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ども、土屋です。
いよいよ今年最後の会報となりました。今年も残すところあと４日程度！？いやはや、早かったです。去年の今も今年の今も、私の周りはアルトネリコ一色です。本当にあの日から３６５日経ったのか思うほどに、ビックリするくらいあっという間に過ぎていきました。夢中でゲームを作っていると、１年なんて本当にすぐですね…。
さて、歌い手さんの事について語るのも今回が最後。今回お届けするのは、石橋優子さんです。石橋優子さんは、他の３名とはその出逢いの形が少し違います。他の３名は私自身が歩き回って出逢った方達ですが、石橋さんはいつもお世話になっているスタジオさんの紹介で知り合うことになったのです。
それは熱い夏の日の事でした。「すごい歌い手さんがいる、まずは土屋さんに紹介したい！」と言われ、デモＭＤを聴かせていただいたのです。その歌声を聴き、一瞬で思いました。ああ、この人は歌うために生まれてきた人だ…と。それ程までに彼女の歌声は綺麗で…ピンと張りのある、揺らがず、それでいて心地よい揺らぎを持っていたのです。これだよ！これ！これが「歌」ですよ！
…そんなこんなで興奮しまくり、是非歌ってくださいとお願いしたのです。そこには寸分の迷いもなかったのでした。
今回の物語は「詩が力」である世界であり、そのイメージモデルとして、多重コーラスを多用した民族音楽的「謳」で統一させていただいております。しかし、石橋さんが今回のゲームで歌っている詩は、他の３名の歌とは一線を画しています。他の３名の詩が「謳う」のに対し、石橋さんの詩は「歌う」詩です。それは、天上の音楽に対する人々の音楽、そして「詩の持つ本当の力」というものを物語の中で表現したかったからです。その為、企画発足当初から、「アカペラで人のこころを打てる歌い手」を探していたのです。しかし、アカペラとなると本当に１００点満点の方なんて、一生に何名会えるか…というくらい。もちろん、歌唱力という意味では上手な方は沢山いらっしゃいます。しかし「アカペラ」で本当にピシッと一本線が通った、安心して聴いていられる揺るぎない、そして心を貫いていく歌を歌える人が欲しかった。正直夢物語でした。企画当初は、そんな人は現れない、ゼイタクだ（そりゃ超有名アーティストにお願いできれば、何名か候補はいますが）と思っていました。しかし、石橋さんは現れました。
彼女のお陰で、今回のお話のテーマの１つである「歌の持つ本当の力」を、物語の中に表現することが出来たのです。
ゲーム中では２曲、彼女の歌を聴くことが出来ます。両方とも、彼女の声をとにかく大事にした曲達です。というか、伴奏全部取ってしまっても十分に貴方のこころを揺らし続ける歌声です。ＣＤではヒュムノスコンサート蒼(2006年1月25日発売) に収録されていますので、是非聴いてみてくださいね。
…と、何故いつものソロアルバム紹介をしないのかと言いますと、彼女は個人アルバムを持っていないからです。しかし、先日素敵な曲を１曲聴かせていただきました。今回のアルトネリコで「多重コーラス」や「民族音楽」、その歌い手さんに期待している方は絶対好きになると思われる楽曲でした（現に私は骨抜きになりました）。石橋さんは、アルトネリコでは民族調の曲は歌っていませんが、この１曲は激しく「民族調多重コーラス」です。
その楽曲の入ったＣＤがこれ。是非聴いてみてくださいね！
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Hello, I'm Tsuchiya.
And finally, we have come to the final report for this year. There are only four days left before this year ends!? Dear me, it really passed quickly. This same day the last year, and this one as well, I was thinking only about Ar tonelico. When you think that 365 days have really passed since then, it's impossible to not be surprised. That after a year, I am finally creating the game I dreamed with...
Well then, this is the last issue in which I will be talking about the singers, and this time, it's the turn for Ishibashi Yuuko-san. The way in which I met Ishibashi Yuuko-san is a little different from how I met the other three singers. While for the others I went and met them personally, for Ishibashi-san, I was introduced to her through one of her acquaintances, who happened to be one of our studio workers.
It was a very hot summer day. He told me: [There is a great singer that I want to introduce to you, Tsuchiya-san!], and then, he let me hear a demo of hers. And when I heard her singing voice I thought it immediately... this person was born to sing... I thought that because of how beautiful her voice was... and I got attached to it, to how unwavering, and to how comfortable it made me be. This is it! This! This is a [song]!
....That was how excited I got, so of course I went and asked her to please sing for us. I didn't hesitate even a bit for this decision.
Given that this story is set in a world where [the Songs are power], we decided to consolidate the [Songs] with an ethnic and multi-choral style as the image model for its music. However, the Songs that Ishibashi-san sings for the game are separated by a line from the ones the other three singers sing. In contrast to how the other three [Sing], Ishibashi-san simply [sings]. That is, hers' are simple earthly music, in contrast to the heavenly songs, because I wanted them to appear as a display of the [true power carried by the Songs]. Because of that, when this project was first started, I searched for [singers that could move the hearts of the listeners through a capella singing]. However, I wondered how many people that really could perfectly sing a capella I would be able to meet during all my lifetime... Of course, there are a lot of people that have quite a lot of skill when it comes to singing. However, there aren't many that could really move the hearts of their listeners, and tranquilize them through [a capella] singing, and most would refuse doing it, so what I really wished for was a person that could a least move others with its voice. Honestly speaking, even that sounded like something out from a dream. When the project was started, no person like that showed up, and I thought that it would be asking too much (though there would be many candidates if I wanted to ask it to the more famous artists). However, Ishibashi-san appeared before us.
Thanks to her, we were able to represent within the game's story one of its main themes: the [True Power Carried by the Songs].
During the course of the game, you will be able to listen to two of her songs, and both of them are songs that place special importance upon her voice. This means that the musical accompaniment is just the necessary to complement her voice, so it can continue moving your heart. They will be recorded in the CD Hymmnos Concert Blue (to be released on January 25th, 2006), so please, make sure to give them a try.
...Also, forgive me, but I won't be able to recommend you one of her albums, because she doesn't have any solo albums. However, the other day I was able to hear a song sung by her that was recorded in other album. I think that the [multi-choral] and [ethnic] songs of Ar tonelico, as well as their singers, are some of the most anticipated components of the game, and they will be surely liked. And while Ishibashi-san won't be singing any of these ethnic songs in Ar tonelico, the song I heard was overflowing with very exciting [ethnic choruses].
That song is recorded in the CD you can see pictured below. Please, try listening to it!
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