Olympus Coliseum (track)

"Olympus Coliseum" is a musical composition by Yoko Shimomura that appears in the Kingdom Hearts series. An arrangement introduced in Kingdom Hearts III is named "Olympus Coliseum -The Shining Summit-".

Appearances
"Olympus Coliseum" is the field theme of Olympus Coliseum in Kingdom Hearts, Sora's Story in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]''.

"Olympus Coliseum -The Shining Summit-" is the field theme of the Realm of the Gods in Olympus in Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts

 * Olympus Coliseum: "Olympus Coliseum", "Getting Ready for The Games", "Too Heavy?", "Cloud", "Junior Heroes"

Kingdom Hearts II

 * Olympus Coliseum (First Visit): "The Reunion"
 * Olympus Coliseum (Second Visit): "The Constellation of Heroes"

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX

 * Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days: "Day 117 - Secrets"

Ventus's Story

 * Ventus: "Hero Hopefuls"

Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]

 * Olympus Coliseum: "A Spot in the Tournament", "A Determined Competitor", "A Familiar Face", "Hades", "The Strength of a Heart"

Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]

 * Olympus Coliseum: "Reunion: Hero of Olympus"
 * Cy-Bug Sector: "A Medal!"

Composition
"Olympus Coliseum" is approximately two minutes and eight seconds long in Kingdom Hearts. In Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, the piece is slightly extended to two minutes and seventeen seconds long. For Kingdom Hearts II, the piece is reduced to one minute and thirty-nine seconds. Both HD remakes length differ from the originals: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX is two minutes and ten seconds, and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX is two minutes and fifty-one seconds. Regardless of the game, the piece has a time signature of 4/4 time. In Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, the piece has a tempo of 101 beats per minute. In the original Kingdom Hearts II, the piece has a tempo of 102 beats per minute. For Kingdom Hearts III, the piece has a tempo of 99 beats per minute.

For instrumentation, each version uses a similar instrumentation. This instrumentation includes: a complete strings section- violin, viola, cello, and stringed bass, piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, crash cymbals, triangle, xylophone, orchestral bells, snare drum, bass drum, timpani, wind chimes, chimes, harp, synthesizer, and piano.

Overall, the piece has a very grand and majestic tone to it. While heroic in nature, the fanfares used in this piece differ from the battle theme in that they are not as rushed, or "fast." The brass instruments- namely, trumpets- continue to use the double tonguing form of the multiple tonguing technique. The French horns and low brass instruments help establish the chordal background, while the harp and keyboard instruments play the accompanying, faster flourishes. After the stately brass and percussive opening, the theme features a slightly softer and gentler section featuring the woodwinds. Despite this calmer section, the trumpet's fanfares and harp's rhythmic runs continue in the background. This section is slightly different in Kingdom Hearts II, where the tone is more mystical instead of grand. In this new musical concept, the strings accompany in the background, playing in the pizzicato style. Meanwhile, the flute and oboe converse with each other as the dominate melodic phrase. This is temporary, however, as the flute soon retreats, giving way to the oboe and higher pitched strings to control the melody.