Reiko Nomura's version on the 1994 album 'Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VI' is what most would consider definitive. The album was co-produced by Uematsu, after all. It's slower and has a more melancholy tone which I think people really associate with the character and the overall bleak tone of the game's story. In the game itself, the main theme version is a woodwind piece and has no arpeggios. So if the piano versions can take license with the structure and complexity of the piece, surely it's acceptable to take a little license with the tempo in your rendition.

This is the track that began my decades long love of Nobuo Uematsu's incredible music. The ultimate adventuring theme. Like so much of Final Fantasy's music, so somber, an air of hopelessness, permeated by subtle rays of light. I could listen to this forever.

I don't know why, but this song always brings tears to my eyes, no matter the arrangement.

Stopped scrolling for the thumbnail, Clicked for the title, Subbed for the music. Beautiful.

There are so many songs in Final Fantasy 6, that just ... thrash my soul into pieces every single time I hear them.

I've been practicing this song all week and I've managed to get 1 minute in, at 3/4 of the speed. Such a hard song. Thanks for the inspiration ; i finally managed it. it's one of my favorites to play. thanks or the inspiration

From a fellow pianist/musician, AND someone who was obsessed with Final Fantasy VI in my youth, this is a GREAT rendition!

Since when Celes started playing piano?

Hurts my heart to remember 20 years ago. This song does it everytime.

Such an iconic piece. Wistful. Melancholic. Hopeful. Determination. Somehow all these spring to mind. Thank you very much for your rendition!

FF6 has definitely the most touching characters in all of Final Fantasy.

The Terra's Theme is the song of all Final Fantasy (because I've played almost all) and it belongs to version number VI, which is one of the best in history (although many love the VII because it is the first played by the youngest). On your piano you added several arrangements that make it a unique piece. Hugely grateful for giving us this experience; as well as for performing the Chrono Cross theme "Shore of Dreams" which is also wonderful.

This is easily the best performance I’ve heard of this song. Thanks for sharing!

This is so beautiful. Great job

The only problem is that i can't like this more times... Your version of it is still one of the most beautiful things i have ever heard... Kara, i love this piece of music when you play it so much!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥

Once in awhile I drop by to listen to you playing "Terra's Theme" and then feeling a sense of renewal. As always continue to play with all your heart and I'll listen with mine! With love and appreciation, Kara!

That piano sounds absolutely incredible. Obviously the touch and musicianship is incredible in itself and the piece is beautiful. Everything combined lends to quite the experience

Beautiful as always!

The music is so beautiful and Kara too, i cant stop listening. Deserves much more attention! Thank you for playing this song.

Brilliant.

Very crisp and clean! Mr. Uematsu would be proud. Keep up the good work 👍

This song was the most epic gaming intro I'd ever experienced. Lifetime memories

My favorite Final Fantasy piece from my favorite Final Fantasy game. What a beautiful rendition! THANK YOU for recording this!

Love this rendition, I'll keep coming back to this!

No se hablar inglés pero quiero decir que es la primera vez que te escucho tocar el piano. Me ha parecido increíble con la delicadeza y facilidad q tocas cada una de las notas de cada pieza a la perfección. Me encanta ver cuando en tu cara expresas lo que sientes al tocar. He escuchado final fantasy, más concretamente el 7 porque fue un juego que me enamoro. Yo también toco el piano y gracias a ti me has inspirado ha querer mejorar más como amante del piano. No se que formación tuviste en toda tu vida de piano pero simplemente decirte dos palabras: maravillosamente perfecto. Felicidades.

This is so beautiful! 🤍

I keep coming back to this rendition every time. This is one of the best and most soulful renditions I've heard of this beautiful piece. Amazing work, and keep it up!

Absolutely beautiful, I love it at the different tempo. Amazing job

Nicely channeled. This is an ancient song from another universe. That Final Fantasy game, and others, as it turns out are real and from the multiverse. Leaked into our reality through subconscious channeling. Many find themselves going to those universes, even after our deaths on this world, especially the Japanese.

This is the finest rendition of this song i've ever heard

I love how expressive you are when you play! Excellent song, one of my favourites!

