Nobuo Uematsu Piano Opera Interview English
This post is also available in: Japanese
Square Enix’s music department has promised an extensive celebration to commemorate Final Fantasy’s 25th anniversary, starting with two albums dedicated to the first six titles in the series. The first is titled PIANO OPERA FINAL FANTASY I/II/III which features 13 piano arrangements of Nobuo Uematsu’s early works and came out February 29th, 2012. Of note is the fact that while Square Enix has released a piano arrangement album for nearly every Final Fantasy game to date under the ‘Piano Collections’ series, the first three games never enjoyed this treatment until now. The second piano opera album titled PIANO OPERA FINAL FANTASY IV/V/VI.
The fallowing is interview done by Famitsu and translated by Yuz for us to English about the first CD with Nobuo Uematsu and Hiroyuki Nakayama. Hiroyuki Nakayama has a long history of working with Uematsu and Square Enix on a wide array of titles and piano projects ranging from Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and Guin Saga to Distant Worlds, PiA-COM II, and the Kingdom Hearts piano collections CDs.
Q: Why did you chose the “Theme of the Rebellion” over any other FFI~III music?
Uematsu: I wanted to choose many of them. When I chose them, I end up with 6 tracks from FFI, 6 tracks from FFII, and 12 tracks from FFIII, like 24 tracks in total. However, the album is only one CD, so I had to cut off many of them. “Theme of the Rebellion” had been arranged for the orchestra but it hasn’t been arranged for piano. In my opinion, it has the melody line which I like so I wanted to include it in this piano arrange release.
Q: I see, how’s the production of the album going?
Uematsu: This is the first one (laughs out loud), the tracks have been chosen and we’re about to arrange them, is it?
Nakayama: O…of course.
Uematsu: …though only one track has been arranged (laughs out loud). Nakayama is the one who will arrange and play music for everything, aren’t you?
Nakayama: Yes.
Uematsu: Best idea to leave it for him to play as he arranged them by himself as he knows what he wants to express.
Q: Is there something which only Nakayama-san can do as you asked him to do this?
Uematsu: Not sure, because I haven’t seen him for a long time. (laughs)
Nakayama: Thank you! I appreciate it (laughs)
Uematsu: (laughs) actually, it is hard to find someone who can both arrange and play piano for the music. You can find someone who can compose music well but not playing, or someone who can play well but can’t arrange music well. Someone who has high standard for both is… what’s your name again?
Nakayama: the name Chopin
Uematsu: You are Nakayama-kun, aren’t u? (laughs) will you write “Chopin” for this interview? Or “Nakayama”?
Nakayama: “Nayakama” please. “Chopin” is not a good idea (laughs)
Q: (laughs) how did you feel when you found out that you would arrange and play piano for all the music?
Nakayama: I was playing FF1~3 when they were released, and I was playing FF music. I was really glad when I heard that everything was left for me to do. I’m so looking forward to playing them songs.
Q: Do you have any specific song which you want to play?
Nakayama: I got some requests but I was playing them when I was at primary school so I will have no problem if I was asked to play any of them!
Uematsu: The thing is, famous music from FF1~3 are arranged somehow like an orchestral arrangement, so it is difficult to choose which music to use. I don’t know how many people will be happy for choosing unpopular music which has never been arranged neither. (laughs) therefore please look forward to mostly popular ones and some unpopular ones… by the way, were you playing all the music from FF1~3?
Nakayama: Nope, those tracks which my friends appreciate (laughs)
Uematsu: What an entertainer (laughs)
Q: When you were playing at school, weren’t many friends respecting you?
Uematsu: Like “Nakayama is awesome!”?
Q: (laughs) let’s get back to the track. What did u think about how you would go about arranging “Theme of the Rebellion”?
Nakayama: Firstly, I wanted to express the braveness. And I wanted to listen to the melody repeatedly. But because of the arranging process, there will be many sounds, so that the melody will not stand out any more. So when the same melody plays again, I made it sound cool by making the music score complicated and made the melody sound thick.
Uematsu: The music is from the family computer age, so the one chorus is short. How long is the music for this time?
