Chrono Cross and Trigger Arrange Album is finally out (official Yasunori/Square)

[chi_z]

"Today is the release date of the Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger arranged album. With the help and support of a number of musicians, staff, and back to the fans, we were able to finally release this. It was a long time coming. I want to thank you all; I think that it is a work with many things you will enjoy. Yes, the environment to buy and sell music has changed and diversified significantly over these last few years. As a result, we offer several ways to buy the album, including a digital 24 bit/96khz wav/flac release, in addition to the physical cd."

本日クロノ・トリガー、クロノ・クロスアレンジアルバムの発売日です。数多くのミュージシャン、スタッフ、そしてファンの方に支えられ、ようやく発売することができました。長かった・・・。色々と楽しめる作品になっていると思いますので是非よろしくお願いいたします。音楽を聴く環境や買う環境がここ数年で大きく変化し多様化してきたこともあり、皆さんが買いやすいように、いろいろな方法でアルバムを買えるようにご用意いたしました。


【Amazon】（44.1KHz-16bit）
http://amzn.to/1EEeBso
その他、レコードショップにて購入可能。
High-Resolution（ハイレゾ96KHz-24bit）
【mora】
http://bit.ly/1NFBLCn
【e-onkyo】
http://bit.ly/1NFBXBs
【Victor】
http://bit.ly/1La5aka
LP盤アナログレコード（予約開始、完全受注生産）
【SQUARE ENIX e-store】
http://store.jp.square-enix.com/item/SQEX_10517_8.html




https://www.facebook.com/yasunori.mitsuda/posts/1052925678074129?pnref=story

[chi_z]

From the previews - it sounds heavily sampled rather than recordings of real musicians. It's a bit cliche, and predictable. It's like taking Creid and Kirite for the Chrono universe. I was hoping for something a bit different, but it's decent nonetheless. A lot of it comes off as a top notch OCR fan album. 10 tracks is definitely not enough, I would like another installment or two of 10 tracks each if he's gonna do both games.I feel like this should be 10 or 15 bucks, not 20.

[DarioEMeloD]

I was expecting a lot of people talking about this album. It seems it wasn't enough to keep the community alive. Oh well... :c

I actually enjoyed only a couple of the tracks, the rest as you said were too fanremix-y. Not to mention they re-arranged these songs instead of the originals, including the lyrics. I personally like vocal arrangements when done correctly, but Shigihara's style for an album like this is just... weird. Nothing against her, she's actually quite good, I blame the album production. On the other hand, Àlainn's songs were amazing, especially To Far Away Times.

Nothing exceptional on the rest of the tracks besides Marbule, which is exactly what I was expecting from Mitsuda. Some other tracks are still good, but it's nothing we haven't heard before.

Also, Zabadak ripping off Led Zeppelin? Time's Scashmir?

All in all, it feels very rushed. Taking Creid as a reference (I loved that btw), 10 tracks is okay for one game, but as you mentioned it's just not enough for these two. Especially since we've waited for this to happen for a looong time.

PS: they should've recruited Meine Meinung, if these guys fused together they would become Mitsuda, I'm sure of it xD

[Jazz Paladin]

Interesting previews. It is hard to judge a book by the cover sometimes, but after a cursory evaluation of the samples, it seems to be like a few of the Final Fantasy Piano/Orchestral arrangements that I am familiar with.

At a glance, I just wonder how much I would enjoy it as well. To echo the sentiment noted above that the songs don't seem to reflect the originals as well as they might, I do agree, as far as I can tell so far. But it does evoke and bring to light an interesting question: What exactly should composers and arrangers shoot for when releasing new renditions of classic songs? Should it be strictly fan service? Or should everything about the song be up for total creative reinterpretation?

Having recently done some of my own Chrono Trigger and other arrangements, I can definitely identify with this particular struggle. My wife and I talked often about how "literal" of an interpretation I should have, versus "creative". Will fans cater more to creativity, or purity and faithfulness to the original?

I guess my solution was to try to do a little of both. I tried to make "Schala's Theme" or "Corridors of Time" relatively more on the "faithful" side of things, but left other songs on the CD (Terra's Theme, Gato's Song...) up for more open interpretation. perhaps just to be different, or at least different from many other renditions that may be floating out there.

For me, I am guessing that there are only one or two songs on the new officlal Chrono Trigger/Cross project that I would really like from what I can tell. I guess I'll only know for sure once I buy it, but for now...that's my (limited) two cents.

[Razig]

But it does evoke and bring to light an interesting question: What exactly should composers and arrangers shoot for when releasing new renditions of classic songs? Should it be strictly fan service? Or should everything about the song be up for total creative reinterpretation?

I'm in the reinterpretation camp myself, as long as enough of the original work remains in the new rendition to keep it recognizable. Change too little and there's no new creative expression. Change too much and it might as well be a brand new song. I think hardcore fans will appreciate an artist walking that fine line, while more casual fans are looking for a simple nostalgia kick. I don't mean for that to sound elitist; there's absolutely nothing wrong with nostalgia.

[DarioEMeloD]

Just to be clear, my opinion wasn't based on just the previews, I listened to the whole thing (here).

Also I didn't mean that the songs should be more faithful to the originals, I was complaining that they took already-existing arrangements and basically put them in the album with very little effort in the process.

It's a good album tho, just not especially outstanding or anything, but I'm still gonna get it (hopefully soon). We have to maintain demand for this stuff, so at least they keep doing them... Chrono 30th maybe?

[kaionaziozeno]

I liked.
Time's Scarshmir (hue) is really good! Corridors of Time also.

I only expected more tracks. 10 is too few.

[kaionaziozeno]

Does anyone have the sales number?

[Kodokami]

Mitsuda left us a message in the arranged album insert. For those who don't have the CD, someone on Reddit posted a photo of it, but I'll add the message here as well.

To Far Away Times
Come to think of it, I've wanted to make an album like this for a while now. Of course, it didn't always have a title like To Far Away Times. When Chrono Cross was released, I wondered, "What happened to Kid, or Schala, after the ending? Was she able to cross time and meet Serge?" I was sure the players felt the same way. The characters, each with his or her own grand story to tell, are what make the Chrono series unique. Kid and Schala, however, were particularly prominent characters in both games and are very special to me; so, for a long time, I waned to reapproach them from a musical standpoint. The Chrono Cross soundtrack has three discs entitled "Cause," "Unveiling," and "Change," and I dreamed of one day adding another called "Connection" as Kid and Schala's album. That dream has at last been realized here as To Far Away Times. This album, connected to my own feelings towards Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, has finally given me closure. Kid's journey doesn't end here, though. It transcends time and continues on into eternity. Until the day we meet again, Kid.

Yasunori Mitsuda

(I guess this also means To Far Away Times is the official title of the album.)