[Request] About "Opera 'Maria and Draco'" (FFVI)

First, the four acts and track times:

"Overture": 4:48
"Aria Di Mezzo Carattere": 3:57
"The Wedding Waltz ~ Duel": 4:02
"Grand Finale?": 3:16

And the all versions:

Orchestral Game Concert 4 (arranged by Kosuke Onozaki): 23:10 Download
Tour de Japon - music from Final Fantasy (arranged by Shiro Hamaguchi): 12:46 Part 1 Part 2
More Friends - music from Final Fantasy (arranged by Shiro Hamaguchi): 12:27 Part 1 Part 2
VOICES - music from Final Fantasy (arranged by Shiro Hamaguchi): 13:40 Part 1 Part 2
Distant Worlds - music from Final Fantasy (arranged by Shiro Hamaguchi): 12:13 Part 1 Part 2
The Black Mages III (Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenichiro Fukui and Michio Okamiya): 15:32 Part 1 Part 2

So, my doubts about all this versions:

1 - Why OCG4 version have 23 minutes if the original version have more or less only 16?
2 - Despite some minor differences, I believe that Tour de Japon / More Friends / Voices / Distant Worlds is the same version, arranged by Shiro Hamaguchi. This version is complete, with the four acts?
3 - I heard in a review that "Darkness and Starlight" arrange don't have the final act, "Grand Finale?". But strangely Kenichiro Fukui arranged the fourth part. But what is this fourth part?

Thanks in advance.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The fourth part to the Black Mages arrangement is a reprise of the Aria.

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Originally Posted by ZiggyGo

The fourth part to the Black Mages arrangement is a reprise of the Aria.

You're right, ZiggyGo. Listening all versions again I noticed that only OCG4 version have the fourth act, "Grand Finale?", and all arranges finish with a reprises of "Aria Di Mezzo Carattere", like "Darkness and Starlight". Anyway, it will be cool if someone could confirm this information.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

By the way, I found another interesting information in Michio Okamiya's post at The Blog Mages 2008:

"The part which I arranged is "part 3". And it has a added part which had been in Uematsu-san's head for about several years. So, this will be the first time full version of Maria and Draco appears. The added part is the Battle scene of Ralse and Draco, so the guitar and Uematsu-san's organ are played hard just like a battle of them! I hope you'll have fun listening to it!"

Someone know what part is Okamiya talking about?

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It's the part where The Black Mages are singing the chorus. It's original and probably my favourite part of the whole track.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Mr. X

It's the part where The Black Mages are singing the chorus. It's original and probably my favourite part of the whole track.

Interesting. But do you know what's the name of the track in OST, Mr. X? And do you know if OGC4 includes this part?

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The part I'm referring to is 9:32 to 11:54 (maybe to 12:25 but that is maybe Fukui). I think it is entirely new so not based on anything in the OSV or OGC4.

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Originally Posted by Mr. X

The part I'm referring to is 9:32 to 11:54 (maybe to 12:25 but that is maybe Fukui). I think it is entirely new so not based on anything in the OSV or OGC4.

You're absolutely right, Mr. X. I heard the track "The Wedding Waltz ~ Duel" in OSV and this part don't exist in original. By the way, in all perfomances (OGC4 and others), "Opera 'Maria and Draco'" is always played without choir. Only "Darkness and Starlight" have.

But Okamiya is wrong when he talks "So, this will be the first time full version of Maria and Draco appears", because the Black Mages's arrange don't have "Gran Finale?".:P

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Arguably, Nobuo Uematsu never intended "Grand Finale?" to be a core part of the opera sequence. After all, the theme was used outside the opera in a variety of contexts unlike the other three pieces. It has also only featured in one concert performance, Orchestral Game Concert 4, and this was conducted by Kosuke Onozaki who is related to Koichi Sugiyama rather than Nobuo Uematsu. That said, I personally love "Grand Finale?" and found it worked spectacularly in OGC4.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Arguably, Nobuo Uematsu never intended "Grand Finale?" to be a core part of the opera sequence. After all, the theme was used outside the opera in a variety of contexts unlike the other three pieces. It has also only featured in one concert performance, Orchestral Game Concert 4, and this was conducted by Kosuke Onozaki who is related to Koichi Sugiyama rather than Nobuo Uematsu. That said, I personally love "Grand Finale?" and found it worked spectacularly in OGC4.

Very interesting, Mr. X. Thanks for all information.

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