You’d be hard-pressed to find a JRPG soundtrack more recognizable and beloved than the original 1997 version of Final Fantasy VII. Much of composer Nobuo Uematsu’s iconic music was carried over to 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, and 2024’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the latter with an expansive soundtrack of eight discs and over two hundred tracks covered by around fifteen composers and nearly thirty arrangers, all helmed by fellow FF veteran composers Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki. To accompany Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s release, Square Enix put on a world tour in the fall of 2024, starting in Osaka and Yokohama. This album is a recording of the second of the two Yokohama performances, conducted by Arnie Roth (who co-created and directed the ongoing Distant Worlds series of Final Fantasy albums alongside Uematsu) and performed by the world-class Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Functionally, this is a greatest hits, 21-track truncation of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s massive soundtrack. For fans of the original PSOne game, plenty of Uematsu’s melodies are retained and used in new, exciting ways that go beyond simply rearranging the instrumentation, as we’ve already seen on countless albums, including Distant Worlds and FFVII Remake. There are very few one-to-one track covers. Though I love the industrial moodiness and the melancholy of the original soundtrack thanks to its synth orchestra and tech limitations of twenty-four sound channels, the Final Fantasy VII Re series opts for a more bombastic, celebratory tone, well-aware of the IP’s success and influence and putting it on full display with a fully stocked orchestra. One example is the original overworld theme of FFVII, the morose “Main Theme,” here modified to act as an uptempo battle theme in “Main Theme of FFVII Battle Edit” (hey—we’re not giving points for creative track titles). Listening to this album, I think less of Barret’s machine gun arm or Cloud’s Omnislash and more of the FFVII series’ legacy and influence.
We also get the added benefit of combining traditional, more operatically inclined Uematsu melodies with the interpretations and new original compositions of Hamauzu and co., who have headed many FF projects since Final Fantasy X, including FFXIII and XIII-2. That means they’ve got the chops and the experience of really squeezing out the most from each instrument while also showing incredible restraint. Choirs are used sparingly but heighten tracks like “FFVII REBIRTH Opening,” “J-E-N-O-V-A Lifeclinger,” and yes, even the unforgettable “There’s frogs in Paris” of Sephiroth’s theme, “One-Winged Angel – Rebirth Medley.”
The acoustics of the live performance let the percussion shine and immerse the listener—especially with the ratherfaithful interpretations of “Costa del Sol – Fun in the Sun” and “Cosmo Canyon – Sanctum of Planetology.” This is also the best actualization I’ve heard of “Rufus’s Welcoming Ceremony – A New Leader,” the military fanfare of the corrupt Shinra Company. Finally, among the tracks honoring Uematsu, the album closer, “Aerith’s Theme – Return to the Planet Medley,” is a gorgeous arrangement with fantastic string, choir, and piano flourishes under the familiar song without ever feeling overcrowded or overproduced. If I were to set nostalgia aside, this may be my new favorite version of an old classic.
As for new tracks, big band bonanza “Queen’s Blood” (theme of the better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be card minigame) is a fun break from the epic orchestration. Then there’s the catchy, happy-go-lucky theme of Shinra’s dog mascot, “Stamp – Rebirth Medley,” which features the male choir’s refrain of “Wan wan wan!” (the Japanese onomatopoeia for a dog’s barking). Longtime listeners may feel the absence of a few notable tunes, especially character themes like “Tifa’s Theme.” Still, for the most part, newer and more epic in scale compositions are blended with nostalgic classics (especially those from the original FFVII‘s second disc) in a complementary way that is sure to please fans new and old.
Available through Square Enix’s official site, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Orchestra World Tour Live 2024.09.08 is video game music at its most professional and with its highest budget. Featuring lush production and layering that reward countless listens, as well as fantastic performances from a huge collective of musicians, this chef’s choice of FFVII tracks belongs in the library of any classical music enthusiast, chocobo rancher, or protector of the planet.
