We start to make the orchestra arranged version of “XENOGEARS”! Please tell us your favorite music! http://…. – Yasunori Mitsuda

Yasunori Mitsuda, best known for his work on Xenogears, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, is working on an orchestrated Xenogears music album for Square. The best part is that the tracks were picked from a poll of fans. This is part of the list from the voting that was done at Square Music site.

Top Picks

• Flight OST Disc 2
• Small Two Pieces OST Disc 2
• The Crimson Knights OST Disc 2
• Distant Promise OST Disc 1
• Awakening OST Disc 2
• Macabre OST Disc 1
• Jewelry Stolen OST Disc 1
• Mermaid October OST Disc 2
• Dawn OST Disc 1

Wiki Notes

The original soundtrack contains 41 instrumental tracks in addition to a choral track and two vocal songs. According to Mitsuda, the music of Xenogears belongs to the traditional genre. Though he first described it as stemming from “a world of [his] own imagining” rather than any specific country,  he has also claimed a strong Irish or Celtic  influence in the past. Mitsuda felt that composing for the game was very difficult due to the unfamiliarity of most Japanese with foreign traditionals, but expressed his wish for listeners of the soundtrack to open up to music from all over the world. His musical approach was to insert Celtic influences into “easy-to-listen-to” pop tracks, rather than making either “dense” Celtic music or a simple bgm. Other influences on the soundtrack include Arabic music on the desert town theme “Dazil, Town of Scorching Sands”, and religious music, in keeping with the game’s storyline. Mitsuda explained that he wanted music that “felt religious, but from a different angle”.

Official Square Site for release information.

全てのレコーディングが終わりました。最後、コーラス隊が１曲プレゼントで歌ってくれました。感動のあまり目頭が熱くなりました。

“Finished recording… 12/10 Mitsuda”