I’m a big fan of Final Fantasy IV. I consider it to have the most enjoyable music out of all the Final Fantasy games, including VI. It’s my personal preference based on not only nostalgia, but also an evaluation of the composition and emotion included in the pieces.
That being said, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that I really enjoyed Final Fantasy IV Piano Collections. While I am very picky when it comes to any type of piano album, having had bad experiences with some, I truly appreciated this one. Theme of Love is so well suited to piano that it’s given new life on this album. The acoustics in the recording studio do incredible things to pieces such as Welcome to Our Town and Melody of Lute, while themes such as Chocobo-Chocobo add a nice little jazz touch to the classic tune we all know and love.
If there are any tracks that suffer from the piano arrangement, it has to be Golbeza Clad in the Dark. It just sounds too plain at points, that it doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the album. Troia Beauty also sounds simple, and the arrangement doesn’t keep in step with the original piece, in my estimation. Even though the arrangement is innovative, I just didn’t care for it too much. Too much dissonance for my taste, I suppose.
Overall, however, this album is simply fantastic. It went into reprint a few years ago and should still be available in game music stores such as GMO and Anime Nation. If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy IV and/or piano music, this is definitely the album for you. Great use of acoustics, a faithful, yet not too derivative rendition arrangement, and a wonderful pianist make this album a true gem.
