Dragon Quest V In Brass

Firstly, I must warn everyone that the title is very misleading. The arrangement is not intended for only brass. This arrangement of Dragon Quest V is the exact same arrangement as the symphonic suite counterpart, but the noticeable difference is the instrumentation. There are absolutely no strings (except for one string bass). The entire ensemble consists of mostly woodwind and brass instruments.

So, for any of the music fans out there that ever were in a high school or college concert band or wind ensemble, I can guarantee that you will like this CD. But if you're looking for any new music from Dragon Quest V, you won't find much of that, except of course the instruments. For some people, that's a definite plus, while for others, there's little or no difference (from the symphonic suite version). That does not mean the music is bad; it's incredible, yet, if you're looking for new arrangements or music, the symphonic suite is certainly a better CD.

As for the tracks, the CD opens with the traditional Dragon Quest overture like all Dragon Quest CDs. At first it may sound very "empty" in the sense that the symphonic suite version is more full; this is a small wind ensemble of 40 members, not an entire 80+ member string orchestra. Perhaps the songs that give the CD the Dragon Quest feel are "Satan" and "Monsters in the Dungeon". These song have much of the "walking in a dungeon" type of feeling (like from the dungeon theme from DQ1 Symphonic Suite). This CD is filled with relaxing songs such as "Melody in an Ancient Town", "Castle Trumpeter", "Melody of Love", and "Heaven". They're relaxing in the sense that they tend to be very simple and straightforward. The most exciting and tense song of the entire CD is undoubtedly "Violent Enemies ~ Almighty Boss Devil is Challenged". Although this song is heard in many other albums (Orchestral Game Concert 3, DQ Live Best, etc.), in my opinion the instrumentation of this version makes it sound like something that would be heard in Star Wars (for example, the Beggar's Canyon Chase), more so than the symphonic suite version. And definitely, if anything sounds like John Williams, then clearly the music is incredible!

So, for the most part, if you're looking for a great Dragon Quest V symphonic arrangement, DQ5 Symphonic Suite is probably the better choice. Although this is truly a great CD, the symphonic suite is a masterpiece.