ReMix: Sorcerian 'Cursed Piano'
Download MP3
- Game: Sorcerian (Falcom, 1987, DOS)
- ReMixer(s): XenoCross
- Composer(s): Hideaki Nagata, Mieko Ishikawa, Reiko Takebayashi, Yuzo Koshiro
- Song(s): The Cursed Oasis
- Posted: 2004-03-03, evaluated by the judges
A self-proclaimed Falcom fan, newcomer XenoCross sends us this solo piano arrangement from the PC game Sorcerian, which was actually converted from the Japanese MSX console and actually found its way onto the Sega Genesis as well. He indicated with his submission that the world needs more Falcom mixes, and I'd tend to agree - my guess as to their relative scarcity would be the lack of domestic translations/releases for many of their titles, or minimal marketing, resulting in less popularity with the world outside Japan. Though the piano here is a bit muffled, the sound itself is good, dynamics balanced, and the arrangement rather interesting. Not meant as an insult but rather a compliment, this does sound to me like the type of piece that you'd hear at a piano recital; something varied in playing styles, featuring recurring motifs and changing tempo requirements. Judge DarkeSword sez:
"Hm, this is quite nice. I'm not at all familiar with the original, but it seems to me there's a good amount of arrangement going on here. There's a nice sense of momentum throughout the piece, but at the same time, it's broken up by a lot of neat rhythmic things that make me sit up and pay attention. I do agree with Malcos though; it lacks a bit on the higher end. That's a minor gripe though. Excellently done."
There's a tiny bit of the melody that has the same rhythm and interval as part of Greensleeves, which probably prompted my recital comment, come to think of it. At any rate, this makes very good, extensive usage of BOTH hands (like the Ani DiFranco song says), with the left always doing something or other instead of just playing wingman in the background. Okay, it's looped a few more times while I've written this, and yes, I definitely keep thinking Greensleeves, which for me personally takes some getting used to - your experience may vary. Clearly, regardless, the original has been interpreted and expanded on in a wonderful fashion by someone that knows how to capitalize on the strengths of the piano as a solo instrument. Good stuff, at times even reminiscent of impressionist works by Debussy... cool.
Discussion: Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the In the last minute or so, the piano seems to beg: "Do I really have to stop? Please, let me keep going. Just a little more..." It utilizes a slow tempo, up-the-scale runs, and delayed notes as if mulling over its own pains and regrets, searching for some hint of warmth within itself, stalling the inevitable for as long as possible. It's almost a chilling parable for death.
- Polo on May 10, 2009
The recording quality certainly was hurting, and I think the piano playing could have been more impactful, fluid, and expressive, but what's here is nonetheless solid, both for it's time and now.
Changes in the flow like 2:30-2:38 & 4:30-4:39 were beautiful in their simplicity and grace, as well as how comfortably they pieced together with the writing before and after.
The Sorcerian soundtrack has a much better reputation in Japan than stateside, which is a shame given the potential this mix shows the soundtrack to have.
- Liontamer on May 22, 2008
- OA on December 27, 2006
- Cheeszeman_ on October 6, 2004
Great stuff! Keep up the good work... :D Let's hear some more of those promised piano arramgements, too.
- fisherman on March 18, 2004
Thanks for the comments folks! I can't believe I'm OCRemix!
- XenoCross on March 6, 2004
That said, I also disagree that XenoCross has "capitalize[d] on the strengths of the piano as a solo instrument." There's certainly some great playing here, but I think this piece could have been much more effective if XenoCross had tapped more into the piano's power. As it stands, each variation on the theme blurs into the next, without much dynamic distinction.
Regardless, I love the arrangement. It's the best solo piano ReMix I've heard, at least.
- Dicaeopolis on March 6, 2004
Way to go!
- Sir Harmony on March 3, 2004
Still, very good arrangement, XenoCross. Congratulations on your first posted remix on OCR!
- Dhsu on March 3, 2004
Content Policy
(Submission
Agreement and Terms of Use)
Page generated Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:45:02 -0400 in 0.148 seconds
All compositions, arrangements, images, and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Original content is
copyright OverClocked ReMix, LLC. For information on RSS and JavaScript news feeds, linking to us, etc. please refer to resources for webmasters. Please refer to the Info section of
the site and the FAQ available there for information about the site's
history, features, and policies. Contact David W. Lloyd (djpretzel), webmaster, with
feedback or questions not answered there.
