ReMix: Final Fantasy VII 'Philharmonic Suite: Finale'

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Jeremy Robson gives us the final chapter to his epic series of FF7 philharmonic/orchestral arrangements, quite the popular items amongst squareheads and fans of orchestral game mixes in general. Actually, it may not be the final chapter, in a certain sense, as the mixer indicates:

"I haven't yet decided if I'm going to continue with the suite. It contains several themes from FF7, but what people will instantly recognize in the first half is the music from Weapon's attack on Junon."

There was some revision from the initial submission, as some of the judges felt, and I agreed, that the low brass in the initial version was a bit 'blatty' (technical term) and needed to be toned back a bit, which the revision takes care of adeptly. It's a very dramatic piece, with build after build, plenty of climaxes, pushes, etc. (my favorite is 4'40", probably the strongest melodic section) and quite a bit going on, so adjusting even one element can help the whole thing come together a bit better. Robson has a knack for medley arrangement, filling in segues with original cinematic 'bridges' that very smoothly and naturally connect Uematsu's originals together in a larger context. He's got a good sense of moving parts too, with arpeggios and supporting instrumentation accompanying the primary themes every step of the way. A couple judges had some issues with the arrangement - you'll have to see the judges decision thread for that, as there wasn't a clear consensus along those lines, but most agreed the initial low brass was problematic and the revision MUCH improved, enough to change at least one vote. Larry rebutts some of the arrangement comments:

"Lots of good support instrument ideas made for creative additions I heard compared with the original, and I felt the "Weapon Raid" theme itself was altered pretty well. I'm not sure why anyone would potentially cry foul on the rearrangement. The source theme is 1:16 long and this mix doesn't seem to use the verbatim source structure as a crutch at all. Unless I somehow have the wrong theme, it's a fine medley piece. If I have the wrong theme from the PSF pack, let me know."

Arrangement's fine to me; actually, let me rephrase - I think it's more than fine, as personally I like the type of cinematic flair Jeremy embues Uematsu's pieces with, the transition work he's refined down to a pretty exact science, and the overall energy. It might be lacking some of the subtlety of a mature classical composition, but it's got all the energy and thematic mojo of a motion picture overture; I think that's really more where the roots are, and in that light I think the ReMixer does a superb job in handling the material. Ever the melody afficionado, I consider the big payoff to be 4'40", and might not have enjoyed the piece as much if I didn't consider it such an effective blending of leitmotifs heading into this climax; in any case, I think plenty of good folk will appreciate Robson's John Williamsifying of these classic FF7 themes, all things being equal. Celebratory, dramatic, and emphatic.

― djpretzel