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Featured, Game Music

Piano Opera: Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX Has Been Released!

May 13, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Piano Opera: Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX Has Been Released! Share this

It’s finally here! The third and long awaited installment of the Piano Opera: Final Fantasy albums has been unleashed to the world. As we reported a few months back, this newest album from Square Enix features piano arrangements by Hiroyuki Nakayama of the Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX soundtracks. Pieces featured on this arrange album include “Liberi Fatali,” from Final Fantasy VIII; “Rose of May,” from Final Fantasy IX; and “Those Who Fight Further,” from Final Fantasy VII.

Each album in this series has covered selections of music from three Final Fantasy games. The first of this album series focused on Final Fantasy I, II, and III, while the second entry contained selections from Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI. It should be noted that these piano arrangements are different from the previously released Piano Collections albums. Nakayama’s interpretations of Nobuo Uematsu’s music on these arrange albums are all completely new.

The Piano Opera: Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX album is currently available on iTunes. For those of you looking for a physical copy of the album, it is currently available on CD Japan. However, it appears that the first press versions of the physical disc, a version that usually comes with a special sleeve case, has already sold out. We will have a review for Piano Opera: Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX on Original Sound Version in the coming days. Be sure to check back for our full coverage of the album.
Game Music, Reviews

Child of Light OST (Review)

May 9, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | 146 Comments Share this Child of Light OST (Review)

A soundtrack for a fantasy game that features the piano as the primary instrument? Alright, this soundtrack definitely has my attention. Child of Light is a new fantasy RPG developed by Ubisoft. The game centers around the young Austrian princess Aurora, who wakes up in a strange fantasy world called Lemuria. A force of darkness controlled by a being known as the Black Queen has caused havoc in the world. It’s up to you, and the allies you meet along the way, to recover the sun, moon, and stars to restore order and light to the world. A good portion of the game has you exploring the world of Lemuria and solving the problems of its inhabitants. The game also features an active time battle system, similar to the ones found in the early Final Fantasy games, and an art style that is inspired by the movies of Studio Ghibli and the artwork of Yoshitaka Amano. The game’s atmosphere is similar to that of a fantasy story book, which is appropriate given the story’s subject matter. While it’s presenting you with a typical RPG fantasy story, Child of Light will likely be appreciated by many fans of the genre.

The music for Child of Light was written by Canadian musician Beatrice Martin, aka Coeur de Pirate. She’s known primarily for her talents as a vocalist and pianist, releasing her first solo album Coeur de Pirate back in 2008. Over the past five years she’s received several nominations and a handful of awards for her music. She’s an interesting choice for a videogame music project, being known mostly for her singer-songwriter style of pop music. The Child of Light OST is Martin’s first step into the world of videogame music. So how does this newcomer to the videogame world tackle creating the music for Child of Light? Read on to find out. (more…)
Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

Minecraft – Volume Alpha (Review)

April 29, 2014 | Richard McDonald | 1 Comment Share this Minecraft – Volume Alpha (Review)

I have a major problem with the Minecraft – Volume Alpha album, and it’s this: I think this has to be one of the most difficult albums I have ever had the pleasure to review. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful achievement, but the music is so tied up with my memories of the game, and a general feeling of nostalgia, that it’s hard to separate the music from the game itself. I’ve spent far too much time sitting at my desk, wondering if the music is good because the game is so amazing, or if the music is good in its own right. Each time I listen to a track I remember an amazing moment in the game: That bit when I discovered an abandon mine, the bit when I almost died after discovering a skeleton dungeon . . . and loved it, or the immense pleasure of building my own home. This album evokes very strong emotions that few games manage to master, or even hint at, and it is for this reason that I’ve had such difficulty with the review. However, after much soul searching, I think I’ve managed to separate the game and its music.

So, how do you represent the vast world of Minecraft in music form? The answer, I think, is that you don’t. Technically you could have had an American pioneer style of music, or maybe completely 8-bit, to match the retro art style. But that’s not what German composer Daniel Rosenfeld (AKA C418) has gone for. He has gone, strangely enough, for lullabies. Simple yet beautiful melodies and harmonies that are almost childlike in their simplicity and execution. And it works! I’m not sure why, but somehow his music perfectly complements the game in such a way that without it the game would be seriously disadvantaged. Though the game is mostly music free, I literally couldn’t imagine the game without the soft music drifting in and out as I play. (more…)
Game Music, Japanese

Piano Opera: Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX Has Been Announced!

