ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "The Impresario" 8:48

I arrived at the site lost in a sea of emotions from recent and current ill fated life events. The remixes of games of my youth upbeat and energetic tugged my malleable mood in positive spine tingling directions. Then I took a chance and typed "Opera" in the search box. Not knowing what to expect, but knowing I would be rewarded for my efforts I hit the search icon. I clicked the first link I saw and pressed play. I would not return to conscious awareness for what seemed like 20 minutes. As the thunderous power of the music came to a close and started to repeat I came to my senses. My shirt soaked in tears and my teeth sore from clenching my jaw I knew I had made a good choice. I had been holding back so many emotions and pretending to be ok while going through so many recent life changes. I needed a release from my own emotional prison and this track afforded me that opportunity. Thank you.

Eight years since its debut, and no comments in the last five years... I thought I had commented here back when but I'm not seeing it, so better late than never.

I was in Myrtle Beach for a week-long job when Balance and Ruin was released. I burned it all to CD to listen to on the four hour drive home. I was loving every second of the album, and then The Impresario hit. I think my mouth was agape through the entire track as I was completely enraptured. After the final note sounded, I reached for the power button on the radio and turned it off. I sat in silence. I could not process what I had just heard. For five miles I mindlessly drove while my brain and my heart tried to reconnect.

It's one of those moments I'll always remember.

With each listen, I am transported back to that first time. It's an incredible track that perfectly captures both the spirit of the FFVI original soundtrack and especially the spirit of this site.

Long live The Impresario.

Holy moly,

Gotta say, I listened to this a few times in the past couple of years. I guess beforehand, I never really just understood why it garnered so much attention but now, I come back to it after 5 times listening to it nonstop and I can really appreciate the scope of this masterpiece. This is a remix that will - forever - stand the test of time. As I go back and listen to the oldest remixes on the site, I have a feeling this will be like that for the next generation of ReMixers. Even idle listeners and those who spend their time in the community lurking in the shadows, will eventually end up at this amazingly imaginative piece and come to the realization just as I have: Video game music is the future's version of classical music.

With this remix brought into the light, that understanding will become so clear, it'll be like looking through a wine glass.

...and with that, all words expended: I'm speechless.

This is excellent. I wish I could arrange like that, play like that, sing like that. This is one of the best pieces of music of any kind I have heard recently. The rendition of Aria de Mezzo Carattere is absolutely magical--"I'm the darkness, you're the starlight" will forever be its lyrics for me.

Send this to anyone who says they don't like OC ReMixes that have vocals.

I am a big fan of queen and a big fan of various Final Fantasy games... Although the queen reference is VERY obvious. This is one of the best "Queen" songs I've ever heard. I consider it as sequel to the original song and what Queens interpretration of what happened after the opera scene... I feel this is the Opera Scene act 2 I would love to hear another song like it either from another series or from another final fantasy game.

Leave it to Jake Kaufman to compose one of the most epic things on OC Remix in ages. There is a layer of irony I'm sure wasn't intended. But I'm glad old rivalries and grudges have been tossed aside. The result was well worth it.

Only just heard this today, but it got about a dozen plays.

I haven't signed on to OCR for over 7 years, but this song made me break my silence. Typically I just download the albums and be on my way, but I was listening to Balance and Ruin today when this song came on and had completely blown my mind. I had to listen to it again just to be fully sure I just heard what I heard, and then I proceeded to listen to it another 5 times throughout the day, and I imagine I'll give it another 5 or so listens.

The Opera has always been one of my favorite songs in Final Fantasy VI. Even without the lyrics, it is a song that tells a story from it's highs and lows, from the slow, somewhat melancholic intro to the sort of "false happy" wedding theme to the dramatic fight scene to the heartwarming ending. There have been only two covers/remixes that I have ever felt to get it right, which was The Black Mages version and Distant World's version, every other just tends to fall short.

That was until I heard this, it nails everything perfectly, the pace, the mood the emotion. It's far from traditional, but the Queen/Bohemian Rhapsody homage is absolutely brilliant, and the execution was nearly flawless. The piano/guitar/vocals are amazing, and gives me chills. This music isn't just nice to listen too, it's powerful. It makes me feel. Get get pumped and excited, and the emotional impact is far greater than any song that I can recall in recent memory.

If I had pick any gripe out of this song, it would be a personal one and a rather pitiful one at that. I feel that the lyrics could have been just a tad bit more robust. I like the interpretation Maria and Draco as a Romeo and Juliet, but I feel that something was lost in translation. Also, I can understand the need to keep in line with Queen, but I felt that possibly another vocalist to help differentiate characters within the lyrics would have served better, maybe of hit that Meatloaf Rock Opera feel,

However, the song is far above and beyond what I could expect and is easily the shining diamond in the album. Amazing job.

Yes Bohemian Rhapsody. That was the first thing that sprung to my mind when I listened to this.

Again, I'm a sucker for the opera scene in FFVI and this was exactly my cup of tea (even if I don't drink any).

But should any judge read this: Please, please post "The Nightmare Oath" I love it even more than this one

My first post on OC remix. I'm not a contributer; I'm not even a composer. But I am a musician and a fan of music. A co-worker suggested I take a look at this site, and suggested I take a listen to The Impressario.

I don't have a lot of technical feedback, but I'll say this: In the last week or so, I've listened to about a dozen different compositions, different games, different genres, different composers, just to get a feel for the site. This is the one that got stuck in my head.

Please take that as a compliment, as it is intended. Perhaps, what I mean to say is this song is like a banquet. It hits all the taste buds just right. Got a little harmony, a little slow and soft, some rocking guitar and drum, then it switches up to something different and unexpected.

I can only imagine the time and effort it must've taken to put this together. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Bravo!

Best song on the album. Amazing vocals, instrumentation, mixing.

Thank you.

I'm a bit behind on my OCR-age, so I only just downloaded the album this afternoon and have only listened to a few tracks thus far, but I still feel confident in saying this is easily one of the highlights of the album.

The Queen homage is both obvious and amazing, well-executed to the point that I feel I could recommend this song to non-VGM fans and, other than the length, they wouldn't bat an eye.

If most of the other songs are even one-third as good as this, I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the album.

I will always remember the moment i heard this song. I listened to BR to to this points with thoughts of "cool , great , well-made" and so on and then The Impressario started. I stopped the chat i was participating in before and my eyes, ears and smile got wider and wider. The 9 Minutes later my conclusion was: "This is the "best" song on the album and even the next ones can´t top THAT." Of course music is subjective. But for me it has proven to be that way.

Enough said. No wait. One more thing: Thank you very much for "The Impressario" Mr. Kaufman!

Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster. I just want to say this song is great and thank god I went back in time to fix the DJP/Virt rift so that this remix could exist in your time-space continuum.

OK GG everyone, I should return to my own timesphere now, k thx bai.

Not my sort of thing, but masterfully done nonetheless.