While fans of the franchise rank Final Fantasy IX at various positions on their list of favorite Final Fantasy games, I’m sure most of them would place this game’s music near the very top of their lists, soundtrack-wise. Nobuo Uematsu‘s score is absolutely beautiful, and “Melodies of Life” epitomizes the entire soundtrack with its breathtaking composition. This particular arrangement was done by Shiro Hamaguchi for the Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX compilation, released in Japan.
As soon as FFIX was announced for its PSN release earlier this summer, I worked on getting this piece for a FNC post. The melodies, the chordal harmonies… everything about this song is so lush and full sounding. I’ve had friends nagging me, insisting that I include it as part of the Friday Night Concerts series, so here it is!
Of course, this is just one song from the entire album, and the entire series. If you ever get a chance to pick up the Piano Collections album for any of the Final Fantasy games, I highly recommend you consider doing so if you’re a fan of Final Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu, or just beautiful piano solos in general. It’s really worth it.
