I have dreamt of the day Xenosaga got its own piano collection. Thanks to Wayô Records, Benyamin Nuss, and many others, that day has arrived. And it arrived with some extra perks!
Across the Kosmos ~ Xenosaga Piano Collection is a follow-up of sorts to Across the Worlds ~ Chrono Cross Wayô Piano Collection. Both of these albums were crowdfunded, both are piano collections for music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, both feature the accomplished Benyamin Nuss as pianist, and both include Mariam Abounnasr and Akio Noguchi among the arrangers. There are two notable differences to highlight. First, Across the Kosmos includes arrangements from Hiroyuki Nakayama (known for his Piano Opera Final Fantasy series) and three self-arrangements from Nuss. Second, Across the Kosmos includes a bonus jazz album, Jazz in Kosmos, arranged and performed by the jazz quartet Endgegner (that’s German for “Final Boss”). This fun, jazzy addition comes to us thanks to the crowdfunding campaign hitting a stretch goal.
Readers (and listeners) won’t be surprised to learn that this album’s quality is on par with the aforementioned Chrono Cross albums, as well as other Benyamin Nuss albums (such as the recent NieR: Piano Journeys, which also featured arrangements from Abounnasr and Nakayama). As I dig into the specifics, I find myself drawn to each arranger’s different style. Since she handled the opening track “Prologue,” I’ll start with Abounnasr’s contributions.
Alongside a lengthy and heavily interpretive piano solo rendition of “Prologue,” Abounnasr crafted four other arrangements: “Shion -Kako no Kioku-,” “Life or Death,” “World to be Born,” and “Last Battle.” As an aside, all of the track titles that appeared in Japanese on the Xenosaga OST are in romaji format on this album. Some of you, then, might recognize that Shion subtitle as “Memories of the Past.” This piece presents protagonist Shion’s leitmotif softly and simply in the first minute, then goes as big and dramatic as possible in its repetition: triplets and booming bass akin to Yoko Shimomura’s darker tracks in the Kingdom Hearts series.
The bright Lydian mode melodies in “World to be Born” provide a sharp contrast to much of the brooding darkness found throughout this album. Abounnasr’s arrangement pushes Nuss to some seriously stretched-out chords, as well as full two-octave scales played so fast you’d mistake them for a glissando.
Sadly, I think the one arrangement I wanted to be impressed by most was the one that let me down. The bouncy, repetitive nature of “Last Battle” seemed like a perfect choice for a piano solo arrangement. And, yes, Nuss sticks the landing on this one. I only wish that Abounnasr had elaborated a bit more on the tricky nature of this piece and leaned less on big chords and bombast.
I was surprised to find that, among the four arrangers, Hiroyuki Nakayama’s contributions drew me in the most. For this album, he handled “Kokoro o Tozashita Shôjo” (“The Girl Who Closed Her Heart”), “Kookai Foundation,” “Nukumori” (“Warmth”), “Kyomu no Hamabe” (“The Beach of Nothingness”), and “Pain.” The big surprise for me here was “Kookai Foundation.” In its OST form, I’ve always appreciated it, but it never stood out as a memorable or evocative piece of music. Nakayama and Nuss have made the piano solo version of Kookai into an exclamation mark for the setlist. I get lost in this piece, and in it, I find some of my favorite harmonic approaches and techniques from Romantic-era pianists (Brahms, Chopin, etc.) I have similar feelings about “Warmth” and “Beach of Nothingness.” All of Nakayama’s arrangements are great. But Kookai borders on perfection.
Akio Noguchi handles some of the creepy, deep-dark pieces. Alongside a solid “Battle” medley (track 3), Noguchi offers up arrangements of “Kanashimi” (“Sorrow”), “Gnosis,” and “Albedo.” The chromaticism running throughout “Gnosis” is remarkable, but among these tracks, I think “Albedo” is the most impressive. Translating the villain’s iconic theme into a piano solo is quite the feat. Without the human voice, how do you capture that shift from eerie to terrifying? With excellent dynamic work and chromatically ascending and descending thirds that emulate Chopin, that’s how! Noguchi and Nuss deserve big accolades for “Albedo” — I get shivers just thinking about it.
This leaves us with the three tracks where Benyamin Nuss handled the dual roles of arranger and performer: “Fuan” (“Anxiety”), “Nephilim,” and the ending theme, “Kokoro.” The first of these tracks definitely keeps the anxiety alive. The relatively short “Nephilim” is impressive, with lots of polyrhythm between the two hands, but I feel it is eclipsed by “Kookai Foundation” directly preceding it. “Kokoro,” however, is a miracle. I love the original version, as I am also a lifelong fan of Celtic vocalist Joanne Hogg. I didn’t know if I would find much to love in a piano solo rendition. In this case, Nuss pours his entire being into this performance. The melodic line always has the shine and polish it deserves. The accompaniment in the low and mid range is what sets this arrangement apart from Mitsuda’s original version. Nuss knows how to apply the gas with added motion, then back off at just the right times, suggesting a singular, whispering voice. But when that choir of keys makes their comeback? It’s a musical supernova.
Clearly, the piano collection is a triumph. But what about this jazz album from Endgegner?
Well, it’s definitely different. It also does a great deal of double-dipping from the piano collection, but the arrangements are entirely different. For example, Endgegner’s “Last Battle” arrives with a swing tempo and walking bass, fully eschewing Mitsuda’s intricate design. The bouncy melody is replicated, somewhat, through horns. But it doesn’t feel quite right to me. Maybe this wasn’t the best pick. However, their medley of “Omoide” (“Reminiscence”) into “Kokoro” is as tender as it is clever. I love this arrangement. I also think their guitar-heavy “Opening” is worth praising.
The coolest track on Jazz in Kosmos, however, has to go to “U.M.N. Mode,” a track from the OST that Nuss and co. did not attempt on the piano disc. I think this particular track was a perfect fit for the jazz disc, as it was a sort of trippy synth-disco bit of menu music on the OST. Well done, Endgegner!
The Kickstarter backers received the digital album in mid-September, and physical variants (CD, Vinyl, sheet music score) are currently shipping at the time of writing this review. While the vinyl release is unlikely to see a retail release (we shall see), the digital and CD versions (and sheet music) will likely become available to the general populace via the Wayô Records official store. Also noteworthy: the Vinyl release, due to space limitations, covers only the piano collection. The Jazz in Kosmos recordings are only available in the Digital and CD versions.
