The Bahamut Theme "Ascension" Is The Evolution of Classical Music || ff16 OST

[@gamerdadjx]

Playing in the orchestra throughout high school and college….it’s unbelievable that my life with a violin and my life with a controller have truly become one.

[@wren7195]

That's honestly one of the most fantastic things I've heard this month, God bless you. Heh I apologize, he took a long time to say "classical music is by its nature symphonic," or it is genuinely the ensemble acting in, if you'll forgive me, "concert." And yet somehow that ... I don't want to call it a "lack" of individuality, but instead a growth of syncopation that apparently prosecutes itself in tandem with its allies, brothers, what have you. From the literal selfish cacophony is the sincere desire to play to one's nature within our structure, and somewhere in there bla bla bla I'm drunk and very tired, been very ill a long time, and I wish I could shut my damn brain up. Hey. I'm grateful for your life and what you've done, and the fact that you love music enough to be here and bother to write a comment? Take care my friend. Please forgive my humanity if you can, and your own if you can continue to "prosecute" your music ongoing, for the others who will hopefully forever ask questions of necessity. ...is that not music itself?

[@deldalus]

even with a little of music knowledge I had, I can says this track is one of the best peak classical music in video games.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Yes

[@SoloIori]

When I got to this part, I was not prepared for the majesty of the music and fight combined. Completely blew me away

[@MarcoMeatball]

i nearly poo'd myself.

[@timezero8409]

I couldn't believe they succeeded to be more epic than Titan's fight!

[@ilvzrelatiivez9097]

For anyone wondering, here are the official lyrics of Ascension: On wings of an angel forsaken Our destinies lie In courage, conviction (through the night) We find our redemption (find our light) That we might make our ascension Burden shouldered Seven worlds of teardrops falling to the seat Bitter seeds, these, e're yearning to be Free! Holy Mother set us free! Strike our irons, be our Solace Temperance Virtue Vengeance Firmament over us Fundament 'neath us Take flight into the starry heavens On high, celestial procession Fire on ruby mountaintop To guide us to the word of god(dess) Solace Temperance Virtue Ascension! Guide our spirits ever higher And higher and higher and higher, higher! On wings of Faith We'll rise again Ware ye the madness That breeds inside us Tides of fury flowing, ebbing Mists of malice whorling, wending Veil of nothing, never-ending Dare not seek what lurketh down beneath No! An evil hiding from the sun Blinded, he screameth eschaton immanent

[@Raptor747]

Honestly, him not having the lyrics looked up and ready to reference was a huge fail on his part. Like, you're going to make an entire video analyzing and breaking down a song and not even bother looking up the lyrics?

[@joeld5338]

​@@Raptor747no

[@otaviofiochi570]

now THIS is the song I'd like to see you present to some unsuspecting classical music person like you've done before Marco.

[@vincentshen5035]

YES marco please do

[@MarcoMeatball]

I will.

[@what-tm2ow]

@@MarcoMeatball HELL YES

[@Khelleyne]

Yes, please man, this song slaps.

[@lokshok]

Yassss!!!

[@timezero8409]

This song is the perfect complement to Sanbreque's french inspired Empire and Dion's Bahamut. One word: Majestic!

[@saesang352]

When the violin part started, my jaw hit the floor

[@ghostlyrazgriz5228]

Tbh my jaw was on the floor for most of that boss fight the first time i played it

[@einherjar4902]

I love that part so much I kind of feel pity for everyone who didnt get to this part of the song when he cast Zettaflare. This part + Zettaflare just hits different

[@DodderingOldMan]

@@einherjar4902 Thanks to some ingenious tech and some really hard work, the music in this game is always synced to the action. Everyone got that music at that exact moment as he cast Zettaflare. Soken has said that of all the time he spent working on this game, only half of it was composition. The other half was arranging it all and ensuring that everything lined up with what was happening on screen.

