During our chat with Yasunori Mitsuda about his work on -Myth- among other projects, we also were sure to ask for an update on the Chrono Cross arrange album that has been in the works for as long as any of us can remember. We got a sample of the album a few Christmas holidays ago, but aside from that, things have been rather silent. We actually had a bit of an exchange about the album, and I know fans want to know what’s going on.
Hit the jump for details! (more…)
We recently caught up with current and former composers from Square Enix, including Yasunori Mitsuda, at Square Enix headquarters in Japan. We were eager to speak with Mitsuda about the recently released Myth arrangement album. We find out why Xenogears was the focus of this project, what went into the track selection, and Mitsuda’s ambitions for a follow-up album of this one sells well.
Hit the jump for details. (more…)
The art of the “arrange album” is somewhat lost these days. So it comes as a surprise that in 2011, Xenogears is the focus of a new orchestral album performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra.
Read on if that sounds like fun.
This is seriously one of my most anticipated releases of 2010. After watching the live Internet stream of Symphonic Fantasies in my underwear from the comfort of my own home, I’ve been looking forward to a CD release, and it’s coming in September. For those who don’t recall what the show was all about, you can refresh your memory with Audun’s extensive report, but to summarize, it features entire suites of music from Kingdom Hearts, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy.
So, down to the details.
While it’s currently available for pre-order directly from the WDR website for those in Germany and around Europe for 19.95 EUR plus shipping and handling, it will release on September 24, 2010 in those regions with an international release to follow via Amazon. Those who pre-order get a little bonus in that they have the opportunity to win copies signed by Shimomura, Kikuta, Mitsuda, and Uematsu, all of whom were involved with the album by giving their approval of the final mixes. This album is a big deal in that it’s published by Universal Music, and it’s set to feature the Symphonic Fantasies “Fanfare” written by arranger and orchestrator Jonne Valtonen with suites for the titles mentioned above. Unfortunately the boss battle medley that acted as the performance’s encore is not on the album, but it will be available digitally (the disc is 73 minutes long without it). It will also come with a 16-page booklet, and I really love the official cover art pictured above (it certainly beats the bland logo they were using for the performance itself).
What do you think? Are you looking forward to getting your hands on this album?
Noisycroak’s Hideki Sakamoto is at it again. Chris Ling informed us of a special event in Japan a few weeks ago hosted by Sakamoto, who you may recall from our 100 Million Ton No Bara Bara coverage and his previous Noisycroak panel in Japan. This time, however, the event featured a different group of composers, included live performances, and biggest of all, it was broadcasted live on Japan’s Internet video service, Nico Nico Douga. Composers Hideki Sakamoto, Takenobuo Mitsuyoshi, Michiko Naruke, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Nobuyoshi Sano were available for questions, while others joined them for the evening’s various performances.
We’ve been fortunate enough to receive a small summary along with an enormous number of photos of the event from participants Takenobu Mitsuyoshi and Hideki Sakamoto himself, and we’re very thankful to them for providing us with this opportunity.
Hit the jump for our summary and for a photo gallery from the event. (more…)
Anyone who happened to visit Yasunori Mitsuda’s website a few days ago might have noticed that instead of reaching the main page, they were instead greeted with a Christmas message from the man himself. The note featured a Christmas-themed background and a surprise announcement that a special promotional song would be featured on the site until Christmas day. Clicking the link took you to the main page which featured a piano version of the theme from the Korean MMORPG, Lime Odyssey.
For those of you who don’t know, Yasunori Mitsuda is in charge of the music for Lime Odyssey. As for the song itself, it’s soft and melodic with parts that remind me of his work on Xenogears. In fact, if I had not looked at the track title I might have suspected it was an arrangement or a lost track from that title. Perhaps it’s how the song is arranged, but it certainly has a very Christmas-like feel to it, and the timing is perfect!
As stated in the Christmas notice, the song will only be available until Christmas day, so if you haven’t already done so already, stop on by Mitsuda’s website and take a listen to this wonderful track.
Big news from Japan. It seems as though the majority of freelance game music composers from Japan have teamed up to form the Video Game Sound Creator’s Alliance. As to what that is exactly, I have no idea, but their membership list is quite impressive, including composers such as Hiroki Kikuta, Akari Kaida, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yasunori Mitsuda, Michiru Yamane, and about 30 others. The group was founded by Yuji Takenouchi, and our good friend hally is actually listed as the group’s executive adviser.
Pretty awesome, but let’s see what they end up doing. It sounds like the GANG of Japan if you ask me. Wonder if we’re going to see Nobuo Uematsu pop on this list any time soon! While the official site is still under construction, I recommend heading over and checking it out. It’s set to launch on October 19, 2009.
Hit the jump for the fully translated list of members courtesy of Square Enix Music Online. (more…)
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