Yes, new Madoka music by Kajiura! Can't wait!
Yeah, I know, I'm late to the party...
Tons of post-Kalafina songs were very obvious future Kalafina songs. Hibari, Kimi ga Mira Yume no Monogatari (Asca does a great job in both though), from the edge, Akeboshi,Homura, Koto no Hoka Yawarakai -I'm not sure of because of Yuriko's parts, but the song borrows very very heavily from Ongaku and Sandpiper. Despite not having any SAO tie-in and Sokyuu no Fanfare has that distinct generic Kalafina anison feel to it (plus the song's structure is very obviously Kalafina).
All the songs mentioned (except Koto no Hoka Yawarakai and Sokyuu no Fanfare) are linked to projects Yuki Kajiura started working on after Kalafina had already disbanded (Kimetsu no Yaiba and Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files). As we all know, Kajiura's compositions are usually closely connected to the works they accompany, both lyrically and musically. Because of this, I find it unlikely that these songs were composed years in advance. In fact, Kimi ga Mita Yume no Monogatari is a song version of the opening OST for Case Files, which basically confirms it was created afterward. Would these compositions have fit into Kalafina’s discography? Absolutely. But I'm 99% certain they weren’t written with Kalafina in mind.
On the other hand, Koto no Hoka Yawarakai could, in theory, have been composed earlier since it's a standalone song, not tied to any anime, movie, or TV series. Additionally, it was clearly designed for multiple vocalists, unlike the songs mentioned above. However, the Kajiura documentary strongly suggested that this song was written specifically for PARADE, even as a last minute composition before recording. So, it's unlikely that it was ever intended to be a Kalafina song, although not entirely impossible. She might have already had an early draft lying around for a while after all.
Sokyuu no Fanfare, however, is a different story entirely. Kajiura has been composing for SAO since at least 2012, yet she has never been responsible for an opening or ending theme for the anime. This is unusual, as she typically contributes at least one OP or ED for projects she’s involved in. It’s not far-fetched to think she might have pitched a theme song for the first season, which was then rejected. That song might have been Sokyuu no Fanfare.
There are three pieces of evidence supporting this theory:
- The song was specifically composed for three vocalists, not one, not four, but exactly three. If you swap out ASCA, Aoi Eir, and ReoNa for Keiko, Hikaru, and Wakana, you essentially get a Kalafina song. No other post-Kalafina track would be this easy to convert.
- The lyrics fit perfectly as an OP or ED for SAO's first season. Nothing songwriting-wise suggests inspiration or influence from any post-Aincrad plotlines or OSTs.
- If you subtract the 14-second intro before the first verse starts, the first chorus ends precisely at the 1:30 mark. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
So, while it remains speculation, I personally do believe Sokyuu no Fanfare was originally meant to be a Kalafina OP or ED for Sword Art Online's first season.