[@einherjar4902]

@@DodderingOldMan The music jumps to a specific point when ifrit charges into the Zettaflare. During the charge and firing of Zettaflare its still wherever the song was in the fight when you reached that point. I saw some videos of people being at a completely different point in the music Its actually not that ingenious. They just skip to a specific point in the music at a specific point in the cutscene. I sometimes find the sudden music change a bit jarring and I wish they found a more smooth way to transition over to the part they want to be

[@DodderingOldMan]

@@einherjar4902 Actually, yes, sorry, you're right. After typing that I realised that what was shown in the video was different to what I'd been thinking. I'd watched the video uploaded by Mundus, and the way the violins kicked in at that moment seemed so incredibly perfect I assumed it was scripted that way. Apologies.

[@Auesis]

The timing in my fight was incredible. He started charging "Celestial Foundry", the one that makes the *enormous* array of beams, and the violins kicked in as it was charging. I've never experienced a boss fight like that in over 20 years.

[@HorizonIncarnate]

Celestial Foundry is such a hard ass name it goes SO fucking hard for an equally awesome looking move.

[@markman11111]

Regarding your question at 14:00, I feel like the game has trained us to associate those overtly classical structures very strongly with Dion, and so us remaining in them even as we rise to challenge Bahamut reminds us that we are in *his* element - the skies are Bahamut's domain and we are the intruder here.

[@jjswifthd]

This right here ^^^^

[@Platypi007]

Musician with degrees in voice and choral music here. I was _blown away_ by this track and how well it worked with the fight. The timing with all the changes to music and fight style were absolutely stunning.

[@ShiiroHasu]

Bahamut in the crystalline dominion was quite literally dancing mad out of sorrow and despair and was extremely close to turning Valisthea into a hole in the planet. The theme pushes that point forward so much it hurts, not just the characters, but even the player

[@VashimuXIV]

I still firmly believe this is one of the greatest fights I’ve ever done in games as a whole. Yes it’s a spectacle and not really that difficult, but it’s just awesome start to finish.

[@jaybee4288]

The whole game is easy though, more of a game problem than a boss problem. Shame really, they went to all that effort to make an easy mode then made the game super easy.

[@Falzyker]

Bahamut is literally the one that people think about when it comes to FF summons, there is a reason as to why there are like 20 of him in FFVII and why FFXIV keeps going back to the Coil, its a giant Dragon you can't get better than that.

[@SassyGhost13]

The Phoenix has always been my favorite but Bahamut is definitely at the top of my list.

[@dominicdunn2579]

The themes fit so well as well In 16, ifrit and Shiva being lovers, the knowledge of Ramuh, Garuda being unhinged and titan being a force to be reckoned with . All of them fit so well

[@jaybee4288]

@SassyGhost13 that’s unusual given how Phoenix is rarely used and usually extremely basic. The new developers seem to love it though.

[@SassyGhost13]

@@jaybee4288 I’ve always been a fan of the Phoenix in general, probably started with Jean Grey lol. Plus I love the whole rebirth aspect of it as well.

[@SassyGhost13]

@@sirei01 Thx for providing that FF14 lore for these peeps lol. Also; that explains why Joshua and Dion were so into each other.

[@leroyjenkins2030]

I love how it's almost universally agreed that the strings part is the absolute highlight of this track.

[@astrealove2247]

Soken is a massive genius. This is a musical masterpiece.

[@Izayoiri]

I admit, I did not want to fight Dion, and the music here had me just cry most the fight. I did not want to hurt him, I did not want to beat him, and I hated to fight him. The music to me took that there too.. they don't want to fight, they, like we have to.

[@fulnaz3164]

This song really makes you feel like fighting a juiced up tactical bombarding dragon on space

[@MrKing-qd7gi]

That also shoots giant Lazerbeams.

[@kumomeme7852]

A WEAPON THAT SURPASSED METAL GEAR

[@kucingpundung]

A gundam war

[@geek593]

That happens to be a man of high status and culture.

[@profoundresolve]

I remember hearing a portion of this iin one of the trailers and i immediately knew we were in for a treat. Soken and his team NEVER miss.

[@lukedodson3441]

It's teased during the little clash between bahamut and odin

[@etherwing]

It's the ambition trailer. I had it on loop for a while because of the violin part, it was so good. That's what sold me on the game.

[@fubuki72]

Actually soken didn't write, like, 5 songs in the game and ascension is one of them

[@Phoenix0917forGod]

This game deserves a Grammy or multiple even.

