Piano VGM (OSTs, Arrangements, etc.)

[Zeratul]

What's some of your favorite piano VGM, piano composers, and piano arrangers? This is kind of tough for me to choose because most of the VGM with the piano as the foundation of the songs has a level of complexity that is almost unmatched anywhere else in the genre. I also really like how a lot of the composers who focus on it can create a very wide range of sounds with the same type of instruments as compared to others who have many options but execute their songs worse than if they were limited to a certain instrument to begin with.

Note: This can include songs that have other instruments as well, just as long as the piano is the focus of the song. Harpsichords also count.

So, here's mine:

Masashi Hamauzu - Bessessenheit, Todfiend, Heimatlose, Naturvolk, Untergrund, Rosencrantz, Zauberreich, Feldschalct II and III

FFVIII Piano Collections - Find Your Way, Silence & Motion, The Castle, Slide Show Part 2, Blue Fields

FFX - Nobuo Uematsu & Masashi Hamauzu - Path of Repentance, Decisive Battle, To Zanarkand, Thunder Plateau

Xenogears - Yasunori Mitsuda - Ship of Regret and Sleep, Omen

Elemental Gearbolt (Game Rip) - Tracks 9 & 11

Breath of Fire 3 - Yoshino Aoki - That Old House, Turning Point, Castle in the Sky, Dangerous Feeling, The Champion, Flight

Legaia 2: Duel Saga - Avoided Destiny, Paying the Worthless War, Lost Forest

Wild Arms 3 - Wild Bunch; Let's Run Around, Let's loook Over There!!; Fate Breaker, Lightning Blade in the Blue Sky, Succubus Princess

[Adaman]

I love piano arrangements, the piano is my favorite instrument, i think i'm going to start taking piano lessons sometime in 2003.

Here are my favorites:

Final Fantasy VI Piano Collection - Tina, Kefca, Stragus, The Mystic Forest, Kids Run Through The City Corner, Johnny C Bad, Mystery Train, The Decisive Battle, Coin Song, Celes, Waltz de Chocobo

FFX Piano Collection - To Zanarkand, Tidus's Theme, Bisaido Island, Song of Prayer, Thunder Plateau, Attack, Via Purifico, Decisive Battle, Ending Theme

That's about all i have =|, I'm a pretty big Nobuo Uematsu fan as you can see. I wish i had more piano vgm stuff...

[Eriol]

I would suggest checking out the following Piano arrangements:
Saga Frontier II Rhapsody
Legend of Heroes Piano Collection
Arc the Lad Piano Collection
Brandish Piano Collection

[Zeratul]

I have the Rhapsody on a Theme of Saga Frontier 2. Once I find a tracklisitng for it I'll probably listen to it more. I really liked Masashi Hamauzu's arrangements and improvisations in it though, and even burned it as a gift for some people who don't particularly like VGM.

What are those others like Eriol?

[Eriol]

The others I mentioned are also sophisticated piano arrangements of original game music.

Unfortunately, Arc the Lad Piano may the only one you may be familiar with as the game is still available.

Brandish Piano is based on the Brandish series by Falcom, which only had one showing in the U.S. as an SNES game.

Legend of Heroes Piano is based on the Legend of Heroes series: Dragon Slayer, Dragon Slayer II, Legend of Heroes III, Legend of Heroes IV. Only Dragon Slayer had a brief appearanceon the TurboDuo.

[Naka]

I am pretty exhausted right now, so only one thing really comes to mind. FFIX - Eternal Harvest. I really enjoy this whole album, but this song sticks out the most.

[SephVBC]

SaGa Frontier 2 Rhapsody is a must have for any piano fans. It's really well done, especially the arranged songs at the end.

Arc the Lad Piano album is pretty good too. Some really good piano arrangements of the main theme and battle themes on there.

There's that song that plays during Kingdom Hearts New Game/Load screen, that's pretty good.

I didn't like the FFX PC that much, it wasn't that good compared to previous ffpcs, and it lacked emotion.

And non-related vgm stuff, I do recommend the score to the film, The Piano. Although the movie sucked, the score is all great piano, violin, and harpsichord. Composed by Michael Nyman. And I can't talk about good piano without saying how good Hisaishi's Piano stories 1 through 3 and ENCORE are. Amazing piano arrangements of some of the most memorable themes from ghibli / kitano films stuff. Very well done.

[infinitier]

I've heard alot of negative comments for the Dragon Quest on Piano albums, but I find DQ VII on Piano to be pretty enjoyable. Although the songs weren't highly arranged, the original composition sound pretty good on the piano.
I also like track 17 "Love song: searching" on DQ on piano Vol 2.
RPGfan has a sample of it:
http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq-piano2/index.html

In addition to the song Naka memtioned for FFIX PC, I also find Vamo' alla flamenco and You're Not Alone! to be quite memorable.

Not sure if this counts, but the first track in Parasite Eve Remixes have some nice piano arrangements too.

[CKTurbo128]

I find that piano arrangements of VGM are quite relaxing. So relaxing that I sometimes fall asleep listening to them. My favorite piano arrangements are the Final Fantasy VIII: P. C. and Final Fantasy X: P. C. Here are my favorite tunes from both soundtracks:

Final Fantasy VIII: Blue Fields, Fisherman's Horizon, Ami, Find Your Way, The Oath, Silence and Motion

Final Fantasy X: At Zanarkand, Tidus' Theme, The Hymn of the Fayth, Travel Agency, Thunder Plains, Raid, Isn't It Beautiful?, Yuna's Decision, Ending Theme

I agree that the DQ: On Piano Vol. & DQVI albums were far too basic - the piano arrangements sounded as if a LVL. 2 piano player was playing the music. :erm: However, the DQ VII - On Piano album sounds a bit better than previous DQ piano arrangements, but still not quite on par with the FF piano arrangements.

- CKTurbo128

[Pez]

Hmm... Mirthless (KOF97 AST), of course, and the Max Payne Theme.

(http://www.trefort.elte.hu/~adamy/maxpayne/index2.html)

[Sitorimon]

Oooooh, I LOVE Piano Arrangements:

FFIVPC: Chocobo Chocobo, Rydia
FFVPC: Harvest, Battle With Gilgamesh
FFVIPC: Terra, Final Battle, Kefka
FFVIIIPC: Blue Fields, Castle, Find Your way
FFIXPC: Eternal Harvest, Vamo Alla Flamenco
FFXPC: At Zanarkand, Besaid Island, Thunder Plains, The Way Of Purgation

I'll get my mits on some more Piano stuff soon hopefully!

Sitorimon

[TheLastOne]

The only Final Fantasy piano collections I really enjoyed was FFVI and a bit of FFVIII.

The rest, you can keep.