Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections :: Review by Chris

	Album Title:	Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections
	Record Label:	DigiCube (1st Edition); Square Enix (Reprint)
	Catalog Number:	SSCX-10111; SQEX-10020
	Release Date:	December 3, 2003; May 10, 2004
	Content:	1 CD - 13 Tracks
	Purchase:	Buy at Square Enix Music Online Music Store

Overview

The absence of the Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections from the Final Fantasy series was a prominent and obvious one, since Piano Collections albums had been released for all the other games between Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy X. It left many fans, including myself, rather undernourished and eager to make Square Enix's forgotten vision eventually become reality like it deserved. Little could one imagine that nearly six years after the release of the Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack this dream would come true. In December 2003, it finally did, thanks to the upcoming release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Square Enix's failed attempts to save its record label DigiCube from bankruptcy; fans all over the world triumphantly rejoiced at the news. One must ask, however, whether this phenomenally long wait was worth it. Let me tell you.

Most were satisfied by the decision to let Square Enix's resident arranger Shiro Hamaguchi arrange this album; he seemed an obvious and popular choice by producers and fans alike, especially following the widely acclaimed success of the Piano Collections for Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX. While the album doesn't quite match up to such competitors in terms of its quality and consistency, his magic touch remains as strong as ever. Although his arrangements lack the innovative creativity and mesmerising complexity of certain arrangements in Masashi Hamauzu's Final Fantasy X Piano Collections album, they still leave much to be desired for. It is certainly self-evident that this album is full of the pianistic refinement, marked memorability, and sincere warmth, all of which characterise Shiro Hamaguchi as an arranger. However, above all, his album predominantly stands out for the profound atmosphere and distinct mood created in so many of its arrangements.

On the whole, the track list for this album is a very strong one and a combination of old favourites and unexpected gems are added. The "Final Fantasy VII Main Theme" and "Aeris' Theme" were the two most obvious choices to add to the album, but made surprisingly disappointing arrangements in reality. It was the unexpected additions from the Original Soundtrack that actually boosted the album's success; themes such as "Fighting," "Cosmo Canyon," "Gold Saucer," and "Descendent of Shinobi" all went a million times beyond both what was achieved by their originals. Furthermore, "Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony" and "Ahead on our Way" didn't lag too far behind and proved successful additions as well. I was a little disappointed to see a few old favourites like "Cid's Theme," "Interrupted by Fireworks," and "Cait Sith's Theme" left out. In reflection, however, this was probably for the best considering it was the classics from Original Soundtrack that ended up being the weaker arrangements.

As the final point of the overview, let me emphasise the wondrousness of pianist Seiji Honda's interpretations throughout this album. He executes each piece in an immensely skilled manner by stylistically interpreting them so that they are filled with a huge amount of mood. He approaches the more emotional pieces with a certain mildness and sensitivity and, while his performances of such pieces are not immensely dramatic, such a calm and romantic style is wholly appropriate and perfect for relaxing to. What is really noteworthy, however, is the great panache of his highly pianistic and hugely impressive interpretations of the arrangements of "One Winged Angel," "J-E-N-O-V-A," and "Fighting." He's a highly perceptive performer with great technical expertise. What more could you ask for?

Track-by-Track Reviews

1) Tifa's Theme

Although this arrangement adheres a little too closely to its original for my liking, it provides a warm and moving start to the album nonetheless. It certainly expands upon the original material with its familiar melodies being transferred over in a highly pianistic way from its original and supported by some elegant harmonies. Honda and Hamaguchi inspire the creation of a certain mildness and enchanting sense of poignancy to this arrangement and this really captures Tifa's dreamy personality well. Their interpretations are crafted with great subtlety and, while hardly tear jerking, such interpretations ensure you are certainly not left untouched. (8.5/10)

