# Merregnon

Merregnon is an orchestral music series that combines symphonic compositions with fantasy storytelling. Since its launch in 1999, the project has produced several albums and live concert performances. The most recent works, Merregnon: Land of Silence (2021) and Merregnon: Heart of Ice (2024), were premiered by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, respectively. They were designed to introduce families and younger audiences to orchestral music, following in the tradition of The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns and Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf.
The Merregnon series is directed and produced by Thomas Böcker, founder of Merregnon Studios. It has involved contributions from renowned composers in the video game industry, including Nobuo Uematsu, Yoko Shimomura, Chris Hülsbeck, and Yuzo Koshiro.

## Merregnon: Heart of Ice

Merregnon: Heart of Ice features an original score composed by Nobuo Uematsu. The world premiere took place on February 29, 2024, in Ludwigshafen, Germany, with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz performing the music under the direction of Eckehard Stier. The project also includes the contributions of children's author Frauke Angel, who wrote the story. Merregnon: Heart of Ice marks Uematsu's first orchestral work created specifically for a concert hall setting.

### Story

In the icy world of Merregnon, Kjugo, a wooden robot, and Beru, a dog, embark on a quest to find Kjugo's creator, Nuobi, who has been kidnapped by the sinister Ice Wind Dancer, Goyakai. As they traverse the land of eternal frost, they encounter numerous dangers while pursuing their mission to confront Goyakai.
In the final battle, Kjugo's pure soul breaks Goyakai's freezing hold over the land. With Goyakai's defeat, Nuobi is freed from his icy prison, and the world of Merregnon is restored, bringing back warmth, laughter, and joy.

### Reception

Merregnon: Heart of Ice was described as "a thrilling adventure with high drama and a fulminant battle for humanity" by the German newspaper Die Rheinpfalz. Writer Ulrike Dansauer, who attended the premiere, highlighted the project's broad appeal, noting, "The story is very popular with young audiences: devout listening from even the youngest children, closed eyes from adults, completely absorbed in the tale."
Thomas Nickel, a writer for the German gaming magazine M!Games, echoed this sentiment, stating: "Despite the late hour, the younger visitors are just as fascinated as the older ones." He compared the musical style of Merregnon: Heart of Ice to early Final Fantasy soundtracks, but found it "fresh and original." Nickel further commented on the expressiveness of the compositions, saying that "the joy of the music and composition is very evident" and "the compositions speak for themselves" without needing to support graphics or gameplay, allowing them to "convey drama and characters" independently.

## Merregnon: Land of Silence

Merregnon: Land of Silence features original music by Yoko Shimomura and a story by children's author Frauke Angel. This project marks Shimomura's first concert work. It was first performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Hanson, and filmed at the Stockholm Concert Hall in June 2021. The video was made freely available on the orchestra's website, premiering on September 10, 2021. Since 2022, Merregnon: Land of Silence has been performed by orchestras worldwide.

### Story

In the grey world of Merregnon, the orphan Miru and her dog Mako encounter a wounded bird, Ikari, who guides them on an adventure to the north. Ikari speaks of a green region governed by the warrior Skissor, who keeps a dragon, Yamakito, captive. Miru and her friend Hikito decide to embark on the journey.
When they arrive, the group finds Yamakito, assigned to guard the lush northern region. They confront Skissor, who attempts to deter them. With Ikari’s assistance, Yamakito escapes captivity, and his song signals Skissor’s defeat. This event is followed by the unification of the land and the end of Merregnon's long silence.

### Reception

Merregnon: Land of Silence was described as a "symphonic anime" by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Deutschlandfunk spoke with Böcker in a radio feature entitled "Music education with a video game composer", and Klassik Radio elaborated on the fact that Merregnon: Land of Silence is intended to introduce children playfully to the orchestral world, on an "enchanting adventure journey" in a "symphonic anime fairy tale for the entire family." Böcker was invited to write a guest article for Gramophone about orchestral music and its power to inspire audiences young and old. In it, he emphasises the importance of a family concert that "entertains and promotes immersion", because according to him, "it awakens an enthusiasm that leads to spontaneous engagement with the subject, without any finger-wagging or other overtly educational components." In an extensive article on Wired, Shimomura and Böcker were joined by Stefan Forsberg, executive director of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Forsberg points out that music by game composers is "a part of the daily lives of so many people around the world", and the author notes that Merregnon: Land of Silence could provide "a welcome hand for struggling concert halls." In a webinar hosted by the German Embassy in Tokyo, Shimomura, Böcker, and Angel talked about the process leading up to the concert Merregnon: Land of Silence.

