ReMix:Seiken Densetsu 3 "The Dragon Emperor's Calling" 5:10

From Rexy (Beverley Wooff) comes this varied, emotional solo piano arrangement of Seiken Densetsu 3, from Songs of Light and Darkness:

"Okay, time to take a break from the solo non-piano stuff with an actual solo piano arrangement for once. :P

This track was formed for the Seiken Densetsu 3 project that has been going on for a long time. In fact, it's been there that long that I signed up when project founder Usa made a start with it, I took a completely different song, and yet I felt too uninspired to actually realise it, much to my disappointment.

Fast-forward to around October 2011, when I noticed that, even under Rozovian's management, the project still wasn't finished. So I looked at the available tracks and decided to rejoin, eventually feeling that I could do something with "Weird Counterpoint." I've come to the understanding that I gel quite well with late dungeon material in some form, so I felt I could realise a solid vision with this one.

"Weird Counterpoint" is heard in the Dragon Hole, the second-to-last dungeon in Duran and Angela's storyline and where the Dragon Emperor resided with the Sword of Mana, itself with enhanced power after the heroes of the game defeated the 8 Mana Beasts. So the vision I have here is a more intense performance, adding to the size and complexity of the dungeon at this point in the game. It's pretty much a poignant moment in the story's progression too -- they either reach the Dragon Emperor, or die trying. There is no middle ground -- just overcoming adversity and watching your guard at all times.

I ended up getting a new PC and moved to using Reaper as opposed to Cubase, so applying the changes wasn't quite all that easy thanks to having to reassemble the track in there (though, luckily, I still had the MIDI data intact). Nevertheless, I still paid as much attention as I can to tweaking the data for the performance to move more fluidly, and made the necessary production adjustments especially with the reverb. I even spent a fair chunk of an evening with Palpable, who gave some very helpful feedback in regards to reverb and sustain use and the results of them working together, and I feel really grateful for his assistance.

I can say it's brought me another step closer to realising the scope for my piano arranging and really bringing out my feelings for the source material. And I am glad that I got this through for Rozo and assistant director Meteo Xavier (even through more reminders than I can count!), two of the coolest people I know for holding onto the Seiken Densetsu 3 project for so long. I wish all the best for the album's unveiling. :D And like most people, I can't wait to see it finally unleashed to the world, and it has been a great experience getting behind it!"

Rexy's VERY early solo piano arrangements caught some flack at the time for quantization/stiffness, but it's something that she's addressed & eliminated as a concern, as I think this agile, emotive, & dynamic performance illustrates. Album director Rozovian writes:

"This is one of my favorite sources, and one that's easy to work into plenty of others. Rexy has a knack for combining sources and referencing other tracks in her remixes. Here's her "Weird Counterpoint" remix, with bits of "Angel's Fear" and "Witchmakers," as well as "Star of Darkness" from the previous Mana game mixed in. Don't think I didn't notice. And possibly a reference to "Whiz Kid." Is there more? I have a feeling there is. A great piano performance, with my personal favorite moment being around 4 minutes in, bringing the source to the forefront."

Of the approved revision that he consulted on, Palpable writes:

"As I said to Miss Wooff, this is now at a level of playing I think meets the bar, and she persisted in getting those reverb settin gs right too. Great job sticking it out!"

DarkeSword adds:

"This is great. Nice arrangement, nice performance! Very human."

One of the benefits of having a longer project development cycle is that revisions like this can improve individual tracks and thus elevate the overall album; I believe that's what happened here, as some timing and reverb tweaks resulted in a version of the artist's vision that is clearer and more affecting. Great return to solo piano form from Bev!