There is now a confirmed release date and title for this album:

Myth: The Xenogears Orchestral Album
23 Feb 2011

Looking so much forward to this!

http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/ … orchestra/

Also, follow Mitsuda's Twitter where he updates quite often regarding the work on this album:
http://twitter.com/YasunoriMitsuda

On http://www.procyon-studio.com there is now a sample of one of the tracks from the album.

I wonder if it's going to herald the release of Xenogears on the PSN network.

http://rpgfan.com/news/2010/855.html

Cheers,

David

That would be silly, since that's just the US PSN release. It's been on Japan's PSN for years.

I'm more excited about the prospect of Threads of Fate being released.  And after that, we may be one step closer to getting Brave Fencer Musashi over here as well.

Wondering who's going to be carrying this in stock...

Otaku has it for pre-order, along with Octave Theory and the Last Story. That's convenient.

So, how cool are we with the finalized tracklisting?

01) Dark Daybreak - Orchestra Version -    
02) My Village is Number One - Orchestra Version -    
03) Flight - Orchestra Version -    
04) Unstealable Jewel - Orchestra Version -    
05) Stage of Death - Orchestra Version -    
06) The Wind Calls to Shevat in the Blue Sky - Orchestra Version -    
07) October Mermaid - Piano Version -    
08) Bonds of Sea and Flame - Orchestra Version -    
09) The Gentle Breeze Sings - Orchestra Version -    
10) In a Prison of Peace and Regret - Orchestra Version -    
11) lost... Broken Shards - Orchestra Version -    
12) The Beginning and the End - Orchestra Version -    
13) SMALL TWO OF PIECES - Orchestra Version -    
14) Faraway Promise - Piano Version -

A shame that "Awakening" didn't make the cut, but it's a promising set nonetheless.  I'm most curious to hear how "The Gentle Breeze Sings" turns out; if done right, it could end up being the most beautiful piece we hear all year.

I'm pretty well pleased with that list. A surprise to me is "The Beginning and the End"; wonder what that will turn out like.

There is now a sample of "Dark Daybreak" at http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/ … orchestra/

Almost just a month left now!

I'm kind of pleased to see Stage of Death on there. I know some people consider that track uninspired but I've really grown to like it for some reason.

Anybody know if there's going to be a special first print version of this?  There are few albums these days where I'd care, but this seems like one where I'd like to have it.

AFAIK there is no special ltd ed or first pressing.   (at least from looking at VGMdb and CD Japan)

livestream is on for all tracks: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/square-enix-music-live1

they'll stream it just once.

it's over. the arrangements are close to the source material, so i don't think many people will be disappointed.

i'm happy with the result, this disc will be in my collection soon

I had captured a recording of the stream, but due to the spontaneity of the announcement (I only knew about it just minutes after Pellasos mentioned it), I missed out on "Dark Daybreak".  So, unless other like-minded individuals snagged a recording and it's spread like wildfire on the likes of Youtube and Nico already, I'll gladly do an upload after I've edited the songs into their own tracks.

My initial impression of the album is that it's quite nice, even if some songs got slightly shafted when it comes to satisfactory length.

.

Here's the recording of the stream.  As said, I had no idea they were even planning a stream, so I came in one track late and missed "Dark Daybreak."  It's also a pretty on-the-fly capture, so I had no time to calibrate for optimal volume.  Take your pick between either link.

- http://www.mediafire.com/?eqgd8dcwj11qa3k
- http://www.sendspace.com/file/85j39a

Will have more detailed impressions once I've given it another listen.  Would love to hear what the rest of you think, though!

Thanks for the recording, Angela.
I'm going to surprise myself and say that upon first listen I'm just a little underwhelmed. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood, and maybe it's because I just listened to Symphonic Fantasies again, but it didn't hit me like I thought it would. Some pieces ended before they really began, and others took a different direction than I expected. I think the strength of some of the melodies was lost in places. It was also hard to adjust to songs without their original percussion or rhythm, but that's simply what you get with an orchestra version. I'll have to digest it more.

I did enjoy it, and had some wonderful moments of bliss throughout. Flight was a true highlight. I also love Faraway Promise on the piano.

No one else has any thoughts?  I'm surprised, given how widely anticipated this one was.

Conclusively, there's quite a lot of emphasis on strings throughout the album, and as elegant as they are, it does create a noticeable unbalance between the rest of the instrumentation.  It seems brass and percussion aren't the Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra's primary strengths, as I found them lacking even in the few tracks that calls for them the most.  Both "Stage of Death" and "Flight" are two such examples, as they feel like they could've graduated from good to amazing if helmed by a different orchestra.

