ReMix:BioShock "Variations on a Lost Soul" 3:47

Happy 4th of July! For tonight we've got some lower-key solo piano fireworks with an American ReMixer arranging an American game scored by an American composer. Because America! sschafi1's (Sean Schafianski) third featured mix is a dramatic classical/cinematic piano piece & also our FIRST featured arrangement of Garry Schyman's iconic score to modern classic BioShock:

"I had the pleasure to arrange "Lost Soul" from the first BioShock as a theme and variations, as featured on the album ENRAPTURED: BioShock Remixed, presented by Materia Collective + Elder Geek, part of the Twenty-Five Games for My Son web series.

I've always loved this track from the OST. It is indeed short, though amazingly evocative and lends itself very well to arrangement. This arrangement uses minimalist techniques and quotes the style of Philip Glass. It was experimental at first, but it definitely grew on me, and I think it suits the track quite well!

This is your classic theme and variations form with a minimalist twist! Played by the wonderful Ruby Toung (a.k.a. PurpleSchala), who learned this piece in under a day. Huge thanks to Ruby for her amazing piano skills on this one! I hope you all enjoy it!"

Good stuff; evaluating "variations"-style pieces is a bit different for the panel, but they can certainly fit within our rubric. Gario had an excellent & thorough analysis with his decision:

"I've seen a few pieces utilize the 'Variations' form on the panel, but there's a common issue that crops up - too often, it sounds like multiple pieces stringed together, and not like a single coherent track. This is a variations form piece done well - the transition from part to part sound like they're building off of one another, and rarely does the pacing get broken from iteration to iteration (save for the break at 2:09 - that was held a bit too long, there, and broke the sense of flow it had).

The recording is solid, and the performance is acceptable. When it picks up speed I can hear a few errors in the arpeggios; there's a mistake at 1:32, the arpeggios are uneven (slight variations in the timing), and the pedal sometimes misses the first note which makes the arpeggio sound inconsistently hollow. I'm being a touch harsh since none of these things break what is otherwise a solid performance, but it's something to pay attention to in the future.

It's a great idea, and the execution is very well done. Nitpicking the performance and the break of flow at 2:09 aside, I'm all for giving this a spot on the front page. Great work!"

Not much to add; thrilled to have BioShock represented on the site as it's definitely one of my favorite modern games, creating an unforgettable atmosphere with its fantastic environments, and Schyman's score was a huge part of that impact. Kudos to Sean & Ruby for their expressive and distinct arrangement!