March 14, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | 4 Comments Share this

Fans of Final Fantasy music rejoice!! The third Piano Opera: Final Fantasy album has been announced. For those unfamiliar with the Piano Opera albums, they are albums that feature piano arrangements of pieces from the Final Fantasy franchise. Despite the name, there is no actual opera music in any of these collections. Each album in this series focuses on three specific Final Fantasy games. The first Piano Opera album contained arrangements from Final Fantasy I, II, and III, while the second album featured the music of Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI. These first two albums were released back in 2012, with only a few months in between each release.

Predictably, this latest album will focus on the music from Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX. Tracks on this album will include “Opening ~ Bombing Mission” and “Those Who Fight Further,” from Final Fantasy VII; “Liberi Fatali” and “Force Your Way,” from Final Fantasy VIII; and “Rose of May” and “Melodies of Life,” from Final Fantasy IX. The album is set to be released on April 23, 2014 in Japan and will cost around 2,800 yen.

There is no word yet on a release date for the United States or Europe. Considering that the previous albums have received western releases, through services like iTunes, this album hopefully won’t be far behind. The Piano Opera: Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX album will be available on Amazon Japan and Square Enix’s e-Store on the day of release. So for those of you outside of Japan, who have some skill at reading Japanese and don’t mind paying for importing the album, you will potentially have a means of acquiring this latest album on day one. I know that I’ll have this album on my wishlist. Hopefully we’ll be getting a release here in the west in the near future.
Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine (Review)

September 20, 2013 | Michael Hoffmann | 1 Comment Share this Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine (Review)

Editor’s Note: We’d like to welcome Michael Hoffmann to our writing team! This young composer has his own blog, Video Game Notes, and has expressed interest in sharing his take on his peers’ work from time to time. He’ll also be doing some concert reporting, including a report on the recent BFIG “Boston Plays Indies” show that VGO, DJ Cutman and others performed indie game music live! We’re excited to have Michael writing on the site! He makes his debut with a review for the Monaco soundtrack. Enjoy!

When you think of music for a stealth/action game, what do you usually imagine? Perhaps some somber and serious orchestral scoring to provide a tense atmosphere. Maybe something more electronic and minimalist that builds in intensity as you delve deeper into enemy territory. Would you ever guess Ragtime music reminiscent of the silent film era? I must admit that when I loaded up the game Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine, that was the last thing I was expecting to hear. Written by Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory, Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine OST provides a fresh new approach to music for the stealth/action genre.

More after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Journey Piano Collection is a real thing!

August 1, 2013 | Patrick Gann | 2 Comments Share this

Well, as of now, it’s only a book. The full title, Journey Sheet Music Selections from the Original Video Game Soundtrack, features six arrangements by Laura Intravia (a masterful arranger and performer who worked on four tracks of OCRemix’s Final Fantasy VI: Balance & Ruin), including the beloved theme Apotheosis. The sheet music has been published by Alfred Music (I myself was taught piano on Alfred books, so I’m already partial to them). Head here for details including tracklist and how to buy. The book will cost you about $15.

As for an accompanying CD recording of this sheet music? No concrete details yet, though a recent chat with composer Austin Wintory via Facebook reveals his intention to do a recording and publish a Piano Collection album:

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to place my order for the book and see if I still have the chops to play Laura’s intricate piano solo arrangements…
Miscellaneous

The Most Exotic Journey Of The Year: Benyamin Nuss’s Exotica Out Now!

June 16, 2012 | Audun Sorlie | 4 Comments Share this

Benyamin Nuss has since an early age amazed and left a worldwide audience in awe with his masterful piano performances. Nuss is not only a virtuoso of precision, but one of the most melodically honest performers in classical music, his music is heartfelt, gripping and daring, allowing listeners of any age to truly feel the music due to his incredible powerful and passionate renditions of both classic and contemporary scores. In 2010, Nuss released his debut album Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu on the prestigious label Deutsche Grammophon under the auspices of Universal Music, breaking new grounds and making history with his incredible tribute to the most famous video game composer of all time. Now the young man from Germany is ready to go even more exotic for his next album.

Exotica is a collection of inspired works blended together to create a journey unlike any other, a theme of classical music merged and molded to feel new, exciting and exotic as only Benyamin Nuss can provide. On this journey we meet Claude Debussy, as his “Estampes” served as a great influence on the album, along with Darius Milhaud, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Alan Hovhaness, Martin Torp and even Masashi Hamauzu. Nuss also features his very own Elegy for Fukushima, making this not only an experiment of exoticism, but also a gift with a heart, and with a soul Jonne Valtonen also contributed to Exotica with his “Fantasy” for the Fukushima elegy. Benyamin Nuss proves with this album that he is a unique world class talent, and one with a true passion that is easily heard, and felt within your very own mind and body.

Available at: Amazon DE, Itunes and JPC