https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uunYQnXZrbI
Hello again video game music lovers and welcome to another of my reviews. Final Fantasy VI always has a special place in RPG fans’ hearts. It still remains in my top-3 overall best FF (Final Fantasy VII had deceiving graphs and music but excellent story) until Final Fantasy X. How does the piano adaptation stand out?
It stands pretty well actually; the composers and players have learned from past albums to improve the adaptations. Granted, there was “real” piano in FF VI so using an actual piano was just a small step to take. Spinach Rag, for example, really profited from a piano remix. The tempo is more realistic, there isn’t the annoying “echo” from the original track and yet it still carries its “rag time” feel. I liked the crescendo (and accelerando) at the end, the only “extended” loop of the track.
And while it was not originally a piano track, other tracks still profited from a piano remix. Johnny C. Bad DID profit from being played on the piano. The tempo is more enjoyable (although, like this track, it could have been quicker) and you feel like dancing swing in the 1950s. And there is no loop extension here; it sounds a little more like improvisation to make the loop a little longer. Kids Run Through the City is also another piano masterpiece, better than the original version. The feeling of welcomeness that characterizes town themes is so much better on this track, and despite flatter notes during the loop extension keeps its enjoyability. Similarly, the Phantom Forest sounds much more mysterious on the piano. The “back” notes are better at creating that mystery than the synth violins. The mystery gets even better (and maybe a little creepy) during the loop extension when the tempo accelerates a little. The Decisive Battle also profited from a piano remix. Doing away with the 16-bit organ, the piano does a better job at creating a boss theme. It goes from loud “key smashing” that sounds harmonious to lower tones, as to build some kind of surprise when the loud notes kick back in.
Other tracks, while not excellent, still sound good on the piano. Kefka’s theme, for example, starts a little clumsily with notes seemingly played at random, but the rest of the track is faithful to the theme; I especially liked the end of the loop; it made him sound more evil than he is at this stage of the game. Gau’s theme, “freed” from its heavy 16-bit cellos, actually sound enjoyable with piano. I’ve never been a fan of the theme, but the piano generally translates the sadness of the track better than the original version (although the notes get too loud at times).
Other tracks, however, lost their magic with the piano. Terra’s Theme, after a soap opera-like intro, shows the limitations of the piano to translate epic themes. The SNES version (and even more so the orchestral versions) sounded very epic with its drums and flute; a piano just can’t carry these feelings. The same thing goes for the Mystery Train. While it sounds good on its own, a piano just can’t carry the creepiness and mystery of the original track – and the tempo is too slow. Stragus’ theme is a complete miss in my opinion; the piano not only sounds too different from the original track but it sounds like it would be a better fit of Kefka because it sounds kind of dark. Finally Waltz de Chocobo is the worst piano adaptation of the theme so far (with respect to the games’ chronology). This theme just isn’t made for waltzy piano tracks; the theme sounds broken.
Nevertheless, Final Fantasy VI Piano Collection is a must-have to every music collection. Most of the themes have greatly profited from such a “remix”, sounding better than the original tracks. Be it to snap your fingers and tap your foot or just relax, you will find it all.