[@jakeywaykey]

This was by far the most creative and astounding piece of music ff16 has to offer. The feeling of tragedy contrasted with the nobility and honor that represents Dion perfectly. All of these classical elements merged into a unique piece of music I'll definitely remember. Phenomenal stuff Soken 👏

[@mlm4906]

The classical music theme fits well with the idea of you fighting royalty. In popular media Bahamut is know as the king of the dragons and Dion is a prince of a holy empire.

[@patrickrealdeal]

Beethoven would be so proud of the insane string section, so good

[@Immortal_Dino]

When I watched the “Ambitions” trailer when this ost was played, it was hard having to wait for the full ost to officially release (in game) so you wouldn’t be surprised about how my face looked when the ost started playing mid fight. This ost just fits Bahamut/Dion perfectly. Everything he’s been through him and his family. Dion is best character

[@khangle6872]

Actually it was the Ascension trailer

[@Immortal_Dino]

@@khangle6872 thank you for the correction!

[@stinkmeaner19]

You were right the first time it's the ambition trailer lol

[@crjm2001]

@@khangle6872 no it definitely is the second half of the ambition trailer that features this song

[@steotrron]

I took a music class a few years ago, and at the end of the semester I sent my professor a variety of music from video games and anime. I grew up with classical music, and to hear just how much of those sounds live on within these mediums is heartwarming and exciting for the reasons that you brought up! Every time a new soundtrack pops up, I'm compelled to send him a new batch of songs for him to enjoy.

[@wood1066]

One thing I love about this and all the Eikon/Dominants themes is how well they fit the characters.

[@stupogo0]

its there themes , and Clive has to over power them with thier themesongs playing , recently rewatched the scene where we first see Deon and caught some Violins in the background when he was resting between skermishes with Odin

[@SSlash]

@@stupogo0 yeah this whole theme that resides here within Ascension/Beyond the Heavens, is throughout that scene and again later in the scene with him and Joshua just before this, dunno if there's meant to be an official overarching title for it but it is basically just, literally Dion's theme, so much of it within the game too, like for example when Titan is crushing the first hideaway the theme playing is there is same as heard in castle dazbog, had they gone for a different approach I assume it would've been littered throughout Titan's phases too, hell maybe it is!

[@grodcoyote6635]

Wow, your input on this song was so interesting to hear. I hope you can do Joshua's theme "Away" in the future, it's one of my favorites from 16 (who am I kidding every single song in 16 is my favorite)

[@bruhh0713]

Didnt he already make video about it?

[@grodcoyote6635]

@@bruhh0713 That was "Find The Flame" which is Clive's theme, he also did the general Eikon fight theme.

[@jengorman2246]

To me it makes perfect sense that Bauhamat's themes are so classical - his background, the most high society of the Eikons - it's like the fights' music are expressions of who they are. Dion's classical theme, Titan's metal theme, Shiva's love song that's largely sad tones reflecting her love for others and how it's abused to force her into battle. This really is a pinnacle of FF soundtracks, and just how to score a story masterclass. I don't know how they'll ever top this, and as soon as my soundtrack set gets here I don't know how I'll listen to anything else.

[@leimornyx4811]

As a violinist this is one of my favorite songs ever practicing it often

[@chief_critical5318]

The strings were god-tier fantastic! This OST made me so focused in the fight, because it sounded like a waltz of warring partners trying to dominate (no pun intended) the dance floor that was the battlefield!

[@Dorgrin]

What struck me when listening deeply to this track, and its lyrics, were the madness motifs. A magnificent piece. And the way they mixed the vocals as a fundamental part of the soundscape. ❤

[@mamoruchiba752]

It's no wonder many people hearing this for the first time think it's the end boss. The feeling of despair, loss, agony and that everything is at stake is very strong.

