Dragon Quest VI Symphonic Suite

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Overview

Dragon Quest VI: Phantom World features some of the most experimental music that Sugiyama has written since the series began. In many ways, he ignores the classic “write a good melody, then add simple yet effective harmonies” for something a bit edgier and darker-toned. What I often find with people who listen to Dragon Quest music is that they either absolutely love this suite and defend it, or completely loathe it. In this review, I’ll point out, like a good tour guide, some of the neat sights (or in this case sounds) along the way, but it’s a bumpy ride, so be prepared.

Note that, just over two years ago, Koichi Sugiyama started re-recording all of his music using the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. SVWC-7369 is the latest album release from those efforts. While the pieces are exactly the same compositionally as the London Philharmonic versions, the sound is infinitely better. This review focuses on the latest print, though it can be used to judge the two earlier London Philharmonic prints for those who need it. Now let us venture forth into the music.

Body

As always, there is the classic “Overture,” which is the standard opening piece for each Dragon Quest game. What else can I say about this piece? It’s a timeless classic. Immediately following is the castle theme “At the Palace,” featuring just the string section. This time, though, the piece feels like a much more sombre affair compared with past castle themes in previous games. A plodding harmony, consisting of nothing more than quarters with a simple chord progression, starts it off. The violins do the larger work, carrying the melody throughout the piece with little deviation from that path. It’s a rather unexciting piece until the 1:00 mark, where it starts to get a little more dynamic. The point where the piece ends and then loops back to the beginning transitions badly, and the piece feels very incomplete. I’ll make two notes about the town-related piece that follows. First, the brass section in “Happy Humming” is superb, with a sound so crisp and sharp you can cut your finger on it. Unfortunately, the same cohesion that occurred with the brass section doesn’t quite carry over to the woodwinds in “Inviting Village”.

“Through the Fields ~ Wandering Through the Silence ~ Another World” consists of one piece played three times. Some consider it boring. I rather like the challenge of trying to make theme and variation interesting. Obviously “Through the Fields” is the base theme; it’s akin to “Adventure” from Dragon Quest III, in that it’s a brassy, big, and bold theme. The first variation features a more stripped-down version with the woodwinds taking over the lead early on with a weird harmonic sound coming from muted brass. The second variation changes tone yet again, this time with an F horn lead, but at a much more plodding pace. The biggest and most striking change is from 3:55 onward, where the piece briefly changes direction. This is much like “At the Palace” did in its last small section, but it’s a shame that these little flashes of brilliance don’t last for more than a few measures.

I’m going to skip over the unremarkable ship theme and the whimsical flying bed theme, and jump ahead to “Pegasus ~ Saint’s Wreath”. The first piece is the game’s second flying-vehicle theme, and yet it doesn’t quite feel like it should be the flying theme piece. This is a radical departure from Sugiyama’s usual form for flying themes, which usually convey soaring heights or are just plain whimsy. This piece is much more ominous in tone, and you get the feeling that something sinister is going on—appropriate, given that when it first plays in the game (right at the beginning) you are on a cliff before the fortress of one of the early villains. Enough on that; what about the music? It starts off with a very simple rhythmic pattern that carries throughout the early measures with the strings; then the oboe and flute appear, carrying the melody and counterpoint above this very low-pitched, dark underlay. I especially love the contrasting section when the piece repeats. The dynamics take a sharp turn for forte with a much bolder feel, featuring the full orchestra. “Saint’s Wreath,” on the other hand, doesn’t quite feel like a good companion piece to the first. It’s a good piece; it’s just not the right piece.

Now, for the other half of the suite: note the first five seconds, known as “Evil World” in track 8. This very simple cue appears in almost every piece that follows. I might call it a motif, but it’s not fleshed out enough to be a proper one. What it reminds me of is a classic Far Side comic strip where a guy has just walked into a Western saloon, and one of the musicians turns to the pianist, saying, “Bad guy coming in, change to a minor key.” Listen for it; it may not be the exact same pitches, and the keys may be radically different, but it’s there. Even the main battle theme, “Brave Fight,” uses that cue liberally throughout the piece and yet interweaves it well. Moving on, “Devil’s Tower” is, well, unique. Never before has the composer written a dungeon track using a woodwind ensemble. It’s just very unusual, and that’s all I can say.

“Monsters ~ Demon Combat” (as it was known when spliced together on the original edition) are two of the most inaccessible pieces of music that Sugiyama has written, especially in Super Famicom form. My sister, who usually is caught humming Dragon Quest tunes even after I’m not playing the games (yes, they are that catchy), heard the battle themes from Dragon Quest VI and went, “ewww, that’s just awful.” And for a man who writes simple melodies and then layers time-tested harmonies upon them with little variation from that theme, here we have something different. “Monsters” consists of chords that aren’t easily describable. The whole thing just sort of highlights “Danger”. Even the melody isn’t really something I’d call a melody, as the whole piece is just about the sound. Watch out for “Demon Combat”; the fortissimo burst of the main “evil motif” at the beginning might blow out your speakers. This piece takes on a call-answer form, with one section playing an antecedent phrase, another consequently answering that call. Once again, melody doesn’t appear to be important—just the overwhelming tone of the piece.

Thankfully, Sugiyama ends the suite with something a little more accessible than what preceded it. “Eternal Lullaby” has its roots firmly in the Stravinsky category, as it’s very similar in style to the ending of Firebird. What is most notable is the anticlimactic ending. The listener expects a big finish, as the orchestra swells with power; instead, you get a full stop and then, in near silence, the orchestra leads the piece to its finish. One would think that this is a bad idea, yet it just works.

Summary

Alright, the ride is over! Was it a good trip? Should you recommend it to family and friends? If those friends like classical music with a dash of experimental structure, then perhaps. For those who are Dragon Quest fans, you’ve probably been on the ride more times than you can count (with all those reprints that one must collect). For those who are new to the Dragon Quest world, this is probably not the best suite to start with; I’d recommend Dragon Quest II or V for that purpose. In the end, this is a worthy suite that shines at just the right moments, particularly with the Tokyo Met’s enhanced performance.