I know I said I had retired this blog until 2018, but this is a one-off post on the occasion of an extraordinary event.
Disclaimer: This is a long post. Make a cuppa and get comfortable.
Did I ever tell you my partner is wonderful? As a birthday treat she bought us tickets to see the 30th Anniversary of Final Fantasy “Distant Worlds” concert at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of an international tour. This happened on November 4th, but she booked the tickets 5 months previously – they sold out within half an hour of release! Safe to say I had a fantastic time. I’m not the biggest Final Fantasy fan out there by a long shot – I’ve played only Final Fantasy XV – but I know when to appreciate great music! So I decided to give you my analysis and opinions as a new fan on some of the best music from Final Fantasy, as heard at the concert. Enjoy!
The selling rate of the tickets should give you some idea of the popularity of Final Fantasy amongst the population of the UK. For those who do not know, Final Fantasy is a Japanese science-fantasy role-playing game series owned and developed by Square Enix for Nintendo Entertainment Systems, with 15 official game titles released and a bunch of expansions along the way, stretching across a whopping 25 games consoles and platforms. Now 30 years old, the series is the defining “JRPG” of video game history, consolidating many elements, themes, play styles, and mechanics typical of the RPG format. It has also carved a path for itself as a visual innovator, pioneering full-motion videos and photo-realistic character design.
But above all, the series has upheld and provided excellent music for its titles. Nobuo Uematsu composed music for the first game and returned to compose for most of the series – he is generally credited with the musical style of the series. Other composers wrote music for later titles, notably Masashi Hamauzu for Final Fantasy XIII, Masayoshi Soken for Final Fantasy XIV, and Yoko Shimomura for Final Fantasy XV. Yet all of these composers worked in the musical style established by Uematsu in the series, very much taking their lead from him.
As to what that style is like – that’s tough to say. Common fantasy music elements are prevalent, such as the use of a full orchestra, a choir, and solo instruments, notably the harp, piano, and violin. Uematsu, self-taught, cites a number of influential composers, from Tchaikovsky to Elton John, and indeed a number of his works feature rock and band instruments alongside the orchestra. All in all the musical style is very much what the average music buff would expect from a film score or opera, and that is essentially the purpose of the music – to help translate the operatic, dramatic nature of the narratives and characters of Final Fantasy to the medium of video games. The popularity of the music among fans initiated the “Distant Worlds” concerts, begun in 2007, where prominent compositions from the then released game titles were performed as fully orchestral and choral arrangements. From these concerts 4 separate CDs of these amazing arrangements have been released. I’ve attached a link to a Spotify playlist of the programme from the concert, when these “Distant Worlds” recordings were performed, so you can listen along and enjoy.
So lets get into the music! The concert opened in excellent fashion with a ‘Prelude’, which has featured in all 15 of the main games. A solo harp performs a series of arpeggios, a sound which has become iconic to the series. Gentle string and choral accompaniment fades in over time, and brass becomes more prominent around the 2 minute mark, before we swell up to a crescendo with a cymbal clash and noble brass carrying forth a new melody. All the while the harp continues, gently bringing us down to a diminuendo. Following the Prelude we enjoyed a ‘Battle and Victory Theme Medley’, a combo of action set-piece and modern funk. Epic swirling strings, double-tongued brass, tolling bells, cymbals, snare drums, and choral accompaniment all play with a fast tempo and a sense of adventure and drama – I particularly like the descending piano lines. Mid-way through the tempo changes and we pick up the first modern music influences, a funk hi-hat, kick, and snare beat. All the while string and brass melodies cascade over the driving rhythm. After returning to the former tempo the piece concludes with a fully orchestral and choral statement of the ‘Victory Theme’, a “level-up” fanfare that is iconic for the Final Fantasy series.
The third piece of the concert, ‘The Oath’ from Final Fantasy VIII, is a popular yet more somber composition. The brass intro has a quasi-mournful manner, which moves to a string, harp and woodwind arrangement, interspersed with statements of a main motif. A steady percussion rhythm moving between tempos and flute accents are added over the top of the melodic passage, before the brass comes back in with force, and stabbing strings take us through to a powerful statement of the main motif, complete with gong, timpani, and fluttering flute lines for added drama. We finish with a diminuendo marked by a violin performance of the main motif. The next in the concert, ‘Fang’s Theme’, was written by Masashi Hamauzu for Final Fantasy XIII. We open with a fast and insistent snare drum rhythm with a string ostinato and descending clarinet lines, soon taken over by bight and sparkly piano lines. This piece in particular makes excellent use of the piano combined with woodwind and overly major key melodies to keep the overall feel of the music positive, heroic, and almost playful. Nevertheless, brass counter-melodies and the occasional crescendo remind the listener that this is an action theme for a brash and sarcastic character, appropriate for an ultimately character-driven series.