Thanks, Kara, for a wonderful rendition of Terra's Theme. Your playing really lifts up our spirit against all the chaos in our lives.

Great job! I envy your skill to be able to play this in person. Thank you for your energy recording and filming this; hope to be able to do the same one day soon. Happy to see all FF fans!

I think your interpretation of the piece was perfect, I know wanting to please everyone is a big part of having a KZfaq channel but playing how it sounds best to you is actually what matters most ;) You're the professional pianist after all!!! Xo

All in this video its perfect, the way that you play and act this song, makes me feel my heart more warming.. absolutely perfectly

This song is my anthem for undertaking any long hard task. Thanks for this video, this is everything this song deserves.

ok so coming from someone who is OBSESSED with FF6 and beat it 20x, maybe more lol, I THOUGHT YOU PLAYED IT PERFECTLY AND THE TEMPO IS PERFECT!!!!!

My 14 year old self is crying right now. Thank you for making this.

This track got a lot of play time from me this most recent winter. Probably one of the greatest songs to listen to while you sit and watch snow fall... and you crush it here.

One of my absolute favourite pieces of music. Makes me feel like I just witnessed something impossibly profound. The level of skill you play it with is mesmerizing.

a live stream piano jamming...I would listen to that, I think. it's not too fast, for me, I loved it.

OMG SO GOOD, I LOVE YOU

Thank you so much for learning to play the piano and playing this and many other pieces. Thank you, you are enchanting and this is beautiful.

The base melody for this song is absolutely haunting. Hearing it for the first time on the SNES's synthesized wind instrument really made you feel like you were about to embark on an incredible journey. Well done Kara!

"I detest imitation, I detest hackneyed devices...." -S. Prokofiev I found this refreshing, we are as performers allowed to express our selves through our realization of the score. my current professor also frequently remarks about the need to consider melodic grouping and pacing and breathing ...spot on. you are not setting out to copy what most people have done before, in fact , that's our challenge, how do,we make the familiar interesting?... besides if you have critics, it just means you are doing something right..,either in challenging your audience, gaining enough exposure. or both. and those that think it's too fast can go learn and record and post their zzz....of a performance to their own channel. besides are Arnie (as in Arnold ) Schoenberg said, and I paraphrase , true artistry doesn't seek to be pleasing to everyone, but rather if it pleases all, then it isn't true art. ooooh snap :-)

Throughout the game there are varying arrangements of Terras theme, the main one being the world map theme with the loud flute and bass guitar. This best matches that tempo and I love it! Please do more of 6, mystic forest next!

I love the fluidity of this piece. I know that feeling when you love what you play.

Thank you so much for not slowing it down and turning it into a sorrowful, artsy piece. You nailed it in your description. It's a piece that is sorrowfully triumphant. Excellent cover, from someone who played this game for the first time in the mid 90s as a 7 year old and most recently as a 31 year old, 2 months ago :)

Wonderful as always - keep up the great work! PS: Not telling you what to do at all, but I'd love to hear your take on basically anything from the Chrono Cross soundtrack. I've loved that soundtrack for years, and your interpretations of video game music are really delightful to listen to, so it only follows that it would be great to hear how you would play anything from there. ;) Can't wait to hear your next piece though!

My favorite part of this theme is "Snow Field", I get emotional listening to this.

A great performance. Lovely! I could really feel the passion.

Beautiful. Everything. My favorite video game song...perfectly encapsulates the sorrow, journey, and triumph of Terra's (and many others') story. Thank-you Kara.

How can anyone reasonably dislike this video?

I have the biggest crush on Kara and her playing.

I enjoyed the pace of this, and the notes you understated. Very pretty! Thank you.

Absolutely Stunning! Brought a tear to my eye

Arguably the best theme from the FF series and you nailed it! Makes me dream happy thoughts as I drift to sleep😆

If you don't like the tempo, put the video on .75 speed

This is one of my favorite songs and you play it so beautifully. Thank You!

Excellent!! Your performance moved me!

