“To Zanarkand” is the main theme of Final Fantasy X, composed and arranged by Nobuo Uematsu who got the idea of the tune for the opening theme from a flautist he consulted for help. He requested the tune to be used in Final Fantasy X and coaxed the team in using it for certain event scenes, but they weren’t convinced.
Initially, the theme wasn’t composed for Final Fantasy X, or any Final Fantasy-related title, until Ever Director Motomu Toriyama tried using it on the opening scene and deemed it perfect and no other theme would do. Uematsu was also surprised that it was just perfect for it. In the end, the theme, together with “Suteki Da Ne (Isn’t It Wonderful?)”, became the game’s main theme, something Uematsu still finds hard to believe. Toriyama ended up re-editing the scene so the shifts in view to match the track.
In Final Fantasy X, the theme plays during the opening, which shows Tidus and the others before the ruins of Zanarkland as they prepare for the final leg of their pilgrimage. Everyone gathers at a campfire at sunset while Tidus climbs up a vantage point to gaze at the ruins solemnly, beginning to narrate how he reached this point. “Zanarkand” is played at various significant plot events, typically rearranged and under different titles, such as “Movement In Green”, “The Truth Revealed”, and a large part the “Ending Theme”.
“Zanarkand” largely follows the same instrumentation as the original, but is performed on a real piano by Aki Kuroda, with less bass and with a pianissimo / piano opening. The Square Enix soundtrack sample website, and the soundtrack booklet, differ in the credits. The booklet credits Nobuo Uematsu as the sole composer and arranger. The website credits Masashi Hamauzu for rearranging the theme. “Zanarkand” is the only theme with this discrepancy.
Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack reached No.4 on the Oricon charts, and sold 140,000 copies as of January 2010. The album was moderately well received; while some reviewers felt it to be an “absolutely amazing” soundtrack, others only found it to be a “satisfying” work. Some reviewers, noted that some of the best pieces on the soundtrack, such as “To Zanarkand”, were the work of Uematsu.
