Overview

SaGa Frontier II featured a radical shift in musical direction, as series' mainstay Kenji Ito was replaced with relative newcomer Masashi Hamauzu for unknown reasons. Realizing his imitations of the series' past music were pale ones, Hamauzu decided to assert his unique identity with a range of impressionistic chamber orchestrations. In doing so, he confirmed his status as one of the industry's most creative and appealing composers. The soundtrack for the title was released across a three disc set, and later on the series' box set, to great critical acclaim. To emphasise his European influence and heritage, Hamauzu entitled all the tracks on the release in German.

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Right from the "Prologue" ("Vorspiel"), Hamauzu demonstrates his unique musicality. In many ways an amalgamation of other styles, the track combines the elegant melodic phrasing of Classicism, the repetitive tonal nature of Minimalism, and the open atmospheric qualities of Impressionism. While an unlikely combination from a theoretical perspective, Hamauzu ensures it is a very successful one on a variety of levels. The focus is placed on a chamber ensemble of piano, flute, and strings throughout, which are treated in a mature and creative way. Though the instruments are synthesised, Ryo Yamazaki ensures they sound realistic and expressive with his expert programming. The music develops cinematically through several timbrally distinct sections, though retains a frivolous and mystical quality throughout, befitting the youthful fantasy RPG.

One feature that makes the SaGa Frontier II soundtrack so appealing, even to mainstream listeners, is its melodic emphasis. The main theme runs throughout the soundtrack that is both richly shaped and incredibly lyrical. It is first exposed in the "Prelude" ("Präludium"), a track whose short length is compensated with its ambitious stylings — indeed, its piano passages are so elegant and its orchestration so bombastic that this track is reminiscent of some romantic concerti. Later in the soundtrack, it is explored more thoroughly with the chamber orchestration "Thema" and piano solo "Variation". These tracks are considerably more humble in their treatment, but still manage to evoke a tremendous amount. This is largely due to the innate emotional qualities of the melody, which is simultaneously motivating yet sad, epic yet humble, personal yet encompassing...

Despite conserving this thematic and stylistic basis throughout, Hamauzu produces music that is effective in a range of contexts in the game. For example, the reuse of the main theme in the main battle theme has an inspirational effect, due to both its melodic and emotional qualities. Through his excellent arrangement, Hamauzu is able to give the theme a certain weight without disrupting its free-spirited aura. On "The Captain" ("Der Hauptmann") meanwhile, the theme remains a lingering influence on a robust, otherwise independent character portrayal. In other diverse uses, the fleeting appearances of the melody amidst dense strings enhances the dark feeling of "Secrecy" ("Verborgenheit"), while its presentation on flute against abstract chromatic chords in "Tobel" brings an abstract and dangerous quality to its respective dungeon.

With that said, this score is by no means a homogenous score and plenty of pieces on the soundtrack divert from the small ensemble focus. For example, most of the battle themes manage to integrate pop and electronic influences in a tasteful manner to increase pace and accessibility. More abstract pieces such as "Deviation" ("Abweichung"), "Discord" ("Disharmonie"), and "Instruction" ("Weisung") take gamers to abstract and horrifying places with their dense repetition of various electronic and orchestral passages. Since the subtleties of Hamauzu's musicality transcend style and ensemble, they nevertheless sound like they belong in the SaGa Frontier II score. What's more, the heavy reverb of Yamazaki's synthesis throughout the score ensures there is a contemporary influence throughout that enhances the dreamy and fluid quality of the music.

Away from the focus of the main theme, there are also plenty of excellent secondary themes during the soundtrack. For example, the "Interlude" ("Interludium"), "Reminiscence" ("Reminiszenz"), and "Arranger" ("Arrangeur") are all miniatures written for piano and flute, with subtly different moods. Each track provokes contemplation with their repeated ideas and transient shifts, reflecting an impressionistic influence that Hamauzu explored further on SaGa Frontier II's arranged album and his solo album Vielen Dnk. The soundtrack reaches its climax with "Field Battle IV" ("Feldschlact IV"), "Defined Form" ("Mißgestalt"), "Angel of Death" ("Todesangel"), a trio of battle themes that capture both the personal qualities and intense circumstances reflected at the end of the game. Finally, "Postlude" "Postlodium") provides a brief piano-based reminiscence written in Hamauzu's more personal style.

