ReMix: Final Fantasy VII 'Valse Aeris'

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What Final Fantasy VII project would be complete without some orchestral action? Jeremy Robson covers Aerith in his usual excellent style; it may not be shocking to fans of his work, but when you've got a track record of consistently excellent orchestral arrangements, deviation loses some of its appeal. Jeremy writes:

"For anyone familiar with my past arrangements, it should come as no surprise that I set out to turn Aeris's theme into a waltz using the works of Maurice Ravel as a model. To me, putting the up-tempo nature of a waltz against the sentimental makes for an interesting contrast, and what piece from Final Fantasy 7 is more sentimental than this? While keeping up with the ever-changing, impressionistic harmonies and the colorful orchestrations was a challenge unto itself, the biggest obstacle was finding new ways to not just reference Aeris's theme, but to make it the primary source of all counterpoint and variation... in a triple meter, no less."

For such a well-known theme, it's cool to have an orchestral arrangement that doesn't take a more orthodox approach; the contrast Jeremy refers to works well. In particular, the ReMixer works deftly with tempo and rhythm to adapt the original into a framework far from its ballad roots. There are moments that remind me of Thomas Newman's brilliant score to Angels in America, darker points that channel a little Elfman, and definitely the intended similarities to Ravel. In a lengthy 7'21", there's probably other guys in there as well, but in the end it's all Robson. My absolute favorite thing about this mix, though, comes from a bit of bias on my part as a former Euphonium/low brass guy - there's a tuba solo at 3'36"! And it sounds good! This makes me happy! Granted, in the grand scheme of things, it's only a short passage in a much larger piece that's one of Robson's best, but it's still something that stands out for me. I like the attention to form that Jeremy's paid; things feel refined specifically from an arrangement perspective. Everything feels thought out, and the end result is something that sounds like it could easily have originated in the 19th century, which I take to have been part of the point. In any century, though, this is great music.

― djpretzel