I have to say, I'm not very impressed by this album. The arrangements are fairly weak, and the performance imbalanced. I don't think they took their time with getting the performance right, as there are many details that are left out. The brass in Flight sounds awful; and it, along with other action cues, feel underscored and anemic. Shevat starts strong and then akwardly presents the main body in a slow, meandering melancholy, wholly dispensing the magic of the source material.
Ironically, the only full orchestral arrangements I found agreeable are those by Mitsuda, the least experienced orchestrator of the four. Of course "lost... Broken Shards" is perfect; it would have been pretty hard to screw that one up; similarly, the two piano arrangements are adequate.
I don't see this one growing on me. If Mitsuda truly considers another orchestral arrange, he'd best select better orchestrators, a better orchestra (or at least a longer recording period), and a better recordist. And ideally, record in a concert hall, not a sound studio. The music here feels rushed and amateurish.
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