Summary

From prologue to postlude, Hamauzu asserts his identity on the soundtrack throughout the SaGa Frontier II soundtrack. This will be a delightful feature for those who enjoy his classical twist on impressionism here, though alienating for those expecting a soundtrack as outwardly diverse as its predecessor. Nevertheless, the soundtrack has satisfied quite a wide audience since its release, given it appeals on a number of levels: as entertainment with its memorable melodies, as art with its creative musicality, and as underscore with its fitting soundscapes. Along with Hitoshi Sakimoto's Final Fantasy Tactics and Yoko Shimomura's Parasite Eve, this soundtrack serves as one of the most fascinating and rewarding experiments of the PlayStation era.

Overview

The SaGa series has never been one of Square's most popular series as it has understandably been overshadowed by classics such as 'Final Fantasy' and the 'Chrono' series. SaGa Frontier was the first of its kind to be released overseas and reactions to the game were quite varied. It managed to forge a discreet group of fans, however, and the game's sequel, Saga Frontier II was released out of Japan also. Unlike other RPGs, this game spans a generation of heroes and covers a large amount of its world's history, creating a unique gaming experience not found in traditional examples of the genre. After composing the scores for the last 4 SaGa games, series composer Kenji Ito decided to hand over the workload on the second SaGa Frontier soundtrack to Masashi Hamauzu. At this point, Hamauzu was still trying to establish his own musical style:

"I've come to think that, until finishing work on this, my own SaGa title, I had experience of nothing but writing music for other people's gratification . And yet one day, in a moment of serendipity, my whole attitude changed, and I decided here was where I would assert my own musical identity." - Masashi Hamauzu

And thus, he promised to deliver a SaGa soundtrack like no other.

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...And that is exactly what he would do. In the first two tracks, "Prologue" ("Vorspiel") and "Prelude" ("Präludium"), Hamauzu's superior compositional ability is already made evident. "Prologue" begins with a slow piano motif before increasing its pace and developing into something quite magical; it also introduces the main theme, which is constantly re-used throughout the soundtrack. In "Prelude," Hamauzu once again shows off his extraordinary piano skill that makes game music seem like a medium for lots of different genres of music instead of just the typical RPG-fare less inspirational artists like Uematsu were creating at the time. The game itself has a medieval theme, and I do wonder whether the music always fits its location very well, as while much of the music is rendered in a classical fashion, some of the instrumentation seems a little modern for the game. This does nothing to detract from the soundtrack itself, however.

The majority of the tracks seem quite light-hearted, resulting in tracks like "Majesty" ("Majestät"), which manage to avoid the usual clichés found in other games set in a similar medieval setting. Hamauzu has the ability to compose music for a variety of different situations without detracting from the music's overall sound. I think the emotional themes scattered around the soundtrack are particularly good. "Rosary" and "Theme" are two examples - "Theme" ("Thema") is reminiscent of some of the work on the Final Fantasy XI soundtrack, which shows that the composer is ahead of his time in terms of quality music. "Rosary" ("Rosenkranz") on the other hand, is a unique, light-hearted piano piece accompanied by a woodwind instrument, which creates a feeling of nostalgia and is one of the more memorable pieces on the first CD.

