Music of Final Fantasy VI

The music of the video game Final Fantasy VI was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version, a compilation of all the music in the game, was released in Japan by NTT Publishing in 1994 and re-released by Square Enix in 2004. The album was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing in North America in 1994 under the name Kefka ' s Domain. Selected tracks from the official soundtrack were later released as part of the Music From FFV and FFVI Video Games album that was included with the release of Final Fantasy Anthology, and two EPs were produced containing character theme tracks entitled Final Fantasy VI Stars Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. A special orchestral arrangement of selected tracks from the game, arranged by Shiro Sagisu and Tsuneyoshi Saito, and performed by the Milan Symphony Orchestra, was released under the title Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004, and a collection of piano arrangements, arranged by Shirou Satou and performed by Reiko Nomura, was released under the title Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI by Square/NTT Publishing in 1994 and by NTT Publishing in 2001. Additionally, a single containing unused and remixed tracks from the game was released as Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks by NTT Publishing in 1994.

The music received very positive reviews, with reviewers finding it to be one of the best video game music soundtracks ever composed. Several pieces, particularly "Aria di Mezzo Carattere", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series such as the Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy concert series, the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy series, and the Orchestral Game Concert series. Music from the soundtrack has also been published in arranged albums and compilations by Square Enix as well as outside groups.

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version
Final Fantasy VI Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack album containing musical tracks from the game, composed and produced by Nobuo Uematsu. The album was originally released through NTT Publishing on March 25, 1994 under the name Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version and the catalog numbers PSCN-5001~3, and was later re-released by Square Enix on October 1, 2004 with the new name and catalog numbers NTCP-5001~3. The soundtrack spans three discs and has a combined duration of 3:07:21. The soundtrack was also officially released in the United States by Square/NTT Publishing under the name of Kefka's Domain on July 1, 1994. This version of the album is the same as its Japanese counterpart, except for different packaging and small differences in the translation of some track names between the album and newer releases. The album has a catalog number of SQ108.

Ten tracks from the soundtrack, comprising all of the character themes for the required characters of the game, were released in a pair of EPs entitled Final Fantasy VI Stars Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The CDs were released in 1994 by NTT Publishing with durations of 13:04 and 11:54 and catalog numbers of N09D-023 and NO9D-024, respectively. Additionally, thirteen tracks from the soundtrack were included in a bonus CD titled Music From FFV and FFVI Video Games that shipped with Final Fantasy Anthology on October 5, 1999. The soundtrack was again released as part of the Final Fantasy Finest Box by Square Enix on March 28, 2007 under the catalog numbers FFFB-0004-6 along with the OSTs of Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V after the game was ported to the Game Boy Advance.

Track listing

Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale
Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale is a collection of orchestral arrangements of Final Fantasy VI music composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by Shiro Sagisu and Tsuneyoshi Saito. It was initially released through NTT Publishing on May 25, 1994 under the catalog number PSCN-5004 and subsequently re-released on October 1, 2004 under the catalog number NTCP-5004. The arrangements are performed by the Milan Symphony Orchestra, with vocal performances by Svetla Krasteva. The album spans 11 tracks and covers a duration of 54:33.

Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI
Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI is an album of music from Final Fantasy VI composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged on piano by Shirou Satou and performed by Reiko Nomura. It was first published by Square and NTT Publishing on June 25, 1994 with the catalog number PSCN-5005. It was subsequently republished by NTT Publishing on July 25, 2001 under the catalog number NTCP-1003. The album spans 13 tracks and covers a duration of 41:23. The original release included a hard-cover piano score with all pieces from the album.

Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks
Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks is an EP released on April 25, 1994, through NTT Publishing with the catalog number PSDN-6101. It is composed primarily of unused or remixed tracks for Final Fantasy VI, including exclusive unused vocal track "Approaching Sentiment", as well as a remixed version of the Final Fantasy IV track "Troian Beauty". The CD spans six tracks and covers a duration of 20:46.

Reception and legacy
Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version sold 175,000 copies as of January 2010. The album was very well received by critics. Ben Schweitzer of RPGFan claimed that "almost every track here is truly a very good, or even a great composition." Issac Engelhorn of Soundtrack Central agreed, claiming it to be the best video soundtrack ever, a sentiment Jon Turner and Nick Melton of Soundtrack Central agreed with. Patrick Gann of RPGFan claimed that the "Dancing Mad" track contained some of the "most astounding music ever created on a keyboard" and highly recommended the soundtrack. Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI was similarly well received, with Daniel Space of RPGFan terming it an "amazing CD". Sigmund Shen of Soundtrack Central concurred, calling it "an impressive CD" and "a must-have". Gary King of Soundtrack Central termed it "simply astonishing", while Neil Cullen of Final Fantasy Symphony concluded it was "a magnificent collection of piano music." Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale was well received by critics, though not as well as the other albums of music from the game. Daniel Space found that, while he was pleased with the album as a whole, there were issues with the track selections and arrangement quality that detracted from the album. Adam Corn of Soundtrack Central found that, while not without flaws, the album was "interesting and entertaining". Ethan of Final Fantasy Symphony disagreed, however, finding the album to be "one of the finest arrangements of Final Fantasy" music he had heard. Patrick Gann concurred, saying that while there are a few minor arrangement issues, the overall quality of the album is great. Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks, while not as widely reviewed, was seen as "very neat" by Patrick Gann, who especially liked the "Techno de Chocobo" track.

Uematsu was personally very pleased with the way that the soundtrack for Final Fantasy VI turned out, and has said in interviews that he felt that "with the satisfaction and excitement I felt after finishing that project, I thought I had reached my primary goal, and could quit doing game music with no regrets." He stated in the liner notes for Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI that he intended the music to be emotionally moving, and entreated the listener not to think about the music, but to feel it. He also feels that the title track for Final Fantasy VI was the most challenging track he has ever made. As for Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale, on the other hand, Uematsu has said that he was "not satisfied with this album at all", due to the deviation it took from his original visions for the music due to his lack of personal involvement in the arrangements. Although he did not feel that the album was a poor one, saying that if he said nothing no one would ever know of his dissatisfaction, he felt that it was not what he would have created if he had "defend[ed] the image of each piece".

The Black Mages, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges music from Final Fantasy games into a rock music style, has arranged four pieces from Final Fantasy VI. These are "The Decisive Battle", "Battle", and "Dancing Mad" from The Black Mages, published in 2003, and "Darkness and Starlight", based on "Aria di Mezzo Carattere", from The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight, published in 2008. A lyrical version of "Kids Run Through the City", sung by Risa Ohki, appears on Final Fantasy: Pray, a compilation album produced by Square. Additionally, a lyrical version of "Relm's Theme", sung by Risa Ohki and Ikuko Noguchi, appears on Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow.

Uematsu continues to perform certain pieces in his Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. The music of Final Fantasy VI has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy, a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including "Terra's Theme". In 1994, "Aria di Mezzo Carattere" was played as "Love Oath, Maria and Draco" by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra for the fourth entry in their Orchestral Game Music Concerts series. Additionally, the aria was also performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. Independent but officially licensed releases of Final Fantasy VI music have been composed by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focuses on arranging video game music. Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called dojin music, and on English remixing websites.