### Performances

Performances :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Orchestra | Concerts |
| September 10, 2021 | Stockholm | Sweden | Stockholm Concert Hall | Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra | Video premiere |
| September 17, 2022 | Recklinghausen | Germany | Festspielhaus Recklinghausen | Neue Philharmonie Westfalen | 1 |
| September 25, 2022 | Gelsenkirchen | Germany | Musiktheater Gelsenkirchen | Neue Philharmonie Westfalen | 1 |
| November 22-23, 2022 | Lausanne | Switzerland | Salle Métropole Lausanne | Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne | 3 |
| March 5, 2023 | Jena | Germany | Volkshaus Jena | Jenaer Philharmonie | 1 |
| March 7-11, 2023 | Stockholm | Sweden | Stockholm Concert Hall | Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra | 13 |
| March 17-18, 2023 | Hong Kong | China | Tuen Mun Hal Hong Kong | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra | 2 |
| April 20-23, 2023 | Ludwigshafen | Germany | Feierabendhaus Ludwigshafen | Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz | 4 |
| June 1, 2023 | Shanghai | China | Symphony Hall Shanghai | Shanghai Symphony Orchestra | 2 |
| July 1, 2023 | Chautauqua, New York | United States | Amphitheater, Chautauqua, N. Y. | Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra | 1 |
| April 23, 2024 | Eindhoven | Netherlands | Muziekgebouw Eindhoven | South Netherlands Philharmonic | 1 |
| April 24, 2024 | Tilburg | Netherlands | Concertzaal Tilburg | South Netherlands Philharmonic | 1 |
| April 25, 2024 | Venlo | Netherlands | De Maaspoort Theater Venlo | South Netherlands Philharmonic | 1 |
| April 26, 2024 | Kerkrade | Netherlands | Theater Kerkrade | South Netherlands Philharmonic | 1 |

## Merregnon, Volumes 1 and 2

In 1999, Böcker's interest in game music prompted him to approach composers around the world and invite them to collaborate on his original Merregnon CDs. Merregnon, Volume 1 was released in 2000, distributed by synSoniq Records, featuring orchestral music and narration, as well as an accompanying booklet with text and illustrations. Music from Merregnon, Volume 2 premiered at the first ever Symphonic Game Music Concert outside Japan in Leipzig, Germany, also produced by Böcker, before the full work was released one year later in 2004 by Totentanz Records, distributed by SoulFood / Sony Music. In 2005, Merregnon, Volume 2 was published in the Japanese market by Dex Entertainment, distributed by Sony Music Japan.
Merregnon, Volume 1 used almost no live instrument recordings for its soundtrack, while Merregnon, Volume 2 featured 74 orchestra musicians. For most of the composers, this was new territory, so the project's music director for the second volume, Andy Brick, had to ensure that "everyone delivered a score that the orchestra could properly perform." Brick states that synthesizers and samplers, as in volume 1, "can do a lot that you just can't do with real instruments." His task was to help the composers transfer their sound visions to the orchestra. Volume 1 and 2's principal composer, Fabian Del Priore, who developed many of the musical themes, confirmed that it gave him "a lot of experience in orchestration, notation and score writing."

### Reception

Both albums were highly praised by critics. The first CD was commended for its appeal in that it "impressively shows how pompous melodies and complex themes are able to attract especially young people", according to the German magazine Amiga Plus. The website Epic Sound noted that Merregnon "brings together some of the brightest young talents in the composing world" and Music4Games attested that the project "sets new standards in the world of videogame music." German gaming network Krawall found that "hardly has any music CD ever succeeded in creating such opulent pictures in the mental eye." A verdict that PC Joker joined in its review: "This disc is a hit!"
The second CD received much acclaim as well, with the gaming website DemoNews writing that it was "simply breath-taking", magazine Nautilus admiring its professionalism and going on to say that "fans of the music from big silver screen epics will find a new treasure in Merregnon 2." MacLife went on to report "game music of Hollywood quality", while music magazine Astan, in addition to praising the music ("sounding like an epos to one of the big movies, like Troy and Gladiator"), described the booklet as "luxurious" and "simply beautiful and expensively designed." This was echoed by MangasZene ("a lovingly designed booklet"), additionally highlighting the "first rate music." The German gaming website 4Players dedicated a large special to Merregnon 2 over several months, where various interviews were conducted with Böcker and the composers.
According to Böcker, working on the two Merregnon albums was a "hallmark moment" that eventually led to the development and production of his Game Concerts series.

## Composers

* Andy Brick (United States)
* Allister Brimble (United Kingdom)
* Jason Chong (Australia)
* Fabian Del Priore (Germany)
* Gustaf Grefberg (Sweden)
* Olof Gustafsson (Sweden)
* Markus Holler (Germany)
* Chris Hülsbeck (Germany)
* Yuzo Koshiro (Japan)
* Jogeir Liljedahl (Norway)
* Yoko Shimomura (Japan)
* Rudolf Stember (Germany)
* Nobuo Uematsu (Japan)
* Jonne Valtonen (Finland)