The next piece brought us right back to Uematsu’s early classics, with the ‘Theme of Love’ from Final Fantasy IV. It may be because I’m a romantic at heart but this is one of my favourite pieces from the concert. A harp glissando and descending flute line with strings and see-saw piano accompaniment sets a delicate tone, which continues through the first statement of the gorgeous main motif A-phrase on oboe, later doubled up on flute. Full sweeping strings straight from the Hollywood Golden Age come in for the B-phrase melody to heap on more melancholia and beauty, followed by another lovely oboe rendition of the A-phrase. Flute and violin counter-melodies and timpani and cymbal crescendos are added, and we end with a diminuendo, slightly uneasy finish – a romantic, opera-worthy love theme. Following that was ‘Cosmo Canyon’ from Final Fantasy VII, where Uematsu looks to Fumio Hayasaka and Akira Ifukube, pioneers of composing Japanese-sounding music for a Western audience. A steady drum rhythm with sleigh bells provides framework for distinctly orientalist string melodies, built on by a flute melody and a snare drum counter-rhythm, leading up to a series of crescendos. The slight tempo reduction and melodic line of the finale is reminiscent of a musical, before we return to the opening drum and bells rhythm, finishing with a string crescendo and diminuendo. A rather unusual piece to be sure, but catchy nonetheless.
Uematsu adopted a distinctly lighter tone for Final Fantasy IX, and one can immediately tell by the offbeat tambourines and strings and woodwind-lead melodies of ‘Not Alone’, for me the weakest of the concert, although it does have a rather catchy hook on the end of its conclusive melodic line. The next track in the concert, ‘Apocalypsis Noctis’ from Final Fantasy XV, is far from weak. Composed by Yoko Shimomura, a veteran of the Japanese video game genre, this short but sharp piece brings choral chanting and stabbing piano chords for exaggerated drama, coupled with a heroic string motif accompanied by snare drum rhythms. Sadly I felt the chanting was lost somewhat in the mix of instruments, but nevertheless the palpable sense of action, energy, and pure excitement level knocks the listener flat out! To conclude the first half we were treated to ‘Liberi Fatali’, a piece from Final Fantasy VIII. Solo choral chanting, a fast string ostinato, timpani flourishes, a harp glissando, and string and woodwind counter-melodies open the piece in style, and the dramatic edge the choir brings is palpable. A general sense of unease pervades throughout, while the fast tempo and percussive rhythms ensure we don’t fall asleep anytime. Particularly enjoyable are the brassy flourishes and swirling strings present later in the track, and we finished with surprisingly quiet strings after a crescendo. Thus, we ended the first half of the concert, but the best was yet to come…
The second half opened up with a one-two hit of personal favourites. The ‘Opening~Bombing Mission’ sequence from Final Fantasy VII has long been regarded as a classic composition of the series, and one that heavily embraces Americana. Opening with suspenseful high strings and harp plucking, and building with low strings, timpani hits and noble brass, we swell with strings to a heroic brass fanfare with brass and cymbals. From there the tempo drastically increases and we witness a series of pounding piano line and snare drum rhythms, more dramatic action-oriented brass playing a main motif of sorts, swirling strings a-plenty, and concluding with a fantastic brassy cymbal flourish. The next piece couldn’t have been a greater contrast – the achingly beautiful ‘Somnus’ from Final Fantasy XV, composed by Yoko Shimomura. Since “Somnus” is Latin for sleep, the piece opens with dreamy 7th chords played delicately on piano, accompanied by solo violin playing the main motif and low strings to flesh out the soundscape. From there we add viola counter-melodies, increasingly swelling strings, and a more powerful violin melody, really capturing the theatricality of the narrative of Final Fantasy XV. We finish with a return to the suspenseful piano chords of the intro.
‘Torn from the Heavens’ from Final Fantasy XIV was next, composed by Masayoshi Soken. We return to the realm of action and adventure, matching the mulitplayer online focus of the game, opening with choral chanting and brass as an A-phrase, kept at pace by a hi-hat rhythm, large toms and snare drums. Flute and choral lines form an interlude, and the choir and brass gives us a variation on the A-phrase, and a secondary theme is worked through on low brass with choral accents. Generally the choir dominates throughout, appropriate given that this is supposed to be music “torn from the heavens”. The sequence is repeated through in it’s entirety, finishing with one last statement of the A-phrase, with a drum-based flourish. Following that was an unusual track, a medley of themes for the adorable Chocobo creatures first introduced in Final Fantasy VII. The opening phrase, dominated by high register xylophone, flute, rolling cymbal, soft brass, and strings, emphasising the cute factor of the creatures. Then we quickly take a turn into salsa territory, with Latin rhythms, steel drum melodies, and occasional chants – quite the contrast! Tom-tom and shaker rhythms take over as the choir chants the letters of the word “chocobo”, and funk kit rhythms and brass melodies are introduced. Finishing with a final flourish, this is proof the series doesn’t take itself too seriously.