Each of the three CDs is populated by a number of different styles of music ranging from moody ambience to lively jazz. Some of the most interesting tracks are Hamauzu's experimental pieces that cannot really be classified under one particular style. He elaborated on this unusual form of music more in the Unlimited SaGa soundtrack; just as in UNLIMITED SaGa, sometimes the experimental tracks work and other times they don't. "Dithyramb" and "Miracle Drug" are two very good examples of this kind of music fulfilling it's potential. "Dithyramb" ("Dithyrambus") is presumably an area theme of some sort, and the track is layered well and creates an unusually pleasant listening experience. "Panacea" ("Wundermittel") borrows heavily from the main theme, but its arrangement is really quite wonderful to listen to, and creates a sense of tranquillity and perfection. However "Siren" ("Wasserjungfer") is an example of the experimentation not paying off. It feels lacking somehow and just isn't very enjoyable to listen to when compared to other themes on the soundtrack; it uses the main theme again, but does not utilise it to it's maximum potential and sounds bland and uninspiring.

Another sore point for me is the battle music. The 'field battle' themes are quite disappointing, especially when compared to the amazing battle themes Hamauzu composed for Unlimited SaGa. "Field Battle I" ("Feldschlacht I") is a very average track which relies on the main theme completely; I hardly see myself feeling compelled to kill enemies to this theme. It does get slightly better after the 2-minute mark, but still does little to escape mediocrity. 'Field Battle II' ("Feldschlacht II") is similar. It starts off quite well, but as it develops it relies on the main theme once again and doesn't seem to do anything new; very uninspiring music, which is a rare thing indeed, coming from Hamauzu. "Field Battle III" ("Feldschlacht III") is slightly more original, and the inclusion of an organ and the piano makes it more sophisticated than the last two, but it still lacks the interesting melody that is vital to the success of a battle theme. Thankfully, "Field Battle IV" ("Feldschlacht IV") takes a slightly more epic approach and is more successful because of it. It develops better than the last 3 and actually fits its purpose a lot better than the rest in my opinion. Each of the four battle themes has a separate victory theme, which are all criminally repetitive and unfortunately lower the quality of the album as a whole, if only slightly. I actually think they sound quite like work that Hitoshi Sakimoto might have created, only the techno styling makes them seem quite tacky.

There are very few dark themes in the soundtrack, but tracks like "Tobel" ("Tobal") and "Cure of Souls" ("Seelsorge") use a villain-like chord progression to build a suitable amount of mystery and tension. Neither is particularly interesting, but they do their jobs adequately without shattering the light-heartedness of the other pieces on the album. Perhaps the darkest theme on the soundtrack is "Conscious" ("Unmacht"), which is one of the pieces that sound reminiscent of classical music. The low brass instruments and morbid arrangement of the main theme create a dark and hopeless atmosphere that is uncommon for this usually bright and cheerful soundtrack; by incorporating these few sinister themes, Hamauzu makes the soundtrack feel more complete though.

One of the best additions to the soundtrack is "Arranger" ("Arrangeur"), which once again highlights Hamauzu's talent with piano. The composition is very nice, and while original, it remains very coherent with the rest of the soundtrack. Overall, rather than create lots of different melodies which would be used only once or twice, Hamauzu has created many different arrangements of his main theme, which gives the album a continuity that could not have been achieved otherwise.

Summary

As with all Hamauzu albums, the SaGa Frontier II soundtrack is full of quality tracks that form bridges between styles and demonstrate a remarkable compositional ability. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to get as much recognition as it deserves; the majority of the piano work is amazing, and the arranged album Piano Pieces SF2 ~ Rhapsody on a Theme of Saga Frontier II is testimony to the complex, well-structured pieces Hamauzu has created. It is obvious that Hamauzu didn't believe it necessary to revert to the sound and atmosphere of Ito's soundtracks, but that instead he would create a soundtrack unique and personal to himself. I think this decision was an admirable one, and the quality and independence of his work really shines through in his work on SaGa Frontier II.

