ReMix:Xenogears "Wavering Reflection" 3:48

Next up we have a haunting, somber chamber/Renaissance style classical piece off of Xenogears: Shattered Memories, by RebeccaETripp & several talented collaborators:

"This is my contribution to the Pixel Mixers album, Shattered Memories. The album is an eclectic mix of Xenogears tracks (originally composed by Yasunori Mitsuda) arranged in various styles. Please check it out if you're into Xenogears or VGM! A few of my friends were also involved in other tracks.

I worked with some amazing musicians on this project:

• Oboe - Sauraen
• Bassoon - Bassoonify
• Clarinet/Piccolo/Flute - Gamer of the Winds
• Mixed - Gabriel Tripp

I chose to do an orchestral/classical/renaissance style arrangement for "June Mermaid," which I named "Wavering Reflection" due to Esmeralda's nature. I hope I captured something of her enigmatic, innocent aspect."

While beautiful, I found this arrangement rather melancholy; expressive performances, heavy vibrato, and a deliberately paced minor setting all combine for an overcast, early winter vibe, perfect for staring longingly out the window. Not something you'll be humming in the shower, unless your showers are very... forlorn. Not every piece of music has to be Beethoven's 9th, or "All Star" by Smash Mouth, for which we can be glad; music can & should explore the full spectrum of human emotion, and I found this mix rather touching, personally. The only nit worth picking is that the intonation of the live woodwind parts walks the line a bit, during certain passages, which prophetik music picked up on:

"this is a very ethereal original, and the approach with light winds and harp is a good way to represent it. i found the flute's slow vibrato to be notable but acceptable with the style, but the... piccolo combined with that slow vibrato to be uncomfortably approaching tuning problems... at :53 the intonation is real notable. further intonation issues exist in the clarinet at 1:03.

these are, to be honest, all nitpicks and not enough on their own to really sway my vote... it's important that i don't take away from the overall great job transforming the source here. you stayed safe but did a nice job translating the melodic portions to different voices without making it sound like a summer band pop song. the harpsichord parts are really touching, and they're well balanced in the mix - it would have been so easy to let something without dynamics like a harpsichord stick way out and you didn't let it."

All good points, including the harpsichord nod. Brad really touched on the tuning issues with a level of diagnosis/explanation that I think reflects well on the judges panel & his newer contributions to its work. I concur that the overall transformative & transporting arrangement overcomes these passing concerns, and I love the magic that live instruments & collaborators are bringing to Rebecca's music. The emotional impact more than compensates, and the result is a moving, emotive piece that honors Mitsuda's work. Check it out, and then check out ALL of Xenogears: Shattered Memories!