Hey everyone. I hope this subject is substantial enough to warrant a whole topic. I found it at least interesting enough to merit discussion.
In 2009 Arnie Roth (of Dear Friends and Distant Worlds fame) conducted a symphonic tribute concert called Symphonic Fantasies. If you enjoy Hiroki Kikuta's Mana scores, this is a BREATHTAKING representation of that series' musical legacy. There are also good Kingdom Hearts, Chrono, and Final Fantasy arrangements but the Mana material is the real highlight. Listening to this album last night on YouTube rekindled my interest in albums of music from Square games. The number of OSTs, arrangements, and tributes literally adds up to a few hundred, so there's quite a lot of content to consider. I was wondering if anyone else on the forum shares this passion for music, whether original or arranged, from these classic series.
I think my favorite is the Final Fantasy VII Piano Collection, but Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow is a very close contender.
FFVII's Piano Collection exceeds many of the other albeit excellent collections through excellent track selection. FFVII's original sound version is pretty subpar by PSX standards--not due to any fault in the music, but due to the poor quality of the synthesizers used. Square was just figuring out the PSX's hardware, after all. The piano arrangements in this album allow the genius of Uematsu's score to shine through. Sometimes sentimental, others foreboding, melancholy, or celebratory, this album's myriad character and event themes cover a wide gamut of ideas and emotions. Regardless of the OSV sound quality, Yoshinori Kitase's excellent cinematography ensured that many of these tracks stayed with you long after the final credits rolled.
What are your favorites?
Favorite Square music album?
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