Product Description

This is the live recording of sonatas based on soundtracks from the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise played on the piano by the composer Paul Anthony Romero himself. The performance took place during the Tofifest International Film Festival in Poland on the 24th of October 2015. The Heroes Piano Sonatas album contains the full live performance from that amazing concert as recorded by RATstudios. The tracklist contains four original piano sonatas written by Paul Anthony Romero exclusively for that event, and a surprising bonus track. Released on a double 12-inch white vinyl in a beautifully designed gatefold jacket with antistatic sleeves inside.

Vinyl Track List

Side A

Intro & Sonata of the Knight

Side B

Sonata of the Sorceress

Side C

Sonata of the Barbarian

Side D

Sonata of the Warlock feat. Magdalena Urbańska

Bonus track: Chopin Medley

Note from the composer – Paul Anthony Romero

I shall never forget my first visit to Poland. So many smiling friendly people and being surrounded by magnificent antique architecture: I was in a Polish paradise. The morning of this concert was particularly memorable. Walking into the concert hall in Toruń and meeting friends (who were there to help create this wonderful event) made me feel humble and thankful. It amazed me that the Heroes of Might and Magic computer games could inspire such a community of friends and music lovers! Walking onto the stage that night, sitting down at the piano and playing my melodies for attentive HoM&M fans was like sharing musical memories with newly discovered friends. I felt very grateful and happy that people would take time from their busy lives to come listen to my Heroes tunes and then say hello to me afterwards. That night was such a lovely and heartwarming experience.

When I was three years old I discovered the beautiful music of Chopin, listening to his nocturnes on the radio. Since then I have always searched the work and life of Chopin, trying to play his piano music and imitate his style within my own music. I wanted to be like him in whatever way I could. So now to be able to visit his country and meet people who enjoy my music is a sort of cosmic gift from Chopin himself. Because without him and his music I do not think I would have ever become a musician or a composer. And this is why I shall never forget my performance in Toruń! The memory will always be in my heart and my mind. Thank you to all who were there that night!

Note from the audio engineer – Matthias Adloff

It was a great honor for me to master the live recordings of Paul Romero for the exclusive vinyl edition. Not only is Heroes of Might and Magic one of the game titles that will stay in my memory forever, but also its soundtrack has always been remarkably different from many other games – it has been actually composed in a classical manner, whilst creating tension where necessary, being light and heavy at the same time. Simply a great composition. When I received the raw tracks for preparing the master, I wasn’t surprised when Romero started his performance with a perfectly well interpreted snippet of Chopin’s Nocturne op. 9 No. 2 and I really hoped that this would make it on the final vinyl. And yes, it did! The rest of the soundtrack is pretty much legend, so it was a joy to listen through the different moods and medleys that Romero performed and which reminded me of so many decades of my life.

From a professional view on things, the piano performance has been recorded perfectly. There has been almost nothing that needed any surgical treatment, except for the usual audience side noises, which are unavoidable with live recordings. The only real challenge was to improve the audio quality of the applause and especially Romero’s words so that it would translate well even on vinyl. One can’t do miracles here, but in my opinion it now sounds more than satisfying. In the end, I think that the final vinyl collection is an outstanding gem for anyone who loves the HoM&M series, and I’m very happy that I could participate in its making.