[@PatrickJanz]

Soken blessed us with the lyrics of Ascension On wings of an angel forsaken Our destinies lie In courage, conviction (through the night) We find our redemption (find our light) That we might make our ascension Burden shouldered Seven worlds of teardrops falling to the sea Bitter seeds, these, e're yearning to be Free! Holy Mother set us free! Strike our irons, be our Solace Temperance Virtue Vengeance Firmament over us Fundament 'neath us Take flight into the starry heavens On high, celestial procession Fire on ruby mountaintop To guide us to the word of god (dess) Solace Temperance Virtue Ascension! Guide our spirits ever higher And higer and higher and higher, higher! On wings of Faith We'll rise again Ware ye the madness The breeds inside us Tides of fury flowing, ebbing Mists of malice whorling, wending Veil of nothing, never-ending Dare not seek what lurketh down beneath No! An evil hiding from the sun Blinded, he screameth eschaton immanent

[@WayTooLateTV]

This fight had me on the metaphorical edge of my seat, headphones clamped on my ears, in a dark room, my brow Soken wet, half from the heat outside coming in and half from the intensity of the fight, and you just explained every nuance of why I felt the way I did from one of the most GRANDLY EPIC fights I've ever played in a video game in my life. I first found you via the Grinding Gear podcast, and I'm hitting the subscribe button with the strength of a GIGAFLARE.

[@AxelonIV]

Soken wet uh?

[@WayTooLateTV]

@@AxelonIV oh sure, classical music is fine but when the wordplay enters the chat...

[@spoese]

I remember getting to this part and thinking, “WTF IS THIS GAME?!” but also, “Marco is gonna love this. Can’t wait for the breakdown.”

[@neverbloom4717]

the passion in this video is contagious

[@saranodamnedh56]

It's definitely Soken's Dancing Mad. Amazing piece.

[@PetarBladeStrok]

Incredible analysis Marco! I hope to hear you cover Odin's "The Riddle" and Typhoon's "Catacecaumene." Those are absolute bangers! Phoenix's boss them "Away" and regular battle theme "Sixteen Bells" too. All of these tracks are such bangers! BTW. one thing to note is that Bahamut was only this strong because he merged with Drake's Tail mothercrystal, which empowered him to insane levels. Even though he's probably the strongest base Eikon alongside Odin, he went beyond that, but only during this battle.

[@desrtsku]

I just can't get enough this piece. It's just absolutely phenomenal. Easily my favorite track in the game and my favorite song all year period.

[@yasminebatista4322]

Thank you so much for this analysis! As a person who practiced classical piano for years and had no friends who shared the same special interests in Mozart and Bach, I feel so understood and validated to see you pointing ou the exact details that amazed me when I first played this game, in special Bahamut's scene. Final Fanasy OSTs have always brought amazing pieces, but 16 OST is something else entirely. Soken's work in this game is truly remarkable and awakens emotions that I could only feel in a few live theater concerts and ballets I've been to. Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts with your audience, and hopefully this will help to bring more ppl into classical music :D Keep up the good work!

[@MarcoMeatball]

:)

[@flivine]

My favourite track too!! When I fought him I was so into the fight/story and I was also Amazed by the music. I LOVE the classical sound, it fits Dion s character imo. Very happy to see you react to it! Your knowledge of music is so interesting.

[@theolailheugue9402]

The most acurate part for my favorite character of ff16. Long live the chad emperor Dion 🎉

[@ramasama]

When you were talking about Ifrit and Phoenix fusing, I realised that the instruments are doing that too. Of course the percussions are doing their own thing, but all the instruments that were doing counterpoint or question-answer type of melodies are in unison during the "...-scen-sion" part 4:59. Very cool.

[@scifisyko]

I like that your horn impression sounds like a Jewish grandma from New York. But yeah in that "tragedy for Dion" section I definitely catch an air of "Not even being the Dominant of the most powerful* Eikon on the planet who can transform into a holy space dragon whenever he wants is enough to solve all your problems."

[@Decrith]

You know its awesome when Marco almost swears. Thank you for the video as always Marco, this video makes me feel nostalgic because it reminds me of my music classes back in High School.

[@will7329]

The rhythmic brass at 16:53 is reminiscent of / a possible reference to "Force Your Way" from FFVIII / FFXIV Shadowbringers OST (with the latter version being arranged Soken). An outstanding piece - thanks for taking the time to break it down in such detail.