When you started, it reminded me quite a bit of the piano part of the Young and the Restless theme. I love that piano; it sounds awesome. I expected to find info on the piano in the description, but I did not. I'd like to know; name, model, year, and so on. As far as the tempo is concerned, the original piece does NOT have a stable tempo, it's dynamic, ranging from 60 to 88 BPM, so really, your rendition here is fine, and absolutely enjoyable. Also, I've never thought of Terra's theme as sad or melancholic, but adventurous and exciting.

From what I'm seeing, this video is literally Terra playing her own theme.

Very well done. Thank you!

I haven't been this enthralled from a pianists playing in years... Can't stop listening =o. Unbelievable.

Do Celes's theme from FF6 when you get a chance. It's so beautiful and sad at the same time

When Aerith makes a tribute to her predecessors...

Wow, this sounds great! Thank you for posting this.

This is absolutely beautiful. Final Fantasy VI is my favourite Final Fantasy game and the game has my favourite soundtrack ever. Again, this cover is so beautiful.

Literally made me cry

Playing this at 0.75 speed is perfect ❤

This is one of my favorite pieces of music. You played it beautifully.

Just awesome! Can't stop listening this thanks Kara

Whats not to like?.... Final Fantasy Piano Beautiful playing Beautiful face Beautiful hair Beautiful dress Beautiful jewellery Beautiful colour contrast Lol 😍

One day they are going to make a great movie about the game and that's going to be a very good day

As a kid who played this game day and night every day, I love you for making this video :') ahhh the memories. Hearing this again reminds me of the dreams I used to have as a kid. The feelings. Thank you... Wholeheartedly.

Excellent! Another great one

Better than any Antidepressant

Play this at my wedding..

Beautiful rendition! I love it! Thank you.

Loved your interpretation of this piece...the faster tempo brings a more luminous side to the tone. It's such a great piano arrangement!

スゲ〜

Just what I needed, thank you.

you're awesome thanks for the uploads

And after you were done playing you quietly slid your chair back, jumped up, and shouted "HA! FUCK YEAH! NAILED IT! FUCKING NAILED IT!" And you ran laps around the place hooting. Don't worry if you didn't actually do that, you did it in my mind so it counts. :P

I love it. This is your rendition, and you absolutely owned it! Keep up the great work!

This is beautiful, thank you for make this friday so bright.

This is a masterpiece! The way you play it, it's amazing!

I keep stumbling on other songs you've done, and I am so glad I did. You are so talented. I just love you.

Love FF music played by artists such as yourself. Please keep it going. I appreciate your hard work and dedication to it. YOU'RE AMAZING!

Oh god my very favorite piece of music in the entire world, from the best game ever made. I'm so glad I just ran into your channel, this made my month! Great job.

Amazing work I can’t stop listening 👌👌

Feel glad you played lots of famous songs from Final Fantasy. Thanks for all these sharing 🥰😊

I’ve followed you on Instagram for quite a while now. I remember sending you a message well over a year ago, simply mentioning how much I love Final Fantasy VI, and how this is my favorite composition from the game. Today I find out you have a KZfaq channel AND that you’ve covered the song! It sounds great! ❤️ I may or may not have gotten a little choked up. The world will never know the truth of it.

Love this song. Nicely done.

This melody is one of Uematsu's best arrangements yet and in my opinion, one of the purest and most beautiful emotive saddening melodies ever to exist! And you made it justice with your art Kara! It's simply breathtaking..! I feel transported back into the game from my childhood, with this! Revives all the sentiment lived throughout all the story I played through! Congratulations! By the way, I love your attire on this video! Here, you remind me of Terra herself eheh! :)

This song has slowly started to become my most favorite Final Fantasy song and they way you played it made it sound even better!

Subscribed, some of my favorite compositions played by a gorgeous lady makes me very happy. Thanks Kara for playing these music the way I feel when I hear them.

At midnight, with my heart beating for the inspiration you give and about to clap being alone seeing your precious interpretation. Thank you so much for what you do!

Very impressive! Very much enjoyed this!

Thanks for the lovely rendition, Celes Comparetto. This song is heart wrenching, yet warming at the same time. 🥲