ReMix:Final Fantasy VIII "Selphie's Operation" 3:54

Bluelighter (Guillaume Saumande) takes on a tactical espionage operation with this suspenseful solo piano arrangement of "The Spy" from FF8:

"Here is a piano arrangement of "Spy" in FF8. In the game, the scene is in the missile base. And we control Selphie (a secondary character of the story), hence the title. I like the original piece, far away from usual works of the composer: style a bit funky with strange but simple harmonies... The arrangement is little jazzy. I'm not used to play this kind of music (my influences are more classical). So it was an interesting exercise!

At the beginning, it was just a trying based on the sheet music. Only harmonies and a simple accompany. After, I found interesting to develop this, reinforcing accompany and livening some harmonies.

The arrangement starts and finishes by some stabbing harmonies. The rhythm is added after with the main melody. The rhythm is simple and repetitive. It reinforces the right-hand playing.

After a kind of refrain (pt4), I restart the main theme but change this with some variations. It becomes a jazzy improvisation, where I still use the strange harmonies of the original.

At 2'20 (pt7), I played ornaments separately, the best way to keep the tempo.

I hope you'll enjoy this arrangement."

Original:

• 0'15 part A
• 0'45 part B
• 1'20 part C
• 1'47 repeated

Arrangement:

1. 0'00 part C (mysterious)
2. 0'20 part A *2
3. 1'08 part B
4. 1'26 part C (refrain)
5. 1'47 part A (variations)
6. 2'12 part A (variations)
7. 2'23 part B (variations)
8. 2'39 part C *2 (refrain)
9. 3'20 part B (mysterious)

Rexy evaluated and is thorough & insightful:

"This treatment is a very peculiar twist - a source with very little going on, adapted for a singular instrument. Luckily, Uematsu added a hint of a melody, which Guillaume took advantage of for this arrangement. And true to his arrangement style, he broke the source down into segments and developed their singular mood as he structured them - two distinct run-throughs with non-identical bookends.

Most of the emphasis here is on the right hand, contributing a lot more of the interpretation and voicings, while the left hand predominantly played staccato rhythms to emphasize this theme of stealth. It's very different from what I usually hear from him both tonally and mood-wise, and yet it all clicks together. I can also say the same for the piano tone and master - timbre on par with previous works, and the master is not as compressed as I usually hear from him, which is welcome in this particular context. It's a tight package overall, and one where Guillaume's piano arranging skill has a boundary or two broken down. Bon travail!"

We've heard solo piano from Guillaume in the past, but this definitely has a different vibe, going for suspense/scene-setting & working in some jazz influences along the way. Not much else to say - good stuff!