[@lugesei]

Totally aggree with you on the point that it's this generation's Dancing Mad/One Winged Angel

[@Mooshywooshy]

I really love this song. It gave me an immense feeling of regality which seemed appropriate since it was 3 princes fighting lol I remember being hooked ever since i heard like 2 seconds of the violin solo in one of the trailers lol

[@Sigmund_Froid]

Looking at the Lyrics, it's clearly a Church Song. Singing about a Holy Mother really shows the Hope the People of the Empire put into their Kingdom. It takes a Tragic shift when you realize that this Song isn't about Hope. It's about the Expectations put on Dion. It's very noticeable in this Part: "Free! Holy Mother set us Free! Strike our Iron, be our Solace Temperance Virtue Vengeance Firmament over us Fundament 'neath us" Giving these contrasting Demands, beat-by-beat really shows how each of them is given with equal, if not escalating urgency and importance! The Tragedy coming from the fact that Dion has no choice but to follow, trying to do the best for everyone despite his Flaws.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

The whole feel of the Song sounds like a Hymn to the Empire, and with Dion/Bahamut as their Beacon of Hope, it is very easy to transfer these Expectations on him. (Specifically, "Holy Mother" could easily be read as a representation of the Empire, or a Patron Deity, with Dion being the closest Human Equivalent you could get to that)

[@foob420]

those strings get me so hyped every time, absolutely incredible theme and boss.

[@lilangelki]

Honestly this whole game was a masterpiece from the artistic to the musical standpoint. HOWEVER if Soken doesn't win composer of the year with this game, I would be SHOCKED. I felt such emotion from all the music, and honestly I never tire of it (I even have the music saved to listen to it). This is now PEAK video game music and I hope other composers follow suit.

[@MrNirtsbro]

I think soken is a genius, he's gotta be. This touches way harder than anything nobuo has ever done in the FF series, hell even in any other games to be honest. The layers, the complexity, it's just above and beyond anything I've heard in any other FF game.

[@UltimaLuminaire]

The themes of Sanbreque are those of providence and hubris. This track is the swan song for all that nation stood, and fell, for.

[@Bahamut998]

Reminds me of the Absolute Monarchy of France and its history.

[@luc1ferous]

I love it when Marco becomes possessed by the music!

[@khalbrogo7962]

Having been a final fantasy fan for 40 years, I would put this soundtrack as the best by far, a definite masterpiece, find the flame and on the shoulders of giants are 2nd and 3rd favourite tracks, but ascension is a level above a masterpiece

[@jarofjuice]

This whole section leading up to and I clouding the Bahamut fight is, to me, the most incredible gaming set piece in spectacle, raw emotion, and music. I can’t believe that some are saying the music is not memorable. I understand music is to one’s taste but holy hell the emotions I felt through the music is something I can’t describe. Absolutely powerful! Thank you for breaking it down and validating what I felt!

[@rayoza2607]

‘Violin solo’ segment gives me the idea of when two opponents finally have measured each other out and NOW THEY’RE SLUGGING IT OUT CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS sorta feeling

[@nasaki4348]

I love the music in this game. It feels like there’s so much meaning behind all of the tracks, and this is honestly one of my favorite from the game along with Odin’s theme.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

The part at the end when you don't explain much but just vibe is my favorite😊

[@_ytnahs]

Your analysis helped me understand better how this track tells the tragedy of Dion. I have conflicted feelings about whether his ending was the right way for him to atone, but damn... he really fell and crashed real hard from that high pedestal. The sad part is he wasn't in control when the catalyst occurred. Ok, he helped defeat the evil and that will make Valisthea a better place in time, but dealing with the aftermath... rebuilding the kingdom and gaining the trust of the (remainder) citizens back. The way they might perceive him and how Dion would carry on with the sorrow of having killed his father and taken so many lives when those things were his life's purpose... it's kind of depressing to think about.

