2023-02-14 22:13
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回复：[14/2/2023]日本钢琴家Kiminori Atsuta热田公纪纯音乐改编专辑-Sega Pi...

外网专辑评论介绍：
Summary
Sega Piano Nocturne is an inspired concept, but the final result is quite sparing. Eight piano arrangements just aren’t enough to commemorate Sega’s giant catalog, especially when most arrangements are  and similar. Still, Kiminori Atsuka offers mainly expressive arrangements and performances, so what is offered is still mostly enjoyable. Overall, a decent purchase but not quite enough.

Overview
Following the precedent set by companies such as Square Enix and Konami, Sega released their own piano arrangement album in 2005. Rather than dedicate it to a specific project, though, te producers chose eight themes from across the Sega line to be interpreted. The resultant album features both the piano arrangements and their originals. Let’s take a closer look…

Body
The album opens with an interpretation of one of the most emotional themes from Shenmue. The first 45 seconds conform to the general expectation of piano arrangement albums — essentially offering a soft and sentimental rendition of the melody against  arpeggios. Fortunately, the subsequent development sections embody the ‘nocturne’ concept of the album more with dusky nuances and jazz influences. The result is familiar and understated, but with substance too. Subsequent tracks such as Sakura Taisen 3‘s end credits theme and Space Harrier‘s “Main Theme” maintain the same feel with delicate melodies,  harmonies, but effectual elaborations. It’s also surprising to see how Kiminori Atsuta manages to transform the once abrasive “Passing Breeze” into a comforting and personal ballad.

There is nevertheless a fair amount of variety in the piano arrangements. The lounge jazz influence of Phantasy Star Online‘s ending vocal theme is really elaborated upon here and the final result is nostalgic and relaxing. “I Just Smile” from Burning Rangers is written in much the same way, but has a slightly more romantic tone. On the opposite end of the spectrum, S.D.I.‘s “System Down” puts listeners on edge with its irregular rhythms and jagged motifs, but is very brief and unpianistic too. It’s the only truly bad arrangement, but it’s not really acceptable given there are just eight pieces in total. The piano section ends on a serene note with a straightforward rendition of NiGHTS‘ theme tune. The arrangement is far from remarkable, but the expressive performance makes it a major highlight nevertheless.

While there aren’t that many piano arrangements on the disc, Wavemaster compensates by providing the original tracks as well. It can be really pleasant to revisit the Asian contemplations of “Shenfa”, funky riffs of Space Harrier, or powerful progressions of “System Down”. Note, however, these are digest versions and hence tend to be shorter than the versions published previously. This is especially significant in the vocal themes “DREAMS DREAMS”, “The Future”, “I Just Smile”, and “Can Still the Light” given the importance of the development sections. Still, this album still doubles up quite well as a compilation of fan favourite.
Sega Piano Nocturne: eight tracks of lovely piano arrangements, followed by eight tracks of original counterparts. The first three tracks come from Sega’s big-budget titles during the time of the Sega Dreamcast, followed by some arcade classics, and ending with Nights.

For the most part, these arrangements are , but still filled with enough decorations and frills to consider it more “advanced” piano, though more contemporary than classical in arrangement. As you may have expected, I’ll be putting special emphasis on the first three tracks. They are, after all, theme songs from RPGs.

“Shenfa” is a beautiful piece, I have always loved it; but this piano arrangement fails to deliver the same feelings brought by the original, which used traditional Asian strings and incredible vocals. Instead, an emphasis is put on the chord progression, which piano arrangement fans will immediately liken to something from Final Fantasy X-2 (though, sadly, less impressive).

The end credits song from Sakura Taisen 3 is an extremely fitting piece for the album. The original was excellent, and this arrangement somehow manages to keep the spirit of the original (with its bits of jazz and broadway influence) even in this simplified format.

The same can be said of the PSO theme song, though this one is much more explicitly jazz. The problem with this arrangement is that it is simply too short. I would have liked some more expounding on this lovely theme.

The rest of the arrangements are, in my opinion, stronger than the first three. This is because the source material is more complex, less pop-ballad-like (except for the Nights track), and ultimately more satisfying to hear on the piano. The track from SDI was especially impressive.

This CD is a fun little treat for Sega fans, but I wouldn’t recommend it to people looking for awesome piano arrangements. Hopefully better piano arrangements will come for individual titles or franchises; presently, Sega is working on a number of piano albums for the Sakura Taisen series, and I hope to hear arrangements as good as, or superior to, “The Future.”
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最后编辑yh20420 最后编辑于 2023-02-16 18:28:56