We were then treated to two classics from Final Fantasy X. First was ‘Hymn of the Fayth’, a plainsong piece in the manner of gregorian chanting, with tolling bells. A number of melodies are introduced and then expanded on with added percussion and brass accompaniment to give the composition an enhanced tribal and ritualistic feeling. Later woodwind, piano, and string counter-melodies help to flesh out the track, but without loosing its choral basis. All in all it makes for a chilling piece. However, it paled in comparison to the next piece, the definitive classic of the series – the beautiful ‘Zanarkand’, main theme of Final Fantasy X. Opening with an iconic high register piano main motif, which is briefly taken up by woodwind and strings and then returned to piano, this is the track that definitively equated piano melodies with Final Fantasy. The main motif is transferred to oboe with string accompaniment, before segueing into a romantic B-phrase on swelling strings with horn accompaniment. Following that is an amazing A-phrase interplay of main motif and counter-melodies on strings, and another swelling romantic rendition of the B-phrase with more brass, and more potency. We end with a diminuendo and harp glissando. A timeless classic of video game music, you are unlikely to find better.
Only Final Fantasy could get away with having an actual opera as part of its narrative and soundtrack, as it did on Final Fantasy VI. This is where Uematsu cashes in on his Western influences most prominently, writing very much in the fashion of Russian and German opera – dramatic, orchestral and expansive. The actual operatic lines are not too complex or difficult, and some segments seem ripped straight from Berlioz, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky (especially a Sleeping Beauty waltz clone at 6:18), and when the female line appears the piano accompaniment gives the music a Lloyd-Webber musical style feel. These aren’t in of themselves bad things, and fair enough that Uematsu relied heavily on Western influences – writing an opera is hard! The 12 minute composition is nonetheless very impressive, especially since it has diegetic elements in the action sequences. As an end credits piece, we were given a rendition of the “main theme” from the Final Fantasy series, which feels distinctly Elgar-ian in nature through its prominent use of strings and noble sounding brass passages. Nonetheless, it captures that nobility of setting out on a quest with good intentions, as you do in every Final Fantasy game.
Of course, every concert needs an encore, and as conductor Arnie Roth said on the day, “we keep coming back to Final Fantasy VII“. And fair enough, it is the most iconic game of the series, in every way. And so we had the treat of a double encore. First, ‘Aerith’s Theme’. Beginning with a flute and oboe duet and a Thomas Newman-esque string wash, we hear the iconic 6 note piano motif for Aerith. Inherently innocent, sweet, and cathartic, it has a melancholic edge that seems inseparable from the knowledge of her tragic death as part of the game’s narrative. The B-phrase builds on this sentiment with more oboe melody and piano and strings accompaniment, before building to a semi-crescendo and the main B-phrase motif on strings with horn accompaniment, really revelling in cathartic emphasis. The whole passage of A and B phrase is repeated, with added orchestrations and depth, really swelling in its crescendos and emphasising the drama with cymbal crashes, brass, and timpani – it seems the track is really just trying to give us as listeners a feeling of the emotional potential the music of Final Fantasy can have. We finish, as we typically do, with a diminuendo, uneasy harp and strings.
The second encore is the polar opposite – ‘One Winged Angel’, the theme for Final Fantasy VII‘s antagonist, and most famous villain, Sephiroth. We begin with dramatic timpani, brass, and Psycho-esque swirling strings all within an aggressive marching tempo and a general sense of chaos. Soon the choir comes in, chanting in Latin, with the three note syballic motif for Sephiroth sung on a minor third with cymbal crash. The music has a gothic, almost cartoon-ish feeling, with melodic lines that give the impression of a malevolent villain who loves to wreak havoc. I’m reminded of Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Omen, in that it really doesn’t hold back in portraying Sephiroth as a world-ending, irredeemably bad person. We finish with a final, swirling statement of his choral motif with a flourish. Thus ended the concert! I was blown away by the quality of the music, and in the week since then I have been listening back to this concert so much. Hopefully this post, long as it has been, has inspired you as a lover of great dramatic, orchestral and choral music to explore what Final Fantasy has to offer. I was not disappointed, and I am sure you won’t be either.
God bless.
Link to a Spotify playlist of the tracks discussed.
Highlights:
- ‘Prelude’
- ‘Theme of Love’
- ‘Opening~Bombing Mission’
- ‘Somnus’
- ‘Zanarkand’
- ‘Aerith’s Theme’
- ‘One-Winged Angel’
Scores of Scores 