[@umbramuninn]

The lyrics of ♫ Ascension ♫ 😊 On wings of an angel forsaken, Our destinies lie. In courage, (through the night!) conviction, We find our (our light!) Redemption, that we might, make our ASCENSION!!! Burden shouldered, Seven worlds of, Teardrops falling into the sea, Bitter seeds these e're yearning to be FREE! Holy Mother, set us FREE! Strike our irons, be our SOLACE!! TEMPERANCE!! VIRTUE!! VENGEANCE!! Firmament over us, Fundament 'neath us! Take flight into the starry heavens. On high, celestial procession. Fire on ruby mountaintop, To guide us to the word of God. SOLACE!! TEMPERANCE!! VIRTUE!! ASCENSION!! Guide our spirits ever higher, And higher, and higher, and higher, And higher, and higher, and higher, and HIGHER!! On wings of faith (we'll rise again!), On wings of faith! *violin solo* Ware ye the madness, That breeds inside us. Tides of fury flowing, ebbing, Mists of madness, whorling, wending, Veil of nothing, never-ending! DARE NOT SEEK WHAT LURKETH DOWN BENEATH, NO! An evil hiding from the SUN! BLINDING, he screameth ESCHATON! Immanent...

[@mrsgamer9218]

......it had lyrics?

[@theolailheugue9402]

​@@mrsgamer9218 all the ffs musics have lyrics. Its just that in fight they only play the instrumental part.

[@khangle6872]

​@@theolailheugue9402it had lyrics, but it was sung in choir and blended with the background

[@theolailheugue9402]

@@khangle6872 ah yes mb i remark it after rewatch the fight

[@umbramuninn]

@@mrsgamer9218 yup, all the vocal songs have English lyrics!

[@slandi05]

Hey Marco, just heard this song (along with "away," "find the flame" and "my star") performed by distant worlds in NYC at carnegie hall. This song was insane and by far the best they played. You will not be disappointed when you hear it!

[@MarcoMeatball]

I was there :)

[@theMansen]

when you realize Soken is on the same lvl as Uematsu maybe even fourther and booth are my favorite componists of all Time! thx for this incedible insight

[@silverhand9965]

FFXVI is not a perfect game by any means. But it's damn hard to argue against it absolutely killing it on both musical and voice acting fronts. The music is exceptional and the voice acting is a solid 10/10

[@darshio8307]

I mean, no game it's actually perfect, it has a pacing problem but still stand out the average and, it's a big improvement from ff15. The narrative and combat system are crazy as well

[@Slimjim2147]

As a classical musician (clarinet) this is absolutely my favorite track on the ost. The violins slap so hard around 3 minutes

[@Kelabete]

The enthusiasm in this video is infectious! ❤

[@divinsinity4059]

went to check out vivaldi - winter after watching your video. 💯. Marco is getting me into actual classical music in 2023🤣.

[@Solarasthma]

Not just a fantastical musical moment, but an abosulutely bonkers fight scene.

[@akiriith]

It was a joy to watch this video!! I kinda wish you'd used the lyrics here tho, once you see exactly what its being sung, the whole thing just clicks. Its noble and anguished and control and the LOSS of control its Dion's pain and betrayal and madness and then there's these beautiful segments with the sopranos(? idk I dunno music ;-; I just rly love stories) that give you a breather bc the madness of Bahamut just makes Ifrit Risen shine all the brighter. Its the encapsulation of Ultima's plan for Clive, for his Mythos to grow stronger and stronger in his name. Its Dion, its Clive and Joshua, its Ultima's plan, and somehow it juggles all of those themes while matching an interactive battle and the cutscenes themselves. This part of the game is absolute perfection.

[@StarboyXL9]

I love how much this man loves music.

[@thechrisgrice]

Perhaps you should look at the lyrics too? It emphasises most of the points you mentioned: --------------------------- On wings of an angel forsaken Our destinies lie In courage, conviction (through the night) We find our redemption (find our light) That we might make our ascension Burden shouldered Seven worlds of teardrops falling into the sea Bitter seeds, these, e're yearning to be Free! Holy Mother, set us free! Strike our irons, be our Solace Temperance Virtue Vengeance Firmament over us Fundament 'neath us Take flight into the starry heavens On high, celestial procession Fire on ruby mountaintop To guide us to the word of god(dess) Solace Temperance Virtue Ascension! Guide our spirits ever higher And higher, and higher, and higher And higher, and higher, and higher, higher! On wings of Faith We'll rise again Ware ye the madness The breeds inside us Tides of fury flowing, ebbing Mists of madness whorling, wending Veil of nothing, never-ending Dare not seek what lurketh down beneath No! An evil hiding from the sun Blinding, he screameth eschaton immanent ------------------

[@k.vn.k]

What a lyric, that’s so poetic.