As a whole, there are very few problems with the soundtrack. I personally found the battle themes to be unsatisfactory, but that might be because I'm comparing them to music Hamauzu composed since this soundtrack, and I'm sure others might be able to appreciate their merits more than I do. I also think the amount of times the main theme was reused was like a double-edged sword; while virtually every arrangement possible was done through this method, and every listener is likely to enjoy one of these tracks at the very least, I would argue that it eventually wears a little thin. While the majority of these variations are very good, hearing the same main theme time and time again detracts from some of the later tracks on the album.

If you enjoy Hamauzu's classical tracks, you will most probably enjoy SaGa Frontier II, as the soundtrack contains quite a few orchestral pieces, all of which are very good. The library of different sounds he can create on the piano is unbelievable. You have a rag in the form of "Interlude" ("Interludium"), a slow, emotional piano piece in 'Loneliness' ("Einsamkeit"), and then it can be heard in a variety of different area themes, each time communicating a different feeling. His manipulation of the instrument is truly masterful.

The soundtrack itself is structured very well. Each disc ends with an emotional theme that creates a certain mood or feeling: Disc 1's "The Sacred" ("Weihalter") is dark and seems to symbolise some sort of unresolved conflict; "Nightingale" ("Nachtigall") is a sad but hopeful piece played by a music box; and the very last track on the album, "Ending" ("Postludium"), is a nostalgic, reflective theme which is a nice change from the all to frequent vocal themes that populate soundtracks these days. Contrarily, each disc begins with a light orchestral piano piece, which helps retain that coherent feel which contributes to the success of the album.

In conclusion, this soundtrack is clearly above average and any Hamauzu fan, or anybody else who enjoys piano music and is open-minded to different musical styles should definitely try to get a hold of a copy, which isn't an easy thing to do now DigiCube is out of business. The sound quality is on par with the best of the PlayStation, and the instrumentation is top notch. This is not your typical RPG fare, and anyone who likes the traditional epic themes churned out by Uematsu and Sakimoto might find themselves caught off-guard, but give it a chance and the deep, complex music on this album will not disappoint.

"This is my own voice now, I would love for you to listen to this..." - Masashi Hamauzu

Overview

As Masashi Hamauzu's first major work, SaGa Frontier 2 was his chance to showcase his own special style to the world. Indeed, it was time for him to make it clear that he could stand on his own to feet and 'shake the heavens', as it were. SaGa Frontier 2 is the sequel to SaGa Frontier, a game which was met with either love or hate by its players. Kenji Ito had been the preeminent composer for SaGa games, but for one reason or another, the mantle of composer was placed upon Hamauzu's shoulders.

Whatever the worries may have been with putting a relatively unknown composer on the project, Hamauzu undoubtedly and categorically dispelled them with his work on this album. Here we see him taking the freedom of his impressionistic style across many borders and boundaries, seeking to relate various and far-reaching feelings and ideas through music, and to no small amount of success.

Having personally played the game, my own experience with the soundtrack was through the eyes and ears of a cautious player. The talk on the boards, magazines, and websites were not in favor of this game. Misdirected, unfocused, and utterly confusing are just a few of the words I can remember that were used to describe the gaming experience as a whole. Always one to take a chance, and having never played the prequel, I decided to find out for myself.

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Sitting back after plopping the game CD into my trusty PlayStation, I sat with high hopes for another engrossing Squaresoft title. What I first saw was a sword, thrust halfway into the ground and left there, no doubt as a memorial to someone, or something. At that point, the music began.

A few lilting notes, a smooth string, and then a sudden assault of perky and quick piano notes which was soon joined by a flute. For some reason, I could not bring myself to press the start button and begin my journey, nay, continue my journey, for it had already begun. I was never in the habit of listening to the opening scene music in any game (or watching the demos that are usually seen therein, for that matter), but something stopped me here. It felt important to me; as if it was something I should not miss. When the theme, aptly named "Overture," came to an end, I soldiered on only to be assaulted by "Prelude," an equally enchanting, yet much more powerful experience with piano and strings that promised me that, regardless of the game's content, the music certainly had a story to tell. Now, then, that is enough of my personal ranting. I believe the music shall speak for itself.

