Zakresky.
Millions of gamers and home entertainment fans cannot hear the name Zelda and not envision the famous character of the video game world.
Zakresky's name cannot be said around Prince George without images coming to mind of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the local music festival, and other major milestones he was part of growing up here.
Zakresky was the PGSO's last full-time conductor and music director before moving on to be the maestro for the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Pacifica Singers, the Sea To Sky Symphony and teach at the Vancouver Symphony School Of Music. He has been a recent guest conductor with the St. Louis Symphony, Sudbury Symphony, West Coast Symphony and other orchestras and choral ensembles.
None of these offered a chance to conduct at the famed Wembley Arena in London, though, and that's where Zakresky will take up the baton on April 23.
The 12,500-seat performing arts centre is the second largest in London, and has hosted some of the most legendary shows of the modern era.
This time it will be perhaps be more literal as The Legend Of Zelda video game series has been turned into a symphonic concert event on the strength of its critically acclaimed music scores, and that show will be unleashed on England with Zakresky at the centre of the action.
"The Zelda symphony show came to Vancouver last May, I went to see it, and I told them I was a conductor and I was impressed by what I saw," Zakresky said. "I told them about myself, that I was a conductor, and I'd be interested in working with them if a chance ever came up. You have those conversations a thousand times, and nothing ever comes of it, but they actually called me back, they had me do an audition, and they brought me onto their roster."
Zakresky was assigned to work under lead conductor Amy Andersson (millions saw her on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert this past fall, as the Zelda orchestra were the musical guests). After an orientation process, he was scheduled to be the conductor for the next visits to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary this coming September but also the show's dates in Miami, Charlottesville, Columbus, and that glittering circle on the calendar marked "London."
This historic venue has been home to three concerts by The Beatles, live recordings were done there by The Grateful Dead and ABBA, and it has hosted shows by such superstars as David Bowie, The Monkees, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, The Cure, it's where the video was shot of George Michael and Elton John singing Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, it's where Roy Orbison presented Cliff Richard with an award during one of Richard's 63 shows there over his career, the Electric Light Orchestra played a televised concert there during an eight-day run at Wembley, and of course it is attached to its equally famous sports counterpart Wembley Stadium.
"The London Philharmonic Concert Orchestra is doing the show there," Zakresky said.
"To get to be in front of those musicians is such an honour and to be able to do this inside Wembley Arena is just an amazing experience."
Zakresky said the Zelda audiences have been a change from the viewers he has performed for in his regular conductor's duties in the past year. The feeling is familiar.
"Prince George audiences were always so vibrant and excited and engaged in classical music," he said.
"In Vancouver, the audience appreciates the music but those reactions aren't overt. But Zelda audiences are like Prince George audiences. Everyone comes right out with their feelings. It's great to feel that again."
Many of the audience members at the Zelda concerts come dressed as their favourite characters from the Zelda universe. Cosplay at concerts is not a normal occurrence but, said Zakresky, with video games using symphonic music so predominantly - Nintendo routinely hires the great composer Koji Kondo for their soundtracks - a giant new audience has developed for orchestras.
The Zelda tour rewards those gamer-turned-symphony fans by providing visual effects as well. As the music plays, scenes from the latest game play out on large screens. This poses an extra challenge for the musicians and especially the conductor.
"The music and the scenes have to line up," he explained. "They players can't really see the screens so everyone has to play to a click-track that keeps the exact beat. You have to hit your marks exactly. But Zelda is some of the best music written for the sort of show we're doing. As the conductor, once you embrace the tick-tick-tick rigid click track, it is actually freeing in many ways."
Most symphonies are written with undulating rises and falls in the musical action. There is a pace that's kept that tells a sonic story from beginning to end.
Not this one. Because the piece is based on an action game, "every movement seems to have a big thundering climax. It's more like a rock concert in that sense," said Zakresky.
