When I was watching trailers for Final Fantasy XII I noticed the violinist in the music. So I tracked down what the song was called, a version of the Symphonic Poem, and I began digging through information for things in regards to the violinist. He sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember where he was from.

When I was younger, around Christmas time when we first got our then fancy CD player my parents went on a CD buying plurge. One of the things they bought was Celine Dion's then recent album "Let's Talk About Love". Since I am a violinist, my parents were naturally attracted to the song "To Love You More" because there was a violinist in it. They would put on repeat. It became really annoying....

That violinist is distinct. He plays in such a way that even after years of not listening to him you could tell that it was him and no one else. His key feature in his playing is the strong vibrato. It just feels so fulfilling to have a sense of nostalgia coupled with lush and flawless sound of that particular violinist. His name is Taro Hakase.

The first time I heard a part of the Symphonic Poem was in a trailer for Final Fantasy XII. When the piece got up to the violin solo, the first thing that came to mind was "who is this player? I should know him from somewhere but where?". One thing came to another, and when once I figured out who "Taro Hakase" the memories of listening to Celine Dion on repeat came back at me. At first it seemed a bit disturbing, but yet exciting because since those years of my childhood I've became a better violinist and because of that I could fully appreciate Taro Hakase's playing for what it really is.

Symphonic Poem "Hope" can be seen as a complimentary album to the Final Fantasy XII. The theme of the Syphonic Poem happens to be song that plays in the ending credits of the game itself, but overall content, like a symphonic poem does, is a musical imagery of certain events of the game. The following is a track listing for the album in Japanese followed by the English translation:

交響詩 ｢希望｣ Symphonic Poem "Hope"

1. 交響詩「希望」~第一楽章:序曲
2. 第二楽章:賢者の行進
3. 第三楽章:ロード・オブ・ホープ
4. 第四楽章:ロマンス
5. 第五楽章:ロード・オブ・ホープ~リフレイン

1. First Movement: Overture
2. Second Movement: March of a Wise man
3. Third Movement: Road of Hope
4. Fourth Movement: Romance
5. Fifth Movement: Road of Hope ~ Refrain

In relation to the imagery, this is what I think of when I listen to this album.

1. This reminds me of the tension that is created when Ondore is reading his memoirs.
2. In the opening cutscene, not from the one when you start a new game, but the one when you don't press "start" in the main page, there is a scene where the Arcadian Judges are walking. Whenever I listen to this, it always reminds me of them strutting, but I also recall a interview with one of the staff members in regards to that specific cut scene being a test motion capture scene of the staff members doing the walk, and someone deciding that it was good enough to put in the end of the game, but making it seem like it's all a big joke?
3. Road of hope. Obviously the main character's "Road of Hope". If I could point out one thing in this movement, it would be Taro Hakase's playing. It's almost violent in a sense?
4. Ashe's relationship with Rasler.
5. Sadly, ever since I watched that game trailer, the images of the game trailer were imprinted in my mind because of the way they edited it. It was horrible. Why would you want three Ashes on one screen casting magic or whatever she was doing?! Cutting one screen to show three simulaneous sequences of what?!

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