Nakayama: 3 minutes +
Uematsu: I wanted it to be at least 3 minutes long but as the original music has only a 30 second chorus, expanding it to 3 minutes is quite difficult. Though I didn’t want the music to become boring by expanding. I was wondering how it will go but now it is strong chords and melodies…
(all the sudden, Nakayama took his wallet out of chest pocket)
Uematsu: …why did you take it out all of a sudden?
Nakayama: Hmm, it swelled…
Uematsu: Aha! We’re you worried about the photo shots? (laughs)
Nakayama: (back to the topic) yes, yes, arranging the music by not making it boring (thin) is quite difficult!
Q: (laughs)
Nakayama: I thought it is not smart to just copy the original melody so I tried it so that u can notice that “it is from that part”. Also, as it is piano and not an orchestra, the piano is the only sound so I balanced it with a height of the pitch and the accompaniment.
Uematsu: Well done.
Nakayama: Thank you. … How many stars?
Uematsu: Two and half! … Not neat. About two.
Nakayama: I will try more for the next time… or I will feel depressed.
Uematsu: (laughs)
Nakayama: I forgot to put one sentence after…
Uematsu: Like “Nakayama is awesome!”?
Nakayama: Yes. That was the only time when I can be a hero (laughs).
Q: By the way, have you requested something from the arrangement?
Uematsu: No, not much. I checked what Nakayama-kun had arranged and requested to “leave a gap” for one section. By instructing “like this” can put dirt on ones flapping wings.
Nakayama: Thank you for the nice example!
Uematsu: Don’t copy it though! (laughs)
Q: During the recording, Nakayama-san has been given many directions. Is Uematsu-san strict?
Uematsu: I didn’t mean to be strict, just because he doesn’t report his mistake by himself (laughs)
Nakayama: Hey hey hey hey (laughs)
Uematsu: Player and director are both focusing on different things, and the director side can listen to the music objectively. He is concentrating on playing piano. So I don’t think I am that strict. I don’t like a strict environment. Otherwise, everyone will be tensed. When I was young, it was hard for me to work with older staff. I didn’t like it so I wanted to change it when I became a leader for a long time. now my dream come true (laughs)
Q: Recording was cheerful and had a good atmosphere. By the way, when the piano arrange of FF1~3 has been released, I wonder what will happen next…
Uematsu: That’s depends on Square-Enix (laughs)
[The year 2012 is Final Fantasy’s 25th year anniversary...]
Q: I expected it to be good! For the last thing, a message for those who listen to the music CD please.
Uematsu: This is just the part of it! It can get better! Isn’t that right, Sir Nakayama?
Nakayama: Yes it is (laughs)
Uematsu: To be honest I had the idea to do the piano arrange of FF1~3 but I missed the chance as I quit Square-Enix. I’m glad that I can release the piano arrange album because of the FF 25 years anniversary, which is a good opportunity. I regretted something I couldn’t do so I’m looking forward for the completion. I hope people are also looking forward to it.
Nakayama: For me, the FF1~3 music brings back memories and I still like them. Those music tracks will be played with piano and arranged to be ‘reborn’. It must be very fascinating, so please look forward to it.
As in the interview, this album is one of the projects that were made ahead of the 25th anniversary of the birth of “FF” into 2012. In the early works of the “FF” series, some “Piano Collections” have not been released, as long as you’re listening to this recording, but are not expecting a “Piano Collections”…. I just hope or this album to be a strategic move and for the 25th anniversary of the “FF” series.
It should be noted that this album was contained in “Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol.6″ That will be distributed to users who have bought a CD · DVD in the “Square Enix Music CD shop” to be exhibiting at Tokyo Game Show 2011. As well as the“Theme of the Rebellion” was recorded this time, music from the game’s OST’s and “Cafe SQ”, such as “Final Fantasy XIII-2″, “Type Zero Final Fantasy”, is scheduled to be released next for “FF” fans, of course. People who like them, try to check it out at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show Square Enix music!
