ReMix:Final Fantasy V "A Dream of Home" 3:02

This latest featured mix from Rebecca E. Tripp finds her performing on harp, with a subtle, atmospheric/ambient accompaniment, arranging "Home, Sweet Home" from FF5:

"This is my arrangement of "Distant Homeland" from Final Fantasy 5, also known as "Home Sweet Home." The original soundtrack for FF5 was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. This is the first of my officially released VGM covers performed on my level harp (with more to come). It took me a while to record/upload this, partly because I'm a bit self-conscious.

For this piece, I took some inspiration from artists such as Yoko Kanno, David Arkenstone, and Michael McGlynn. I wanted to give it more of an otherworldly quality. I was in a pretty good flow state while I was working on this. Technically, I've already covered this song twice (one standalone + a movement in my FF5 epic medley), but I guess I just have more to say about it. I think this version focuses more on the idea of a "home," rather than the physical location of the hero's village."

While offering a familiar intimacy & elegance relative to her previous mixes, this arrangement is pared down, leaning on a graceful, flowing performance on the lead instrument. I love how she's made the accompaniment very ambient, even throwing in some nature/bird FX, but has also ensured that it reacts to & engages with the lead. Judges were unanimous - Gario's comments were brief, but I still think he conveyed the major points:

"Very clean, very elegant. the arrangement is minimalistic, but that's not to say that it's straight forward - there's a lot of subtractive changes that make for some nice, interpretive arranging. The backing instruments (like the pads & light percussion) certainly add some depth to the track overall, in nice, subtle ways."

On second listen, I appreciate the accompaniment more & more - yes, it's the lead performance on harp that capitvates & carries the arrangement, but the approach to augmenting that focus through whispers & *suggestions* of parts is really rather effective - like tendrils of the harp itself, extending outward. Rebecca has grown as an arranger in profound & impressive ways that have been wonderful to follow, and now that she's working more performance into her pieces, the sky's the limit. Enjoy!