This is my favorite soundtrack of all time.
Mieko Ishikawa single-handedly composed the entire body of Ys III music herself for the original PC-88 release in 1989. Later, when it was ported to the Sharp X6800, another composer added a few additional compositions to round out the emotional moments of the story.
Since that time, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys has had its original score rearranged muliple times, for the MSX, Famicom, Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Famicom/SNES, and most notably for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx release which used actual guitars and other instruments mixed with synthesized sounds for the first time (a precursor to what would come later).
Since that time, songs here and there have beem given different musical treatments and arrangements over the years on various Falcom variety albums.
However, this is by far the definitive soundtrack for Ys III.
Personally, I am very partial to the Wanderers from Ys story as compared to the Oath in Felghana version (which I find the latter to be nowhere near as charming and interesting a world to explore as the former).
That being said, whether you prefer the original interpretation from Adol's journal for Ys III or the more recent Felghana reinterpretation, this incredible soundtrack composed by Nihon Falcom's JDK Band is a perfectly realized arragnment for the story of Ys III.
"Premonition" is one of the most simplest and beautiful melodies I have ever heard. It was the song my wife and I played at our wedding. Using a piano for this song is an absolutely incredible choice and it sets the entire tone of what this story is about.
I will go into detail in the future about the rest, but if you were to listen to one song, make Premonition it... well... that and Tower of Destiny. I cried hearing Tower of Destiny the first time.
I listened to this album countless times for four years. It helped me get through some of the most difficult and darkest periods in my life. Through sharing this album, I helped someone else get through an even darker time, and the love of this music, these compositions, these arrangements, caused a love to be shared and grown between us. I am proud to say that person today is now my wife.
I wish I could thank Mieko Ishikawa personally for creating these songs, for they changed my life, and saved my wife's life. I doubt when she wrote these that she ever would have imagined the impact she would one day have one someone's life... but she did.
Thank you, too, JDK Band, for showing how amazing the music for the story of Ys III truly is.
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