Liberi Fatali - Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
By: Nobuo Uematsu
Lyrics by: Taro Yamashita & Kazushige Nojima
Arr. Josh Haas
Final Fantasy VIII has a dramatic, iconic opening cinematic with a matching soundtrack: With flashes of out-of-context story bits, “Liberi Fatali”-”Fated Children”-grabs your attention immediately and holds you in thrall for the entire ride. The title refers to the game’s main characters-students of a renowned military academy who find themselves embroiled in complex political intrigue and...time travel? The repeating lyrics throughout the tune (“FITHOS - LUSEC - WECOS - VINOSEC”) are not real words, but an anagram of two main themes in the game: “Succession of Witches” and “Love.”
The piece is a compact, streamlined three-minute gem, as directed and impactful as a thrown spear, and has earned its place in concert repertoires many times over. A series of momentum-building ostinatos follow one another, and no thematic statement overstays its welcome. Famously, the piece does not end on a resolution, but with a chord that leaves the tonal center uncertain, as the screen first crashes into black, then dissolves into the words “Final Fantasy VIII” with the cover design-a young couple embracing, or…is he holding her up as she’s collapsing? This non-resolution is of course appropriate: This is where our story begins. Please press “Start.”
Audio Recorder: Josh Haas
Audio Editor: Elias Schwartzman
Video Editor: David Werner
Graphics: Brana Rose
Recorded video provided by the Prince George's Community College Center for the Performing Arts
#finalfantasymusic #videogamemusic #finalfantasyviii
18 июл 2023