The excellence to be found in this game's music comes in many forms. One of the facets of the SaGa Frontier 2 soundtrack that was most enjoyable was the fashion in which Hamauzu took the same old theme and turned, twisted, and cajoled it into something completely new and enjoyable in spite of the fact that you had, in effect, heard it all before. The first encounter with the main theme of the game actually takes place in "Prelude," although the casual listener will probably miss it the first few times one hears it. Indeed, it becomes much harder to ignore when it the motif reappears in "Theme," most of the battle themes, and other powerful tracks such as "Leader of Battle." You simply cannot escape this game's theme, and why would you want to? Hamauzu holds nothing back as he retells every aspect of the story with the motif, capturing sadness, anger, joy, power, and weakness, all with immense success.

Another dimension of Hamauzu's talent on the soundtrack is in the way that the soundtrack is actually split between the game's two main characters, Gustave Finney XIII and Wil Knights. Gustave's tale is inexorably wound about the many aspects of war, power, and the search for belonging. The story of Wil revolves much more around his personal war with the artifact known as The Egg. Hamauzu keeps this division clear, with music that is encountered in one man's scenarios being strikingly different in core feeling from the ones seen in the other's.

The music of Gustave's scenarios is usually very majestic and powerful, whether in the relating of his grave misfortune, or his inordinate successes. Themes such as "Majesty" and "Homeless" serve as proper examples of the duality of the man's existence; being all at once a noble of the highest stature and a worthless heir that is no greater than a common fool. "Loneliness," one of my favorite tracks on the album, exposes what appears to be an iron-hearted brat for the misunderstood and passionate individual he is. We visit the theme once again in "Victory," a touching rendition that leaves the player feeling truly accomplished after a long and difficult road, but also a bit remorseful for the cruel things that were necessary to achieve such victory.

Wil's music also spans a wide spectrum, at times quite whimsical, and other times dramatic and mystical. No matter what the emotion behind the music, it is an explorer's soundtrack, touching on the many cultures within the game's world with varying instrumentation and rhythm, like in "Open Air Music" or "Universe." While the former is very bright and driving, the latter is plain creepy. The melody remains simple throughout, but the theme, much like the situation it is encountered in, gives the feeling that something is amiss. You know the whole story is not being told, and Hamauzu encapsulates that curiosity excellently with "Universe." Wil sees the majority of the dungeon crawling in the game, and Hamauzu fails to disappoint once again with equally memorable and fantastical themesto accompany the player as he delves into the depths of SaGa Frontier 2's world.

Hamauzu's work with the dungeon tunes in SaGa Frontier 2 is just as varied as the rest of the album. Some dungeons feature very ambient music, "Siren" and "Depth" being two of the most notable. What was most significant about the ambient tracks is that they still had a very defined melody, never relying on disorganized chording or crowded sound textures to make up for what is simply not present in the piece. No matter how airy or floaty the tune may seem, whistling along is always possible (very important to this dungeon crawler), and a lead instrument is never difficult to point out. On the other hand, Hamauzu by no means shied away from throwing down an attention drawing track, like "Obsession" and "Relevation." Straying far from the norm of the game, "Obsession" is a very dancy track full of synths and ludicrously fast piano arpeggios that tempted this player to get up and groove a step or two. "Revelation" is a very in-your-face track driven by strong string chords, bells, and an almost rhythm & blues drumline. Hamauzu undoubtedly had lots of fun with these tracks, and even though they are quite different than most of what is on the album, they hardly detract. Indeed, they warrant a tip of the hat for such inventiveness.

