This CD ends the performance as such. CD 2 is the "encore" CD.

CD 2
1 - MC 1: The second CD begins with another spoken track.

2- At Zanarkand: From Final Fantasy X, "At Zanarkand," is done simply with a piano. It sounds luscious, at times booming to enormous sizes or moving down to a whisper. The song's beautiful melody has a tendency to sound hauntingly familiar.

3 - Yuna's Decision: Another track from Final Fantasy X and again done on the piano, this track tends to pick up where "Zanarkand" left off. However, it avoids the 'largeness' of track two. Because of its pacing, it sounds like a lounge track, with the recognizable Final Fantasy melodies interspersed.

4 - MC 2: Another spoken track

5 - Love Grows: The Love theme from Final Fantasy VIII, it too sounds exactly like the orchestrated version on the Final Fantasy VIII orchestra CD, Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec. For those who haven't heard the previous orchestra version, Love Grows features horns and a piano.

6 - Suteki Da Ne?: The vocal song of Final Fantasy X, "Suteki Da Ne" sounds wonderful. The vocalist's voice is wonderful and the orchesta only adds to the beauty of the song.

7 - MC 3: Another spoken language track.

8 - Melodies of Life: The vocal track for Final Fantasy IX. "Melodies of Life" starts out with the "Castles and Swords" melody of Alexandria. I really like this part and I wish a full track could have given to that particular song. From there, the vocals begin; for those of us only familiar with the English version of the song from Final Fantasy IX, the Japanese version is stunning. It's like listening to a familiar song, but better. Like "Suteki Da Ne", the vocals and instruments work perfectly together.

9 - MC 4: Another Japanese language spoken track.

10 - One Winged Angel: Unlike the other, previously orchestrated songs on the album, One Winged Angel sounds different from its Reunion version. This is simply the best version of this powerful theme. The track, while featuring Latin vocals like "Liberi Fatali," is much better than Final Fantasy VIII's song. The track is simply gorgeous and is probably the best on the CD.

11 - MC 5: The final spoken language track on the CD.

12 - The Man with the Machine Gun: Laguna's battle theme from Final Fantasy VIII, in its original incarnation this song was probably one of the catchiest and boldest themes in the game. However, this is one theme that was meant to be an electronic song. The song sounds very different orchestrated. It seems to lose much of the dance/techno stylings that it had as an electronic track. Of course, this is not to say that the orchestra version is bad. Previously featured on "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec," this sounds similar, except for being a little more well played.

13 - Final Fantasy: The final track on the CD features the "theme" of Final Fantasy, featured in some or fashion in every Final Fantasy game. The nostalgia this songs brings forth for an old Final Fantasy nut like myself is enormous, and this is probably only behind One Winged Angel as the best track on the disc. My only complaint is that, for a finale, it's horribly short, clocking in at 3:34.

I've highly praised this CD, which it deserves, but there are a few things that could have been added or changed to this disc to make it perfect. Obviously, for someone who's Japanese is poor as mine is, the MC tracks add very little. I'm sure even those who understand the tracks would prefer less talk and more music. The canon of Final Fantasy music is enormous and more tracks would have been incredible (though perhaps not feasible, considering this was a live performance). As far as track selection is concerned, the Final Fantasy I - III medley should have been broken into several songs - "Mayatoa's Cave" and the "Chocobo Theme" should have been given their own tracks (the latter could have been combined with the glaringly absent Moogle theme from Final Fantasy VI). With a stock this big, it is natural for fan favorites to be left out. Another track notable for its absence is Faye Wong's vocal theme for Final Fantasy VIII, "Eyes on Me." Any number of (forgivable) problems could have kept the track from being performed, but with the vocal tracks for Final Fantasy IX and X, "Eyes on Me" would have been icing on the cake.

For a live performance the orchestra was well polished and nary a mistake can be heard during the disc. The audience seemed very polite, too, however they do clap quite loudly during a few tracks, most notably Final Fantasy.

If you've enjoyed the Final Fantasy orchestra albums, especially Final Fantasy VI's "Grand Finale," Final Fantasy VII's "Reunion," or Final Fantasy VII's "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" or even the earlier "Eternal Legend of the Wind," this CD will appeal to you. For any fan of Uematsu's work, this two-disc set is heaven.