Tim and I both seem to agree that a fair number of tracks feel more short-changed than others.  "My Village is Number One" could have benefited from another reprise, and the same goes for "Shevat" and "In a Prison of Peace and Regret".  "lost... Broken Shards" is the biggest throwaway; inherent brevity aside, the lovely piano/cello ensemble might have gone places if afforded a bit more play time.

I kind of love and hate "The Gentle Wind Sings".  I had expressed high hopes for this one, stating that "if done right, it could end up being the most beautiful piece we hear all year."  It was very nearly what I had envisioned in my mind: the strings capturing the intended warmth of the original, and sparse but effective wind accompaniments peppered throughout.  But then at 2:12, they arrive at that crescendo that I was forever dreaming of, and..... it just fizzles.  That left me completely downtrodden.

And it never even occurred to me that they would go the vocal overlay route with "SMALL TWO OF PIECES".  Here I was thinking they would make it entirely instrumental -- as such, it's disappointing that the orchestra is relegated only as backing accompaniment to Hogg's performance.  It's honestly not that different sounding from the original, and I'd go so far as to say it's even worse.  Hogg's strong, soulful vocals simply don't gel well with the subdued orchestra, and it's even more lacking without the contemporary pop underpinnings backing her up.

On the plus side, "Bonds of Sea and Flame" is a perfect coming together of winds and strings, and its generous length allows for a nice middle reprisal.  "Faraway Promise - Piano Version" makes for a good outro to the album, and "Unstealable Gem" is a simple but effective take on the original.

I'm holding out for the real CD.

Admirable.  Well, if curiosity eventually kicks in, I'll have the links up till the album's official release.  :)

Ditto. Please take my money, Mitsuda!

Thirded, for great sound quality justice.

It seems that I was almost correct when I said that Xenogears orchestral album might come out in conjunction to Xenogears showing up on the PSN.  Xenogears comes to PSN on the 22nd of Feb (which would be the 23rd in Japan when the orchestral album is released).  Coincidence?  I think not.

David

Wow, this album is completely awesome.  Anyone into vinyl, I noticed over on the website for this release that the Squix e-store is putting out a vinyl release of some of the tracks from this.

Whoa, I was not expecting this album to hit the U.S. iTunes store on the day of the Japanese CD release.

I'm very tempted to forgo the fidelity of CD audio for the sake of instant gratification.  I have tin ears, anyway.

this album is worth it for "flight" alone.

but let's see how i feel about it a month from now on......

Ah, the future is here. No more waiting for import CDs. Just open iTunes and there it is. It's downloading now and I just started playing Xenogears on my PSP. Nice to be back in Lahan.

Edit: Well after a couple of listens, I like it. I was holding out to listen to it in its entirety when it came out as I didn't want to spoil any surprises. But there really aren't any. It's kind of exactly what it says it is - a Xenogears orchestral album. Nothing wrong with that at all and I think it's quite lovely, going for seemingly a 'pretty' sound rather than punching you in the face, if you know what I mean.

I love Cage of Remorse and Relief. Small Two of Pieces does feel like it should have gone much bigger though. And, yes, I'd agree that some pieces didn't get the time they deserve. But, it's Xenogears music, nicely arranged and well-performed. That alone makes it a winner for me.

After digesting this a second time I can say I enjoyed it more. It doesn't rise to the level of Creid in my opinion, but is a nice companion to it. And as long as it's well done (for the most part), more Xenogears music is never a bad thing.

Rape iTunes. Rape it with a fork. Not everyone uses Apples, y'know?!

You better believe I resent how they try and MAKE people use and stick with their products...

Squeax needs to put their music downloads in a more natural place, like Amazon MP3, or at least Rhapsody, for cryin' out loud!

After the DRM fiasco surrounding Apple was exposed, I still can't believe they don't use more universal formats for their downloads.

I've already tried AVS Audio and Video converters, and they don't work on Apple's iAudio and iVideo iformats.

No, I'm never going to drop this!

Maniac Tools' app can easily convert AAC and M4a.

Okay.

So Xenogears, eh? It's good.

Ahh, you're so sweet!

...but the whole point I'm trying to make is that it's some bullocksy business I have to go through that kind of trouble...what's so hard about providing the stuff in a widely known, widely universal file format, or a range of different formats for different people's tastes?!

Still, thanks for the converter. You've no idea the trouble I've been having with file format conversions...or maybe you do...I don't know how much you dabble in this yourself...

Do you know of anything that converts iTunes video files?

Eh, is okay, I guess.

So Xenogears, eh? Is it good?

Ew. I highly recommend NOT using that with iTunes DLs. They will make shit transcodes.