If you happen to like the music from the Final Fantasy series, then please check out this video on YouTube. It is a performance of One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII by The Black Mages and a philharmonic orchestra. In it, Nobuo Uematsu, composer of the Final Fantasy soundtracks, has managed to combine the peanut buttery tastiness of a symphony with the chocolaty goodness of electric guitar solos. Awesome.

And if you liked that, then may I suggest a few CDs for you to purchase.

20020220 Music from Final Fantasy is a two disc recording of a symphony orchestra performing music of every title in the series from the original Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy X. (Although it is not of the performance in the YouTube video.) It is simply incredible from start to finish. It is quite moving to hear songs that you came to know and love only as MIDI recordings, now fully realized with actual instrumentalization and a chorus.

The aforementioned The Black Mages is an instrumental rock band put together by (and including) Nobuo himself. They play, not surprisingly, the music from Final Fantasy series reformed into good 'ol rock and roll. They have released three albums so far, a self-titled debut, The Black Mages, followed by The Skies Above, and finally Darkness and Starlight.

I own the first two albums, which are both fantastic, and just found out about the third one (which was released only last month) while compiling links and pictures for this post. I'll be ordering that third release very soon!