[@nekohara9]

私もFF16でバハムート宇宙戦が一番好きです！恐らくですが、時期的に考えて作曲者の祖堅さんが癌を患って入院されてる間にもFF16の作曲をなさってたと思います。辛かったと言っていた抗がん剤と戦いながら作曲をしていたと想像するとグッと来るものがあります。祖堅さんは本当に天才です。

[@kiyu_u6009]

The music made this amazing fight even better. Favorite track in the whole game.

[@krasusable]

Man, Marco looks so giddy here!

[@JuliusCaesar103]

That violin part you described perfectly, it's absolutely violent.

[@nexon7966]

this brought back memories as to why i was in love with classical music as a teen, and playing on an orchestra. This piece reignited a little bit of that spark maybe i should start practicing my instrument again it has been years

[@kylehenderson9489]

Jacob Geller did a video essay on this moment in FF16 called Art in the pre-apocalypse. It touches on many of the same things Marco is talking about. I highly recommend it.

[@Isbellaiswatching]

Bahamut music fight is that music that I go back over and over again.. it's just so *chefs kiss*.. I listened to it and first thing I thought was "SOKEN'S SYMPHONY!" cuz it's just that amazing and awesome.

[@LieblingsLuu]

Easily one of the best songs of the game. Thanks so much for your video ❤️ Hope you’ll cover „Away“ as well 😊

[@aut0mat1c11]

I saw a video of Bahamut's 3rd phase ost theme that has lyrics, I don't know if it's accurate though, but for what it's worth, the lyrics does connect with your interpretation; On wings of, An angel, Forsaken! Our destines lie. In courage, Conviction (Through the night); We find our redemption (Find our light); That we might make our ascension. Burden shouldered; Seven world of teardrops falling to the sea; Bitter seeds, These, E'er yearning to be; Free! Holy mother set us free! Free! Strike our irons, be our; Solace! Temperance! Virtue! Vengeance! Firmament over us; Fundament 'neath us. Take flight into the starry heavens, On high, celestial procession; Fire on ruby mountaintop; To guide us to the word of god(ess); Solace! Temperance! Virtue! Ascension! Guide our spirits higher; And higher and higher and higher, higher! On wings of faith; We'll rise again! Ware ye the madness; The breeds inside us; Tides of fury flowing, ebbing; Mist of malice whorling, wending; Veil of nothing, never-ending; Dare not seek what lurketh down beneath, No! An evil hiding from the sun; Blinded, he screameth eschaton, Imminent!

[@k.vn.k]

I hope SE released Eikon theme FFXVI album. There are amazing and several of them are total gems.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

Was looking forward to this video so much!!!

[@Rebel3000]

I describe this fight as "doing a fusion dance with my bird brother and launching myself into space to fight a dragon"

[@k.vn.k]

My final fantasy!

[@estefaniac.1011]

The first line of this song is literally "on wings of... an angel... forsaken... our destinies lie" and the entire thing is so cool I just can't.

[@arosensei]

17:52 For me, the "clash" of the strings and choral feels like the royal ish madness/sorrow of bahamut versus the vibration of Ifrit Risen, they're entwined, dancing madly and clashing their wits

[@PlazDreamweaver]

This was the best fight in the game imo, and was an absolute spectacle on so many levels -- one of the best-looking fights in videogame history, albeit mechanically basic. The music was so epic, sad, and unique with its medieval elements, although I didn't really care for how the events lead up to this following his meet up with a certain still-alive character I won't spoil for those who haven't played the game yet.

[@rikkuricky]

Marco was so thoughtful and articulate in this - I hadn't thought of video game music in this way ❤

[@GEEKcron]

The battle with Bahamut is the most epic moment I've experienced in videogames this year... and in many years honestly. It reminded me a bit of Evangelion and the battle with Israfel (the synchronized attack one). Seeing your video gave me some goosebumps again, and I thank you for it!

