As a preorder bonus in 2008, Chrono Trigger had a 2 track promotional bonus CD of two orchestrated songs. The first is “Chrono Trigger” which finally see’s the fantastic main theme brought into life by an orchestra for all its grandure. The strings and brass really push the full power of the melody forward and the running drums keep the pace up. When it breaks down for its quieter sections, the xylophone adds an extra innocence to the track.
While arranger Katsumi Kameoka stays very much to the original source on that track, “Chrono Trigger Medley” is more a tour de force, cycling through all the different tracks with effortless transitional slips between various moods, themes and key moments in the game, complete with big grande finale finish that only an orchestra can produce.
If you can find it, track it down. There’s only two tracks and it only clocks in six minutes but most people will leave it laying around as a freebie I’d imagine. Nice to see Chrono Trigger get the orchestra treatement, as I never really warmed completely to the pseudo-jazz arrangements of Brink of Time and I’ve sat and waited since for the full works. This will have to do!