ReMix: Dragon Warrior 'Overture Variations'
While Patrick Waters, alias trickwaters, may not have been inspired to title this piece creatively, opting for the rather Dr. Obvious "Overture Variations," (deja vu!), the piece itself is what matters far more, and it's an ornate and well-crafted arrangement that certainly DID involve some serious creativity. The ReMixer writes:
"I began planning and composing /Overture Variations/ for wind quintet in September 2006, shortly after I enrolled in graduate school. With my education demanding more attention, I set the project aside until January 2007, garnering some recent revisions in June for improved voice leading. Heavily inspired by the works of Brahms, the variations cycle through disparate keys and styles of counterpoint."
With classical/orchestral pieces like these, when there are a good number of exposed parts, there's this really interesting issue judges have to deal with regarding sample quality. Should a lesser arrangement with fantastic samples make it onto the site while a great composition that sounds pretty GM gets turned down? The trickier aspect is that quality samples CAN actually improve what we refer to as arrangement, by allowing for alternative articulations and modulations that simpler, static samples don't. It's not a black-and-white, cut-and-dry issue - arrangement can affect production and vice versa, and while having the best samples in the world still won't guarantee that you'll arrange brilliantly, having limited samples CAN hold you back. Case in point, even though one listener wondered why I didn't get a real orchestra to record my latest mix (or specifically a real cellist), I personally would never have released it in the first place if I hadn't had a cello sample that could capture *enough* of what I wanted. It was an arrangement that was made directly possible, for me, by a single sample library, and I see nothing wrong with that, as that's my personal barometer for what I will and won't release.
That being said, even the best sample libraries involve degrees of compromise, and there are plenty of great mixes on this site that wouldn't be here unless ReMixers accepted that compromise and moved forward with their ideas. I say all of this because Patrick's arrangement of Sugiyama's classic Dragon Warrior score is basically a chamber piece, with a lot of exposed solo parts, no ensemble passages to hide behind, wonderful variation between legato and staccato articulations, and superb attention to dynamics. Those particular traits - the same that make it a great, unique arrangement - happen to tax the believability and musicality of any orchestral sample library to its absolute limits. Don't get the wrong impression - I think this sounds pretty darn good, all things considered - I just wanted to muse on this particular topic for context. Patrick's arrangement lives up to its intuitive title with a ton of variation, switching from held, legato passages, to runs, to combinations of the two, to the almost cartoonish and very quick ending. Clarinet and oboe start out, joined by bassoon, flute, and horn within the first half minute. The part writing is the mix's biggest success by far - unison, harmony, call-and-answer, counterpoint, etc. are all employed very naturally. I feel like that was the mixer's focus and primary goal, and I think he achieved it. Malcos writes:
"This is certainly not the kind of thing we get on a regular basis, and adds musical diversity to the site. That aside, the arrangement is very good, mixing in source sections in between original material."
Sounds good to me; judges pointed out non-existent low-range EQ being an issue, but I don't think you can necessarily apply traditional EQ to pieces like these, and on my speakers at least it wasn't a huge issue. Different stuff from Mr. Waters, sounding almost like "Dragon Warrior goes to the Renaissance Fair," in a good way.
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