[@kyurei4478]

When it comes to conveying the sense of epicness in a video game, no other music genre can come close to classical music I think. There is a fair amount of classical music in the JRPG genre , probably because those games are centered around the theme of an epic adventure so the stakes are high. That's usually the main way classical music is used in video games. The progressive side also allows you to set it apart from the rest of the OST when it's used, to make you feel this is a different piece of music and a different moment in a video game. But for this same reason, the presence of classical music in video games is probably so linked to the game experience that this is the kind of music you'll prefer listening to exclusively in the moment when you play and not necessarily casually with more catchy themes for example. In that sense, classical music is probably treated differently compared to other genres nowadays when it comes to video games. But I have to say I wasn't particularly surprised to hear classical music here because this is pretty much the kind of music I expect from a Final Fantasy game during moments of extreme epicness. That's why hearing classical music for this fight seemed almost natural to me. Of course, classical music has this image of prestige you reserve for ambitious and totally epic games, and in the same way, the Final Fantasy series always had this image of a prestigious JRPG. So associating both really sounds like a no-brainer to me. But the main reason why it felt so natural to me is because I think using classical music here was totally fitting. Not only it's a boss battle in a JRPG so the stakes are high, but it was also the last phase of a long battle that already had 2 phases before that, and Phenix and Ifrit also fused and it was in space, which elevates the level of epicness to immeasurable levels. Also more than the epicness of the battle there is even a sense of euphoria to this battle phase that the classical music compliments perfectly in my opinion. Bahamut is effortlessly throwing multiple genres of big lasers at us in all directions every second. This battle literally looks like a firework or a light show and the epicness is off the charts. There was no better way to translate the excessiveness of this battle than progressive, very intense, and upbeat classical music. to me.

[@jengorman2246]

UGH LOVE how you pinpoint the 'begging' quality of that section - SO AWESOME

[@calamityknyte]

0:58 The sadness in the theme enforces the fact that this fight was wanted by nobody but Ultima.

[@crafteariee]

Bahamut's theme has lived rent-free in my memory ever since I heard it and I've been looking forward to this video from you once I got to listen to you gush about the Eikon battle themes weeks ago since it's among my favorites from FFXVI's beautiful soundtrack. I'm glad to learn more of what musical predecessors Soken had been paying homage to with the tracks he writes in his own way and love how well the use of Baroque traditions work harmoniously for the set pieces of this video game tableau. I'm happy that you brought up Vivaldi's Winter as it happens to be my personal favorite of his Four Seasons and now I can notice it more how it likely contributed to the sense of urgency in the strings section of this form of Dion's theme. Thank you so much for this video!

[@marinekitty5891]

I'm 💀 my partner and I were talking about the music in this fight just the other day. He mentioned how he hears Vivaldi and I brought up that i can hear Batch. The fact you, a musically inclined person just confirmed what we discussed is killing me.

[@tontj]

This is a great explanation for this song. Heard this a year ago and still cannot forget it. Also heard it again several weeks ago during FF Distant World concert. It is just pure amazing. This is Soken's version of Uematsu's Dancing Mad. Or maybe One Winged Angel 🤔

[@mathew6552]

*take the micro* " do you all like the violin segment well if you listen carefully you will heard "papyrus theme"" now you cant unheard it

[@jaylee9372]

This track played at the LA launch event. Someone tried to leak it but got DMCA'd within the day. I loved it at first listen just from the sound alone. I was not remotely prepared to experience it with visual context. I don't even smoke and felt like I needed a cigarette after that boss fight.

[@Tyrbris]

Soken future proofing his career for all eternity with this track.

[@therealludwigtheholyblade]

I absolutely adore the string section in this. The parts where they go insane is so good. It gets your heart fuckin pumping and AH it’s so good.

[@sarab2583]

This was a great analysis! When I first heard this play in the trailer I thought "that's going to be my favourite piece" and when I got to this bit I was just in awe! I knew it was drawing from classical music, but to hear you explain it just makes it even more amazing!

[@SassyGhost13]

I can’t stress how much I love how passionate you are about this. Makes me want to learn even more about classical music.

[@Darkyan97]

I hope you'll make an analysis of Hymn of the Penitent and All as One. Those themes thematically even triumphed over Bahamut's theme for me.

[@DangerDaddyD]

Yes! I've been so excited to hear your reaction to this song because it absolutely blew me away when playing. That chord at the part with Phoenix and Ifrit combining always gives me chills for a reason i can't explain.