The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim "Dragonborn Symphony, Movement 2" 8:47

Last time around, I was hoping SupremoMusico400 wouldn't take an arrow to the knee and wind up unable to send in more parts of their Skyrim-inspired "Dragonborn Symphony", so we're thankful they've emerged unscathed and sent over Movement 2! SupremoMusico400 spoke at length on guitarist Harry Murrell's own arrangement of "Dragonborn" influencing their even more expansive orchestration:

"To put it simply, the entire "Dovahkiin" theme is cut in various parts and remodelled in several ways between the instruments (just like in the first part but in a more complex way), while still using the harp to pay homage to the original guitar transcription by Harry Murrell, as cited in my last Skyrim submission.

To maintain coherence with the guitar arrangement, I'll reference the exact minute and second to explain which part I'm reworking with the orchestra.

This ReMix begins at the 1:05 mark in Harry's video, this time with a lighter, calmer, and more soothing version. Thanks to the combination of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon in an expressive "conversation" with the harp, the various melodic cells from the theme are imitated and intertwined.

We then arrive at the 1:34 mark in Harry's video. In my version, while the harp echoes Harry's guitar, the strings and choir in pianissimo help convey the emotion that specific segment evoked in me. The next section takes a different approach: inspired by the passage between 1:49 and 2:13 in the video, this time the violins take the lead with the main theme, while the rest of the orchestra gradually builds a more dramatic and intense effect. Personally, I really like this moment, as Harry's corresponding arrangement is as beautiful and nostalgic as it is limited by the expressiveness and dynamics of the classical guitar.

A brief -- but intentional -- silence introduces what would have been the third part. To merge the two parts seamlessly, I cut out a solo harp section of approximately 30 seconds that simply replicated what Harry played between the same mark that inspired the previous section (1:49 to 2:13).

The third part begins with an almost astral-like hiccup conversation between winds and the choir/strings. This merges and develops into yet another hopeful reimagining of the theme, resolving in D major and adding vibrant color before transitioning to the final climactic buildup (Harry's 2:13 to 2:40). This first section is also thought as a "re-building section" after the "crushing drama" that came before the silence.

The "grand finale" is an attempt to orchestrate Harry's ending with as much energy and power as possible.

I truly hope you all like this."

This one's a longie, which had Supremo mistakenly worried that we couldn't accept it. As judge prophetik music clarified, we cite 2-7 minutes as a guideline to make our collective lives easier with evaluations, but if you have a properly structured and developed arrangement, we don't care how long it is (we currently have 120 other ReMixes at 7+ minutes long), so send them in! prophetik's evaluation broke things down in great detail, citing so many strong moments worth commending Supremo for:

"opens with some harp and very light textures. i appreciate how much time is taken and the amount of rubato - i'd still have loved for the harp parts to be live so they've got more push-pull, but what's here is nuanced and carefully rendered. the texture at 1:21 is really nice. still surprising how well musescore does for representing the instrumentation when care is taken with it. [...] 2:18 again demonstrates really nice patience with the approach and has some really great scoring and voicing.

3:07 has a huge orchestral crescendo that lasts a solid 20s - again, great job with the scoring to avoid sustain-itis and make the notes being played all matter. there's some really fun chord structures in here as well. i'm also struck how you've managed to go like five minutes without really touching the actual iconic elements of the theme, and it's still so obvious what you're arranging.

6:08 is where you really dig in the spurs and get after the melodic line we've all been waiting for. [...] and finally, after over seven minutes, we finally get the recognizable melody line. [...] we get a final resolution and sustain, and it's done.

this is superbly handled and excellently scored - easily the best example of proper orchestral scoring i've heard in months. extremely enjoyable approach. [...] this is easily over the bar. nice job."

Big praise from a tough critic, and well-deserved! Aside from a pretty obvious blip at 7:22 that couldn't be ironed out, Supremo made the most of Musescore once again for a fairly fleshed out sound. Arrangement-wise, right from the start of the track, around :10, there's the interplay of different segments of "Dragonborn's" verse and chorus that Supremo mentioned which quickly indicated this was going to be a creative piece of business! Clocking in at nearly 9 minutes, there's plenty of time to let Supremo cook here, and he's got it deliciously simmering. :-) With careful dynamics and attention to detail, fingers crossed we get even more Elder Scrolls musico served up by Supremo!