The battle music of SaGa Frontier 2 is in a league of its own. There are four distinct variations on the game's main theme that function as battle themes for the game, and every single one is nigh perfect for the situation it is encountered in. Always high-energy, and with a mood to fit either the characters or enemies present, none of them dissappoint. "Field Battle II" features a bell vs. synth arrangement with very sizzling high-hats and a powerful snare that keeps a listener's rapt attention. "Field Battle III" is a cross between breakbeat percussion and some very cleverly organized piano arpeggios. Even "Field Battle IV" with it's off-the-wall accordion and wild percussion (congos, toms, you name it) gets the foot tapping and the head nodding in appreciation. When someone can make an accordion solo work for a blood-pumping battle theme, you know they are accomplished composers. There is a victory theme that accompanies every battle theme, and while they each are almost identical in melody and arrangement, every one mimics the instrumentation that is found in its relative battle theme, which I found satisfying way of keeping the mood consistent.

One battle theme in particular deserves lots of attention. "Erlkönig" is an amazing piece of work. It starts off straight away with pounding drums and a consistent, driving bassline that makes no bones about being high octane. It plays during the mass battles in Gustave's scenarios, and it does a splendid job of keeping the energy up throughout the entire piece. The smooth snare rolls and the brass stabs keep you in the mood for war as you oft times get your own behind handed to you by the startlingly difficult scenarios. This was one theme I had no complaints about listening to one hundred times over as I attempted to finish the final mass battle. Hamauzu was in top form as he displayed just how serious he could be. SaGa Frontier 2's soundtrack on the whole is very bright, but "Erlkönig" is full of heart, a no-holds-barred marching band slugfest of blood boiling proportions. When a friend listened to the theme without having ever heard of the composer, the game, or VGM in general, he remarked that it made him feel as if he 'could run for miles'. Without a doubt, that is what "Erlkönig" is all about: tireless war.

In fact, the battle themes are a very strong point on the soundtrack. The two final battle themes, "Angel of Death" and "Deformed Figure," are resounding successes. Ito is known for his skill in composing good battle music, and Hamauzu gained much recognition for his work in Unlimited SaGa, but SaGa Frontier 2 is where he truly stepped onto the stage. Both sample from the game's main theme, and serve as captivating and evocative examples of how one should present the final conflicts of an adventure. "Angel of Death" begins with piano arpeggios and a flowing string accompaniment, quickly painting the dark picture of the difficult and long awaited battle to come. Drums soon enter the equation and set the epic mood. The piano actually takes a back seat at this point, allowing some skillfull brass to come in and lay down the main melody. The loop is done flawlessly as the theme winds down with the same arpeggios that started the tune lead you into the powerful intro once again.

It would not be unfair to say that Hamauzu used SaGa Frontier 2 to show just what a piano or two can do to make a memorable theme. It is without exaggeration that I say that "Variation" is one of the most well-known piece on the entire album. The light-hearted dance of the fingers upon the keys is contagious, stiring up this annoying happiness you cannot help but enjoy. My favorite piano track on the album is actually "Magic Power," an extremely upbeat and jazzy tune that also takes hints of the theme into itself. Hamauzu's grasp of rhythm is what makes this song truly special in my mind. The syncopation catches your ear straight away, and he simply builds from there, and he utilizes those wonderful hi-hats once again to keep your head bobbing in appreciation. "Coincidence" and "Outside World" are also tracks with piano worth taking note of.

Summary

SaGa Frontier 2 was a lot of things for Masashi Hamauzu. It was a chance to be seen, a chance to be heard, and a chance to ... well, take chances. There is nothing predictable about this soundtrack, and certainly nothing boring. Even tracks that may not necessarily appeal to a listener are never bland. Hamauzu stepped up to the plate and amazed a lot of people with this work, including yours truly. A solid impressionist and a powerful manipulator of themes, Hamauzu made SaGa Frontier 2 even more of a work of art than it already was.

Take a chance! Play the game, buy the album. The music means a lot more after you allow it to immerse you into the special world of SaGa Frontier 2, but it also is capable of standing alone as very well-arranged and powerful music that sends its message without making any excuses. Jazz, polka, dance, take your pick. If I did not make myself clear already, Masashi Hamauzu knew what he was doing when he picked up the reigns for the SaGa Frontier 2 Original Soundtrack.