I Am Setsuna Original Soundtrack

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

	Album Title: I Am Setsuna Original Soundtrack
	Record Label: Square Enix Music
	Catalog No.: SQEX-10539
	Release Date: March 23, 2016
	Purchase: Buy at CDJapan

Overview

Developed by Tokyo Factory, a new studio under Square Enix, I am Setsuna draws its inspiration from the “golden era” of JRPGs, the 90s. Its battle system is heavily drawn from Chrono Trigger, a game specifically credited by the studio. The central theme of the game is “sorrow”, evident in the title and name of the heroine, as Setsuna means sadness or sorrow in Japanese. The music for the game was composed by Tomoki Miyoshi, whose previous credits include the cinematic music for SoulCalibur V and the score for Majin Station. To fit the game’s melancholic setting, Miyoshi has written a score almost entirely made up of solo piano pieces, except for a few with added percussion. The piano parts are performed by Randy Kerber.

Body

The soundtrack begins with the minimalist “The Beginning of the End,” which focuses on a minor melodic line supported by sparse chords in the higher register, exuding a brooding melancholy and aptly setting the tone for the rest of the soundtrack. The melody of this piece will recur throughout the soundtrack. “Voyage” contrasts the different registers of the piano by layering them with the melodic line floating high above the repeating patterns of the bassline. “The Scent of the Sea” takes on a bittersweet mood as the piece fluctuates between major and minor tones, while the left hand switches between chords and flowing phrases. “Tender Glow” is composed in waltz rhythm, but the first section starts without the third beat typical of a waltz, subduing the buoyant swing. The variation that follows uses the full three-beat waltz rhythm and doubles the melody notes for fuller harmony.

“Into the Woods” is a piece composed for four hands on a piano. The bottom hands serve a supporting role, playing either a chordal or legato pattern while the top hands play the melody in the ringing higher register. “No Turning Back” is the main battle track of the game and the first in the soundtrack to feature percussion. The percussion lends much more momentum to the rhythmic and spirited piano parts. “Deadly Gamble” is an interesting short piece that makes use of dissonance and dotted rhythm to create a sense of unease. “March of the Brave” uses a repeating two-note pattern in the left hand to simulate a rigid marching rhythm, but the piece transitions into a more flowing second section.

“Silent Snow” uses a repeating motif in the upper register to paint an image of airy falling snow while a sombre melody is carried in the middle register supported by chords in the lower register to add more depth to the piece. Accentuated by supporting percussion, “Relentless Advance,” as the title suggests, proceeds with unforgiving momentum, the repeating motifs delivered rapidly. “A Moment of Respite” is the victory fanfare used in the game after battle, and the piece samples the “Victory Fanfare” from Final Fantasy (not the iconic jingle in the beginning, but the section after the jingle). “The Secret Passage” uses a sparse ringing melody in the higher register to create a mysterious feeling. While the left hand starts with legato phrases in the middle register, it later ventures into the lower register with chordal patterns to increase the depth of the sound.

“A Fantastic Encounter” uses the layering of sounds from different parts of the spectrum as well as percussion to create an intricate piece with a vigorous complexity. On the piano, a ringing rapid motif floats above the melody played in the middle range, with a droning bassline resonating in a much deeper register. “Lighthearted” is one of the few cheerful pieces in the soundtrack that is entirely in a major key. The piece utilizes a bouncy staccato left-hand accompaniment to support the playful melody. “Dark Caves” uses a broken chordal pattern in minor keys in the higher range, accentuated by single low resonant notes to create an ominous atmosphere, but the tone changes to a more sorrowful one as the melody enters unobtrusively.

Disc 2 opens with the high-spirited “Rare,” which utilizes rapid repeating chords to generate momentum from the outset, but the chords drop out briefly to give the melody the spotlight before the piece loops. “Ruins” is another piece making use of constant repeating chords, but at a more relaxed pace, and the dynamics of the repeating chords grow and fade throughout the piece to create a spatial sense. In “The King’s Valley,” the right hand takes the chords while the left hand plays a booming bassline in the low range of the piano, resulting in a sonorous tone throughout the piece.

“Distant Islands” features a memorable, tranquil melody with a monophonic accompaniment, simple yet elegant. “Walking through the maze of time” features a scalar melody against an arpeggio accompaniment, forming an interesting contrast. The rhythmic and forceful playing of the piano’s extreme low register in “Hidden Danger” is almost percussive, and gives the piece a dire sense of pressure when combined with the percussion. “Inside the Beast” is another piece that utilizes the disparity of tone between the low and high ranges of the piano to create an interesting sonic visual, with a big void in the middle range.

The recurring melody makes a return in “Winter Journey’s Tale” as the piece begins by juxtaposing the melody with a rapid repeating pattern in the higher register, giving it an airy and mystical feel before shifting to the warmer timbre of the lower middle register for a more affecting sound. “Staff Roll” is the only piece with vocals, provided by kotringo, in the entire soundtrack; her vocals are used only for a short section at the beginning as an introduction to the recurring motifs that make up the rest of the piece. The overall arrangement of the piece is rather serene, mostly using the higher register of the piano with simple left-hand accompaniment.

Summary

Through a score created based almost entirely on piano alone, with the occasional insertion of percussion for the battle pieces, Tomoki Miyoshi has demonstrated the versatility of the piano and his ability to compose for the instrument. The impressive range of timbral and emotional colours displayed in I Am Setsuna Original Soundtrack, mostly through a single instrument, makes it a unique and cohesive listening experience quite unlike anything I have heard recently. There are times when I feel some pieces are too similar to one another, but those instances are far between. If viewed from a technical standpoint, Miyoshi has not created any virtuosic masterpiece like those from the Piano Opera; rather, he focuses on drawing out the instrument’s full range of timbre, which works to his advantage. Unless you belong to the rare group of people who despise the tone of a piano (I do have such a friend), most would probably find plenty to enjoy out of I Am Setsuna Original Soundtrack.