2) Final Fantasy VII Main Theme

If you are looking for a simple translation of the original onto the piano then I can assure you that this arrangement is absolutely ideal for you. It is impossible to deny that this arrangement sounds lovely on the piano — the way Hamaguchi and Honda have sensitively crafted it to allow the theme's familiar melodies to protrude over their simple yet natural harmonies with such pure pianistic beauty really allows the arrangement to sound lovely! However, if you are a musician then you will probably be undernourished and disappointed by this eagerly anticipated arrangement. While entirely pure and natural, the 'arrangement' is musically deficient. I was gravely disappointed that Hamaguchi was too cautious and unwilling to stray from its original to offer some interesting harmonies and add some interesting stylistic variations. The only part that offers a little intrigue is in the middle section where Hamaguchi finally diverts to explore some unique (although hardly Hamauzu-esque) harmonies. Ironically, in many ways, it was the grand success of the original and its orchestration in the Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks that limited its success. Not only did their immense strengthes encourage Hamaguchi to stay overly close to their styles, it also set two rather unmatchable parallels for this arrangement to be compared unfavourably to. That is the problem with arranging over-arranged tunes six years later than they should been. (7/10)

3) Cinco de Chocobo

I really didn't expect a Chocobo arrangement to be part of the track list, considering the inappropriate multitude of Chocobo theme arrangements present on the early Piano Collections albums was frequently criticised. Nonetheless, however, the theme's jazzy and light-hearted melodies together with its upbeat and lively tempo give the earlier part of the album considerably more flair. Furthermore, the opportunity to use the 5/4 metre has been absent from Final Fantasy Piano Collections in the past and we needed to see it used at least once during the franchise's legacy. However, the arrangement doesn't even come close to the jazz standards of "Johnny C. Bad" and similar tracks. Why? Firstly, the structure is too disjointed and the transitions between sections are executed poorly. Secondly, it is far too short (at under 2 minutes in total) to create any considerable impact. (6/10)

4) Ahead on Our Way

This town theme arrangement may not match the standards set by "Guadosalam" and "Frontier Village Dali" in other albums, but is still strong nonetheless. The textures are initially thin and delicate and contribute towards giving the piece a slow and calming atmosphere for the first two minutes. However, after this rather unvaried (and slightly boring) exposition, the theme develops and the texture thickens as the arrangements crescendos into a passionate and heartfelt climax. Although the arrangement and its respective performance may be a little too mild-natured to sustain much intense listening, its contemplative beauty captures the whole essence of town life and the boundlessness of your in-game world wonderfully. That's what matters most, right? (8.5/10)

5) Fighting

When I saw this was on the track list I remember being extremely pessimistic about "Fighting" being listed, adamant that it would be impossible to convert the fast-paced electronic original into a successful piano arrangement. I'm pleased to admit that I couldn't have been more wrong, however — this track is by far the most innovative of all the arrangements on the whole album. Hamaguchi's pure genius allows it to be arranged into something even more vigorous, threatening, and fast-paced than its original, without losing its musicality! In my eyes, the ability to do this is absolutely remarkable and Hamaguchi really deserves a medal for this. I bet it would be an absolute terror to play though, even if Honda can do it amazingly well! (10/10)

6) Cosmo Canyon

I'm sure that this masterpiece will most certainly grow to become a classic in years to come! Harmonically, it strays quite largely from its original through losing the rather oppressive drum rhythms in favour of a beautiful and much more pianistic descant. This eventually becomes a basso ostinato. The pentatonic melodies from the original protrude over such harmonies in a way that is completely sensational and this is another example of strong part writing. In my opinion, through diverting from its original to give a more pianistic and enjoyable arrangement, Hamaguchi was able to create a whole new level of depth and sensitivity to this theme. While the intangibility of such a great aura makes the feeligs evoked by the track hard to quantify, I can assure you that once you hear it you will be enchanted if you give yourself time to adjust to it. (10/10)

7) Gold Saucer

This is another unexpectedly good arrangement that goes way beyond its rather mediocre and muffled original. Hamaguchi interprets the fun nature of a fairground in even greater intensity than the original through establishing a comical and light-hearted atmosphere by letting its extremely catchy and jovial melodies remain. Through Hamaguchi's highly pianistic stylistic refinements, he is able to add a whole new bounce and character to it as well, allowing it to be so much more alluring and captivating to listen to overall. I particularly love the meaty bass chords at the end that give a great contrast to the piece's otherwise relatively thin textures. This provides a great sense of conclusion! (9.5/10)

8) Farm Boy

While this had the potential to be an excellent arrangement, I felt Hamaguchi didn't quite fulfil this potential, falling short of the typical standards he has otherwise set himself throughout this album. The main melody, although beautiful, repeats far too many times; it demands both a secondary melody and more harmonic contrast (which I'm sure Hamauzu would have provided) for it to have greater sustainability. Still, although disappointing, it is still a highly relaxing arrangement to listen to and remains 100% representative of rural life on a Chocobo farm. Indeed, the original's lovely, slow, and relaxing melodies really shine through prominently (or perhaps too prominently, as some might say). (6/10)

9) Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony

Rufus' famous nationalistic march transitioned extremely well onto the piano. You really get feel of grand militarism when you listen to it, but a slight sense of light-heartedness and zaniness are also subtly incorporated. Although the melodies hardly extend considerably beyond the original melodies, its new harmonies, thicker textures, and well-manipulated stylistic contrasts all allow it to be much more powerful. In particular, I really loved how Hamaguchi and Honda both manipulated it so that the more light-hearted sections contrast greatly with the much thicker and highly harmonic textures otherwise heard. Although occasionally a little clumsy and overpowering, in general, it is refined pianistically and is a remarkable achievement! (9/10)

10) J-E-N-O-V-A

This is surely the most interesting arrangements of the lot, although not really a successful one. My fears that it would be possible to full and pianistically interpret the highly energetic sci-fi beats of the original have been largely confirmed here. Hamaguchi's approach is just too overblown and his attempts at ferocity and energy have largely failed considering this arrangement is far too brief, disjointed, and interruptive to really become enjoyable. Overall, it just comes out as being cluttered and overpowering with phrases being cut terribly short, chord sequences often seeming inappropriate, dynamic contrasts feeling too extreme, and its tempo being unbearably fast. The innovation is evidently there but it needs spanning out and refining considering Hamaguchi's approach is too farfetched and frenzied to be as successful as it really should have been. (6/10)

11) Aerith's Theme

Like "Final Fantasy VII Main Theme," this theme was quite a disappointment due to its lack of originality and musical features. This means that it is easily overpowered by many alternative arrangements, both from professionals and from fans. Still, this theme still possesses the same sense of hope and sadness that really enriched the original and this is well supported by Honda's perceptive performance. Although the harmonies are usually quite weak and musically 'boring', as it develops into its remarkable peak in the second half of the piece, we are treated to some absolutely ingenious triplet use. Thanks to it being so enjoyable, simple, and familiar, this will surely become a firm fan's favourite to play by pianists like "To Zanarkand." As I said earlier, simplicity will appeal to many although not necessarily me. (7/10)

12) One Winged Angel

This mighty culmination of the album is another of the soundtrack's best. Hamaguchi redeems himself from the disappointment of "J-E-N-O-V-A" and shows that he can successfully arrange battle themes, echoing the success of "Fighting." Due to its overly slow speed, it has quite a poor and disappointing start, but develops fantastically when what would have been the vocal part in the original enters. It gradually grows more and more agitated, capturing the dark, threatening, and hellish atmosphere of the original amazingly. It doesn't divert too greatly from the original, hardly matching Hamauzu's creativity with "Decisive Battle," but it is certainly much more daring than the disappointing "Final Fantasy VII Main Theme" and "Aeris' Theme." My favourite bit is the low-pitched discordant clashes of the mouth-wateringly dissonant bass line around the 3:50 mark of the piece just before the piece reaches its climax. Now that is what I call music! (9/10)

13) Descendent of Shinobi

This modest gem may be just a little light relief to end the soundtrack after the booming dissonance heard in the bellowing "One Winged Angel," but it manages to fulfil its purpose surprisingly well nonetheless. This light-hearted, character-filled, and rather cheeky little track really comes to life and brings back that warm smile back onto your face after the shock and horror of the last track. Not only does it represent Yuffie well (even more effectively than its original, in fact), but also succeeds in providing a jazzy and light-hearted encore. Trust me — you will regret it if you turn your CD player off after "One Winged Angel"! (10/10)

Summary

Although this album boasts neither the consistent excellence of the Final Fantasy IX Piano Collections nor the innovative goodness of the Final Fantasy X Piano Collections, it is a highly successful album that really reaffirms my great love for the series' piano music nevertheless. While there were some grave disappointments brought about by Hamaguchi's lack of willingness to experiment, this was balanced by some superb arranging for some of the lesser anticipated tracks; little could one predict that "Descendent of Shinobi," "Cosmo Canyon," and "Fighting" would end up as the best in the album! Overall, I'm sure you will enjoy this album, as, while quite a mixed bag, it will surely overall engrave a positive impression in your heart forever. It really is a must buy that you will not be disappointed by for the most part.