ReMix: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 'Three Mushroom Dances'

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Jeremy Robson writes:

"This is an arrangement of three themes from Yoko Shimomura's Super Mario RPG soundtrack, similar in style to Dvorak's Slavonic Dances. It also contains a small quote from another Mario game, for those paying attention."

I must say, this does have the quality of Dvorak, and sounds like something we might have played in concert band back in high school. Well, technically, we didn't have strings, but you get the idea - it has a very "composed" feel to it, the type of orchestration where you can mentally picture the conductor's motions for tempo changes, tension, transitions, etc. You've got Bean Valley, Nimbus Land, and Forest Maze, intertwined with one another in a manner that does make them seem rather cohesive, and also like dances, with an abundance of moving staccato tuba and pizzicato bass as woodwinds duke it out for supremacy and then get overpowered by brass - which, speaking as a former low brass player myself, is how the world is meant to be (sorry, euphonium inferiority complex +1). Robson ain't afraid to employ the low brass generously, both in ensemble and solo format, and while the samples and velocities used continue to occassionally result in what some might call "blattiness", it's still nice to see the low b. in the house. Jeremy's not the best guy in the whole wide world at making his samples sound utterly believable, but they're definitey utilized effectively enough to let his arrangements, where he focuses his efforts, shine. Woodwind solos here are especially nice, weaving amongst supporting parts and themselves with grace and poise. This is a little different from Robson's other work, a little less epic and more intent on fulfilling the compositional concept of the stated inspiration for the piece, which it does a very admirable job of. SMRPG's OST seems to fit the context rather naturally, and the amount of variation and phrasing that's packed into these six and a half minutes is formidable - things are kept varied and momentum is maintained. Certain percussion and chromatic percussion could have used their levels either increased or reduced and stand out a bit (or don't) as a result, and on occassion as mentioned the brass is borderline problematic, but this is a style of orchestral composition that's not commonly attempted, it's unique, and Robson makes it work. Good stuff and lots of it.

― djpretzel