Hades - Hymn to Zagreus, Performed by NJGSO

Premiered at NJGSO's Fall 2023 Concert
Composed by Darren Korb
Arranged by Travis J. Salim
Video Editor: Jon Rosario of Elementality Studios
https://www.elementalitystudios.com
Audio Engineer: Bill Rouse
https://billrouseaudio.com

It's a tale as old as time. No, not quite that tale; this is the classic tale of growing old but not growing up, a tale of rebelling against your caretakers and freeing yourself. Oh, did we mention that your goal is to get out of Hell itself? Hades needs little introduction, having received high acclaim and multiple "Game of the Year'' distinctions since its release.

You play as Zagreus, whose father is Hades, the god of the Underworld. Zagreus seeks to escape his father's realm, reach the surface of the world, and find his mother Persephone. Along the way, he meets other denizens of the Underworld, fights various foes, and receives help from his relatives, the Gods of Olympus. One such denizen is Orpheus, the prime musician of his time. Orpheus befriended Zagreus, and wrote him a solemn hymn to commemorate his journey out of the underworld. Such a hymn was based on a tall tale created by Zagreus with the help of Dionysus, god of wine. Although that tall tale has some connection with the actual myth of Zagreus, before the release of Hades.

Salim was inspired to arrange this piece for multiple reasons: his enjoyment of Hades, his desire to create something for NJGSO, and his appreciation of NJGSO's choir. NJGSO's choir previously performed a rendition of “The Promised Land” from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, as composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by NJGSO's own Assistant Choir Director Ninian Sword . All these taken together, Salim felt inspired to create this arrangement of Hymn to Zagreus to showcase NJGSO's choir.


#njgso #vgm #orchestra #hades