Official Square Enix Website
USTREAM配信日程
番組名：急遽決定！ ファミ通.com独占『PIANO OPERA FINAL FANTASY IV/V/VI』レコーディングスタジオ突撃インタビュー
配信日時：2012年3月8日13：00開始予定（約1時間弱）
PIANO OPERA FINAL FANTASY IV/V/VI Live Stream Interview Wrap-Up
Written by Jayson Napolitano at OSV
Did you happen to tune in to the PIANO OP ERA FINAL FANTASY IV/V/VI USTREAM interview with Nobuo Uematsu and pianist Hiroyuki Nakayama about the album tonight? I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t, as I only found out about it today myself, but about 450 fans tuned into the Famitsu-exclusive stream to hear the interview along with samples from the album.
We have a lot of info for you courtesy of Justin Pfeiffer who I dragged in to listen on OSV’s behalf. Hit the jump for details!
The stream started with the MC entering the recording studio. The place looks pretty nice with red brick walls and wood floors. Uematsu was sporting a nice button-up shirt, and Nakayama was seated at the piano. They engaged in a lengthy discussion of the album while streaming original sound version samples in the background, hinting at the pieces that will be featured on the album. After some commercials for upcoming releases, they again went into the studio and played actual sample recordings of several of the tracks that were mentioned which was a really nice treat.
So, on to the discussion. They talked about the importance of melody to the early Final Fantasy titles, and noted that while they’re still recording, all the arrangements are completed and they’re almost finished recording. There will be 12 tracks on the album covering various styles/emotions, and it won’t feature only popular songs, but also minor ones that should surprise fans.
In terms of what was picked, they took into consideration the scene that the music was attached to more than the piece of music itself. They thought about whether the piece had been arranged before, the overall feeling of the piece, if it would be good for piano, and how fans would respond to a piano-only arrangement if the piece had previously been performed by an orchestra.
After general comments, they delved into the individual titles, playing original versions of tracks in the background while the MC asked Nakayama to spontaneously perform some melodies for fun. They discussed the level of difficulty of the arrangements and whether or not they’re actually playable, with Nakayama admitting that he’s worried about a few of them, even when Uematsu presents the ideas to him.
Now, on to the individual titles and arrangements:
Final Fantasy IV
First, the “Final Fantasy IV Main Theme” was previewed, including deep bass notes and a fast-paced fluttering melody that was really quite adventurous. I was impressed with Nakayama’s playing. Next, “Troian Beauty,” one of my all-time favorite compositions by Uematsu, sported an elegant arrangement that slowly transitioned into a staccato waltz that didn’t disappoint. Finally, “Theme of Love” was previewed, staying relatively true to the original source.
Final Fantasy V
“Home Sweet Home” is a nice surprise, coming as a nice folky town theme. The arrangement was slow and soothing. The “Main Theme,” on the other hand, was very dynamic, ranging from courageous to uncertain with lovely flourishes throughout. There are also plans to include “Clash on the Big Bridge.”
Final Fantasy VI
“Searching for Friends” will get a nice swinging piano arrangement that was probably one of the best that was previewed on the program tonight, while “Dancing Mad” will get a whopping 10-15 minute arrangement that all agreed would be “impressive if pulled off.” Finally, “SAVE THEM!” is planned to be featured, which has always been one of my favorites, so I’m excited about that. They were considering including the opera scene, but didn’t have space for the 30-minute long piece.
__They closed with preview traielrs for Battle SQ, Beer SQ, and SQ Chips2 and thanked everyone for listening and urged everyone to pick up the CD when it’s released on May 16, 2012.
Overall, I’m kind of surprised by the straightforwardness of some of the arrangements given that they’re creating this album for titles that already have individual piano collections. Some of the arrangements sounded pretty fresh, but we’ll have to wait and see what some of these surprises are and judge come this May.
Let us know what you think of the description of some of these arrangements, the necessity of such an album, and whether or not you appreciate little preview events like this from Square Enix.
[Special thanks to Justin Pfeiffer for translating parts of the interview]
Thank you Yaz for the translation.
It would have been great to see the live stream and hear some of the music.