CS
CD Cover Art (Eon Blue/Æ)

Chrono Symphonic Extravaganza

Imagine the ascent up the Denadoro Mountains - except, this time around, as Crono and his party begin surmounting the grassy hills before the rising cliffs, low and subtle strings pick up to mark his journey, swirling through the listener's ears. Elegant piano soon accentuates the melody, tapping a few notes of a familiar Chrono series theme as the group beholds the spanning sights of 600 A.D. Zenan sprawl before them. Percussion joins the mix as the terrain increases in difficulty; there are monsters now, and though they do not threaten the lives of the heroes, they nonetheless add a new degree of peril to the ascent. As the melody intertwines with the scenery, visions of recent acquaintances enter the mind; one sees the unfortunate Tata, fleeing the path in fear, and the tired Frog, whose knightly values, though tempered with much experience, lay subjugated by regret and despair. For his sake, and the good of the future, the party presses onward, at last reaching the upper waterfalls as the orchestral swings once again run through a sweeping movement of "Wind Scene." And as the brass comes in triumphantly, there! -- there is the Masamune!

How wonderful would a Chrono Trigger movie be? If the scene above is any indication, seeing our heroes on the big screen while a masterful, dashing score supports the venture would truly be an experience! While it may be unlikely that such a movie will ever be made, the latter half of the bargain is being realized right now. It all began when Andrew Lee Triplett, a fan of Chrono Trigger since childhood and a recent student of screenwriting, decided to make the script for a Chrono Trigger movie. Putting his new skills to use, he stripped the plot of Chrono Trigger to its bare essentials, and began working from the ground up. Faced with an oversize epic, he discreetly omitted lesser scenes and reworked others to create a viable script. Though daunting nearly impossible at this time to actually create such a movie, he nonetheless set about organizing the next phase of the project -- the soundtrack!

CS
CD Concept Art (Chrono'99)

Claado contacted a few remixing names in the community, and realized that the prospect of having the effort become an OCReMix Site Project -- that is, having the project thread on OCR's forge for organized efforts to remix full games -- would be the best vehicle for the score's completion, and on October 15, 2004, it was launched. Over the next months, the script would continue to undergo improving revision and editing, while the remixers who had pledged their aid to the project began tirelessly remixing and arranging selected tracks from Chrono Trigger into beautiful orchestral works. Works in progress would come and go, as the makers of music would poll the community for quality to ensure their work was top notch. Roughly a year later, the work would stand completed by several community-renowned orchestral remixers and new faces eager to prove budding talent -- and even the vocal prowess of a student at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

With unrelenting zeal, sound engineer Roland Lohlbach attacked the task of mastering polished the songs to their finest luster. His careful attention and completion delivered the best product possible, and on January 3, 2006, Chrono Symphonic debuted to the world! Fans met it with the anticipation of hearing Chrono Trigger like never before. Claado Shou and the skilled remixers of the project took Mitsuda's (and some of Uematsu's, of course) music to new realms, reinforcing the enduring versatility and -- dare it be said, timelessness of Chrono series music.

The Chrono Symphonic Extravaganza features much commentary offered by the remixers on the effort, and insights into the process required to make these wonderful pieces. To view their interviews, please look to the sidebar for links. More information on the projects and its tracks can be found at the Chrono Symphonic website. On behalf of the project and the Chrono Compendium, I hope you enjoy these interviews! Thank you for reading; it's been a wild ride, and we've ended the year of Chrono Trigger's tenth birthday with a huge bang!

Return to Features