The Crystalline Resonance – Final Fantasy Piano Collection CD is a studio-recorded set of music featured as part of the ongoing Crystalline Resonance concert series, performed by pianist Julien Gernay. I had heard nothing but good things about the concert series, so I was very much excited to get my hands on this early 2025 release.
I have quickly decided that this album is not for me.
And that’s okay! Arguably, this album could be an incredible starting point for VGM fans getting started with arranged music, especially piano solo music. As an avid collector, I just can’t bring myself to enjoy this the way others might. Perhaps I’ve spoiled myself.
Why do I say this? For starters, four of the ten tracks on this album are fully reused material. And, I know, if you have decent arrangements transcribed, why not use them? I think that is a fair argument for the live concerts. I do not believe it is a fair argument for fans who pay for these recordings only to get near replicas of past recordings. The four tracks in question are Hamauzu’s arrangements of “Zanarkand” and “SUTEKI DA NE” from Final Fantasy X and “Lightning’s Theme” from Final Fantasy XIII, as well as Casey Ormond’s arrangement of “Opening Movie (FFXII Theme) – To Be a Sky Pirate” from Final Fantasy XII. Yes, Gernay performs them well. But so did the respective performers from the past Piano Collections. In the case of Ormond’s Final Fantasy XII track, I prefer Ormond’s recording in terms of recording quality alone.
So, for 40% of the album, we have a re-recorded best-of album. Yikes, am I disappointed.
But hey, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth! There are still six tracks, totaling 30 minutes, of new content from arrangers Hiroyuki Nakayama and Keiko! Well, yes and no. Technically, Hiroyuki Nakayama’s arrangements of “Eyes On Me” and “Aerith’s Theme” are new. You will not find them on his Piano Opera Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX album. However, both songs were arranged and recorded for solo piano on their respective Piano Collections (“Eyes On Me” by Shiro Hamaguchi and “Aerith’s Theme” by Seiji Honda). Nakayama’s arrangements here are more decorative and more fleshed-out. In terms of length alone, Nakayama’s “Eyes On Me” includes the instrumental equivalent of verse two and chorus two from the classic vocal piece, and he uses these repeated melodies to build the arrangement. So, that’s not bad! “Aerith’s Theme” … I was satisfied with Seiji Honda’s version.
This leaves Nakayama’s final contribution, “Kiss Me Good-Bye” from Final Fantasy XII. Some of you may recall that this vocal theme was composed by Nobuo Uematsu himself, and it definitely has that classic FF Uematsu melodic structure to it. This five-minute arrangement starts soft and simple, building to a sublime climax. Had Nakayama ever recorded a Piano Opera X/XI/XII, this would have been his touchstone piece. And if I may say so, I think this is also Julien Gernay’s strongest performance on the album.
If “Kiss Me Good-Bye” isn’t Gernay’s best piece, the accolades would probably go to one of the two new tracks from Final Fantasy XVI! “Away” and “Ascension,” both composed by Masayoshi Soken and arranged by Keiko, serve as the star attraction for their novelty. If you’re looking to be impressed by form and technique, “Ascension” is what you need. Both tracks are strong, but “Ascension” has everything I was looking for on this album. Many bright, clever moments in this arrangement truly elevate the source material. These moments of musical joy are only overshadowed, then, by the utter lack of an official Final Fantasy XVI Piano Collection. Will it ever happen? Who’s to say. If it does happen, though, it’s clear that Keiko is ready to arrange.
(As an aside: given that Keiko did arrangements for Gernay to perform, and that Yamaha published a sheet music book for this album, this confirms transcription happening for Keiko’s arrangements. Which means, Square Enix, I am patiently waiting for a Piano Collections Final Fantasy XIV sheet music book, as well as one for Crystal Chronicles! Please don’t discontinue this valuable series of books for aspiring pianists!)
For the album’s closer, Keiko brings us an arrangement of a new Final Fantasy XIV track from the Dawntrail expansion. “Bygone Serenity” is a soulfully sweet tune; the piano solo version adds to the soulful vibe with some decoration and rubato tempo, especially in the left hand. Arpeggiate a broken major ninth chord underneath a melody that has a non-diatonic passing note? Oh, we’re in business. That’s not a bad sound at all.
My concluding thoughts? First, the greedy little music imp living in my brain demands a dedicated Final Fantasy XVI piano album after hearing the two songs here. Second, while these songs will be new to many fans, there is too much reused content for me to give a full endorsement of this album. Third, I suspect I would hold this album closer to my heart if I also saw one of the live performances, and I wouldn’t blame anyone who praised this album as one of their favorite albums ever if they acquired it alongside witnessing Julien Gernay perform the music live. Fourth, it’s important to accept that this is generally a slow album. The second half of “Lightning’s Theme,” the two FFXVI tracks, and the Casey Ormond FFXII medley are the few times Gernay unlocks the Speed Force. With more of that impressive work, I think I’d have really valued this album more.
Should a second recorded volume of Crystalline Resonance ever come to fruition, I hope it addresses my concerns and grants my wishes!
