ReMix:Golden Sun: The Lost Age "At the End of the Road" 4:38

From Golden Sun: A World Reignited comes this dynamic, passionate solo piano arrangement, arranged & performed by Bluelighter (Guillaume Saumande):

"Here is my second contribution for the album project. This track is a piano arrangement of Lemuria. The original song was peaceful and nostalgic; this kind of arrangement would be appropriate, IMO.

The arrangement alternates soft parts and parts with rhythm accentuated. I wanted in each part to respect the nostalgic characteristic of the original song.

I was melancholic myself when I made this arrangement. This track was perfect to work on. :d"

Breakdown:

Original:

• 0'00-0'15: Melodic Line (ML) 1A
• 0'15-0'26: ML1B
• 0'26-0'50: repeated
• 0'51-1'15: ML2

Arrangement:

• (in B flat minor)
• intro: ML1A: soft
• 0'36: ML1A: soft with arpeggios
• 0'58: ML1B: soft with arpeggios (G minor)
• 1'15: ML1B: rhythm marked
• 1'28: ML1A: rhythm marked (B flat minor)
• 1'55: ML1A: soft, crystalinne sounds
• 2'20: ML1A: soft, in a major variation
• 2'43: ML2: rhythm marked (F minor)
• 2'53: ML2: arpeggios, culminating point of the piece (B flat minor)
• 3'30: ML2: soft with arpeggios
• 3'51: ML1A: soft, crystalinne sounds

Plenty to be melancholic about these days; do hope Guillaume is feeling comparatively upbeat, now. This is a powerful arrangement, with a metric ton of dynamic contrast - the quiet bits are delicate & emotive, but there's impact & force aplenty when things get louder. The provided arrangement breakdown was super-helpful, since there's a lot to unpack - Rexy writes:

"It took a handful of listens between then and this point, but ultimately I saw a handful of smart ideas. Breaking the A section in half was a genius way of separating characteristics, and so was experimenting with different keys, pacings, and dynamic variations. Ultimately, when I heard the melody presented like this, I felt way more confident with how it played out - and more respectable of Guillaume's crazy writing prowess.

So yes, it all checks out - a sweeping piano arrangement with an insane amount of twists on a singular theme and a robust render to boot. Let's get this on the front page!"

Highly interpretive & calculated in its diversification of the source material, while also connecting on an emotional level - good stuff. Emunator concurs:

"Just a quick cosign from me - this is a lovely dynamic arrangement, beautiful piano tone and some unexpected rhythmic shakeups to keep things interesting. I also felt that the section starting at 1:27 was ambitious but didn't quite land right, and I think Rexy's observation that it would have functioned better within the context of a fully-orchestrated arrangement is very astute, and not something I would have identified myself, though I totally agree with it.

Either way, this is a solid performance that feels just as weird as I'd expect from a Motoi Sakuraba arrangement. Let's get this posted!"

Indeed, let's; great stuff from bluelighter which added a powerhouse solo piano arrangement to the album & embraces Sakuraba's original with craft & feeling - enjoy!