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Odds are you’ve never heard of the guy. Odds are even if you’re addicted to role-playing games such as Final Fantasy – you’ve still never heard of him. Truth is, I hadn’t known who he was for many years even after I fell in love with his music.

It was the summer of 1998 and I had just received my first copy of Final Fantasy VII – the Playstation RPG that would raise the bar and set the standard for games across all genres. This game was big for many reasons. It was the first to use 3D models, rendered environments, and cinematics on a platform system. Not only that but, it hosted a memorable and believable cast, world, plot, and story. When the opening video played, I was hooked. The scene, the music… the immersion was complete. A love was born. If you’ve ever read a book or watched a movie and wanted to be there; to experience it… that is how it was.

What makes Mr. Uematsu so special is the originality, the fullness, the soul-piercing quality of his compositions. He creates sweeping melodies and symphonies that perfectly encapsulate the mood, setting, characters, and so on. It’s really something that is quite hard to put into words. When you’re in a battle and the line is drawn in the sand, he allows you to fully feel the tempo and the tension of the scene. When someone dies, he helps your heart to break. When dreams are born or die, you can feel your heart swell in your chest. He creates a memorable immersive experience that goes beyond the games and a music that moves through you and in you. It is truly a stand-alone experience.

If you’ve ever enjoyed Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, or any of the other classical composers; if you’ve ever been moved by the soundtracks of Lord of the Rings or Avatar, then Nobuo Uematsu is somebody I highly recommend to expand your love for music.

400 words aren’t enough to describe the influence, the memories, the tears, the smiles, the adventures, the losses, and the triumphs that Mr. Uematsu has bestowed on millions of fans and though, it’s taken me 14 years to write this very brief review somehow I still can’t find the words to say it as it should be…

Nobuo-san, thank you… and for all of you, I hope you meet him one day.

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Works: Final Fantasy I-X; XIV, Chrono Trigger, Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Concerts: Distant Worlds, The Black Mages, Tour de Japon
Recommendations: To Zanarkand (FFX), You’re Not Alone (FFIX), Liberi Fatali (FFVIII), Prelude, The Man with the Machine Gun (FFVIII), The Landing (FFVIII), Terra’s Theme (FFVI), Aerith’s Theme (FFVII), JENOVA (FFVII), One-Winged Angel (FFVII), Vamo’alla Flamenco (FFIX), Opera Maria & Draco (FFVI), Dancing Mad (FFVIII), Love Grows… Just to name a few.
Note – If you do look up his music – be sure to look up the orchestrated versions. Distant Worlds is a good place to start.
Images courtesy of Square-Enix, The Anime Informant, & The Orpheum at Vancouver