Nobuo Uematsu - FINAL FANTASY VIII - Mono no Aware

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

[Shoinie]

0.00 - Liberi Fatali
3.55 - The Oath / My Mind
8.00 - Waltz for the Moon / Eyes on me
10.40 - The Landing
14.20 - Succession of Witches
15.47 - Fithos Lusec Wescos Vinosec
16.20 - Premonition
18.06 - Don't be Afraid
18.44 - The Extreme
19.03 - Miscellaneous medlies :)


If I made an error please let me know :)

[joet.knight]

This gave me goosebumps. And I'm 37 this year. I could never forget all the emotions I felt with this game and all the people I met thanks to it. This will never ever be JUST a game.

[ctyh]

“Mono no Aware” is a Japanese concept referring to the impermanence, and is reflected here in the way the motifs change and interact throughout. The suite begins with “Liberi Fatali” (0:35), which represents fate and conflict. After the climax of the opening, a lone violin emerges and attempts to find its way. The solo violin will be a recurring character of sorts throughout. A horn tries to guide the violin into “Eyes on Me” (3:50) and they briefly manage to line up in unison, but the violin quickly strays into a fragment of “Succession of Witches” (4:07). The rest of the orchestra brings in fragments of “The Oath” (4:22) and “Ami” (4:29), and then the strings give “The Oath” a proper exposition to introduce the protagonist Squall (4:40). But even here, “Eyes on Me” (4:50) and “Ami” (5:08) make appearances in between phrases; the demands of friendship and romance are ever-present. “The Oath” eventually gives way to “Ami” (6:20), which is now able to reveal itself in full. The solo violin returns with “Succession of Witches” but quickly hesitates, going back and forth with “The Oath” (6:54) before “Ami” asserts itself to the fore again in the orchestra. “The Oath” comes back in on the woodwinds and attempts to find harmony with “Ami”, but the scene changes before it can happen.

The exposition for “Eyes on Me” is then given in the form of the familiar “Waltz for the Moon” (7:55). The scene is allowed to play out largely uninterrupted, with a period given to a more tender interaction, but at the climax fate knocks again and “Liberi Fatali” bursts in (10:35) to introduce “The Landing” (10:53). A glimpse of the “The Oath” attempts to galvanize combatants (11:39), but the “Liberi Fatali” elements of “The Landing” escalate and take over the segment. Suddenly a combination of “Eyes on Me”, “The Oath”, and “Ami” break out and appear triumphant (13:11), but as they try to settle down, an echo of “Succession of Witches” rings in the background, and soon the theme finally emerges in full (14:18).

The arrangement for “Succession of Witches” begins very quietly, like a spell. When the solo violin returns, it plays “Succession of Witches” very clearly, seemingly under the influence of the instruments hovering around it (15:25). The segment eventually builds into a repetition of the “Fithos Lusec Winosec” chorus, escalating into the battle version of “Succession of Witches” known as “Premonition” (16:18). The beginning of “Premonition” notably includes distorted fragments of “Eyes on Me”, signifying Rinoa’s transformation into a sorceress. The battle shifts gears into “Don’t Be Afraid” (18:06) and then “The Extreme” (18:43) before returning to “Premonition” (19:03). At the climax the “Liberi Fatali” motif (19:39) comes to a head with “The Oath” (19:42), but “The Oath” is not able to prevail on its own. “Liberi Fatali” asserts itself again (19:46), and this time it is a seamless fusion of the “Eyes on Me” and “The Oath” melodies that is able to gain the upper hand (19:50), with “Ami” emerging to join the celebration (20:16).

As the piece closes out (20:39) all three protagonist themes weave in and out, now in harmony with each other and not competing: “Ami” is on the horn, “The Oath” is given a cathartic major-key reharmonization on the oboe, and “Eyes on Me” is on the flute. The oboe and flute each echo the last notes of “Ami”, and the solo violin re-enters with a fragment of “The Oath” but does not finish the melody; the suite ends unresolved and open to the future, in line with the “Mono no Aware” theme. -From the VGMOnline Listener's Guide

[bedoyajuanfer]

anyone here on 2025?
I can not believe that i hadn't see this magnificent performance before.
I'm 48 now and the goosbumps are real, almost thrilling.
Because of this game i started to love almost all of the final fantasy games and music; and decided to give FF VII a chance. Also it's music is a masterpiece.
No doubt Mr Uematsu is a blessed genious. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this great video

[jessemedina]

Imagine if you had a ticket... as a grown ass man I hate to admit that I have a profound emotional attachment to this soundtrack and this performance.

[barmutah]

The best thing about the old ff games is you don't have to play it to love it you literally can just watch someone play it whoever it is, it can be your siblings or your friends you can just sitting there just watching them play for hours and you love it as much as the one who play it
It's happened to me when this game first came out at that time I just to small to understand english language so I just sit there silently watching my brother play this game

[yavicpe]

To think that a videogame can be such inspiration for this kind of art... and so many people missing the oportunity to listen to this masterpiece only because they dont like videogames... Im so fortunate to have been living in this time, have pleyed this game... Thanks Nobuo.

[Blondi]

That was probably one of the greatest renditions of that soundtrack I've ever heard.

[angelaferro]

Is it normal to cry while hearing these??? All the memories!!!

[spongebobsquarepants]

Who else cried watch this ?
This throwback is really hit my heart

[belindaginete]

Fans of the game will get goosebumps while listening to this...
I'm one of them! 👍

[dylanvaccaro]

Hearing "The Landing" orchestrated was as epic as I thought it would be.

[ptcrusa]

Nobou Uematsu really captured the mood of struggling against overwhelming odds with this soundtrack. It really feels like a film score.

[RosieSquall]

The transition between songs is majestic.
I love this game with all my heart and this was absolutely wonderful.

[tyrgannusgaming]

This is one of the best FFVIII performances I've heard

[razzle]

Oh man, I got chills every time the sorceress theme sneaked into the medley. It really exemplifies that cloying, creeping feeling of evil that is present throughout FFVIII.

[bcat]

Hearing a symphonic version of The Landing just makes the track that more epic.

[alinaitzal]

Final Fantasy 8 is my second favorite soundtrack. Final Fantasy 6 is my favorite. But this is is like trying to decide between puppies. I love them ALL. Amazing rendition. I hope at least one of those musicians "understands" the legacy he has participated in. Great memories from a great game.

[HitoSarg]

This is SO good. The horn players are out of this world but really so is this entire orchestra.

FF8 is my favorite RPG because of the music.

[kingcapisce]

Listening to this you realise how Uematsu weaved themes and motifs throughout all the pieces for the game, making distinct compositions that add up to a greater coherence. What a dude, and what an amazing reinterpretation!