Revealed back in September 2022, a worldwide tour was announced by Square Enix to celebrate 35 years of the Final Fantasy series. While there’s been other tours dedicated to the popular role-playing game (RPG) series, this one is uniquely different as the concert is played by a single pianist. This event is named Crystalline Resonance: Final Fantasy Piano Concert. The tour was produced by La Fée Sauvage who also worked with many other events such as Metal Gear in Concert and Kingdom Hearts Orchestra.

The event is based off of the Piano Opera Final Fantasy albums, scores done only by a piano of the first nine Final Fantasy entries. However, the Crystalline Resonance concert performed scores from up-to Final Fantasy XV. Unfortunately, fans couldn’t get a sneak peak of any new tunes from the upcoming game, Final Fantasy XVI that’s slated to release in June 2023.

A Small House

The event kicked off its tour in European countries first in September 2022. Asian countries received their tour starting February 2023 and March 2023 for the United States. Experiencing the concert first-hand, the performance was housed in a smaller venue that had a max capacity of 550. The room resembles attending a wedding ceremony and do expect the chairs to be somewhat uncomfortable. Be prepared to bring a cushion as the concert will last a couple hours with a fifteen minute intermission.

Seating was all on-floor with a stage fit for just the pianist along with a projector screen on the side that was dedicated for footage based on the songs played. If you’ve experienced other symphony events such as Distant Worlds or The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, the footage played was based on the song the band was performing, giving a boost of nostalgia in your experience. No matter where you sat, you were able to watch the gameplay footage on the projector and some camera shots of the pianist playing. If you were looking forward to witnessing the performance of the pianist, it’s highly suggested getting the first three rows.

A One-Man Band

The piano, one of the finest and most popular musical instruments, can deliver beautiful scores when performed right. This pianist did just that. The artist kicks-off the performance with the popular “Prelude” from the Final Fantasy series. A score that’s all about the piano and hearing it from an experienced pianist. It’ll give you goosebumps and a tear of happiness as the nostalgia erupts inside your head.

There are many scores from the Final Fantasy series that are gentle, harmonic, and already utilize the piano but there’s popular tracks that require more than a single instrument such as the famous Final Fantasy VII’s track “Opening ~ Bombing Mission”. Experiencing the score played by just the pianist, it does feel strange not hearing the other instruments not present but was still performed quite well. 

Watching the pianist on the projector, you can see the experienced artist pouring into this performance, especially faster paced scores like “Clash on the Big Bridge”. A track like this should have more volume with additional instruments but the piano itself can carry the tune and in a different perspective for fans to still enjoy.

“Liberi Fatali”, another popular score that uses vocals is done by just a piano. While it sounds weird at first not hearing the chorus, it’s still a remarkable score to listen to with just a single instrument. Overall, it’s surprising how much a piano can do and those interested in learning the piano can learn to play just about any Final Fantasy track.

The Final Note

Crystalline Resonance: Final Fantasy Piano Concert is a wonderful performance if you’re looking for a new experience to listen to your favorite Final Fantasy music.With the concert completed its tour at the end of March, the event definitely deserves an encore.