hobnobs1550 He was a typical patriarch. Stubborn and reckless, only focused on his own glory. Just look at what he did to Gwyndolin and how he defended Seath. He brought this missery above himself and his allies in selfishness. I would never call Gwyn a great man and never a hero, but his sacrifice was a selfless act, but was it to gain glory or to protect something or someone? Nevertheless he "reaped what he sowed" indeed.
i'm listening to this on my 27th birthday rn, the funny thing is; this song pretty much takes me back to a period of my life you know? it was so memorable and unique that to this day it's still has impact. also, i've sent this to friends who are into "classical" and 75% think it's something out of the last couple of centuries composers, which is funny but also speaks to how well it is done.
***** But after you know what to do, this game just give you truth of "gameplay", and I think not only of the difficult, but its totally skillful gameplay style. And the storyline goes deep into all items, all npc dialogue, and even the background music in game. This kind of idea just driving you want to know more the story by your curiosity, not to reading so many word of books with not so interesting. Dark souls 1 really a masterpiece in every place, specially in storyline it really impressed me, i not go to talk about the story inside, i suggest you play twice and if you really don't know what happen, go to forum seek the post the people what they thought about what they found in story, and you'll find that everyone may not thinking with a same story! This is what Dark Souls 2 make me not so agree it doing well in DS2 storyline ... I think Ds1 was "fantastic" that made the huge different to DS2.
I also thought this was a very unique choice for a final boss theme. For so many RPGs, the final boss is a great, powerful lord of darkness, or some such. In Dark Souls, it wasn't like that; it was just putting an old man out of his misery.
There is just one thing: Gwyn may be old and dying but he was once a god. He is still able to destroy chosen undead if given a chance to attack his opponent directly. I believe that if Gwyn was as powerfull as when he destryed dragons then he would be a lot more powerfull than Gough, Ciaran, Ornstein and Artorias together. They were his servants after all. It's more like you are killing a fallen god to take his place.
***** That's totally true, in his soul descripcion it says that his power was bequeathed by giving his soul to the gods (Seath and The four kings), and then it was burned when he linked the fire. And still his soul "stores a great power", and he is a pretty hard boss.
+ykOni the guy had a hand injury and can't play anymore. Pretty sure that he posted a video about it on an alt channel, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
+Ulcar He was already dealing with his hand problems at least a year before he uploaded this. This was just the last video he posted before taking a real break from the piano to start working on his rehabilitation. You're absolutely right that this piece is perfectly fitting though. He has an alternate channel, TheUrbanOrb, where he uploads gaming content. He did a SL1 NG+7 run of Dark Souls 1 in which he used no shield, and put a whole bunch of other restrictions on himself. It was crazy, funny, and beautiful, considering the situation he's in. He even posted a video of himself playing the character creation theme from Dark Souls 1 on the piano recently (relatively speaking), and I think it really shows how much of an impact the game's had on him.
I get kinda twisted up when people ask me what song this is. I usually say its just from a video game but I really think its so much more than that. Its a song that tells the tale of a king who would do anything to save his kingdom, his people. He sacrificed everything he had to hold back the darkness, his greatest knight, his best friend, and his eldest son. When it became clear the darkness was imminent he set out alone to turn the tide and gave his soul to the light. Lord Gwyn, I salute you,
@@Phoebe_Bea im not sure if he did, but the dark sign made undead's humanity linked to the first flame. So i guess the intention was to use them as kindling for the flame, except it doesnt make sense when you realize the undead would have to absorb the souls of so many others to he able to be worth linking the flame snd keeping it going. And if they were meant to be used as kindling, why didnt the knights force them to be used instead of putting them in undead asylum? I guess the best conclusion you can make is that whoever made up the tale or fate of the chosen undead knew eventually one undead would absorb enough souls to be able to link the flame.
You're wrong, gwyn linked the first flame creating the dark sign and making humanity cursed, while the humans were the true lords of the world, the true lords of dark. What you said is the ilussion that the gods created, making gwyn look like a hero, while he was just a desperate king. "A lie will remain a lie." -Aldia, schoolar of the first sin.
This has got to be my favourite iteration of Gwyn's theme, the first half is similar enough to the game's version. When the second half kicks off, it feels even more grander as if we're hearing Gwyn's peak moments in the Age of Fire, but the notes eventually starts fumbling such as how Gwyn's age eventually comes down tumbling. In the end it feels more somber and nostalgic, Gwyn's life finally coming to an end at your hands.
>This is the last piece that Verdegrand performed for youtube >This song plays when you're fighting what's essentially a decaying god OH MY GOD HELP ME I'M CRYING
As of a week or two ago he posted on facebook that he doesn't really know what will happen in regards to his condition but he wants to recover, and until then he's making a living streaming gaming content. I don't know this youtuber at all but he was mentioned off hand in a cover I was listening to and I dug a little bit. Thought you'd might like to know :o.
+Marl Boro Agreed, after I learned this, people have been complaining about me improvising in A-minor so much. That little conflict has been resolved tho hahaha
I think this music matches the fight perfectly. The music paints this lore to it all, that you're fighting an entity that was once a powerful legend. It also paints a tragic picture of a God that once was, now a mere hollow shell of an insane lord is all that's left. Gwyn is an old relic when the chosen reaches him and must be removed. As someone below said, it's time to put him out of his misery.
+Jake Villaruel Not really. The Soul of Cinder is the living memory of every single linked soul to the first flame. The Gwyn theme added in the 2d phase its to enfatize that Gwyn is the one that started this linking tradition.
I think the feeling I got when I killed Gwyn was similar to beating a collosuss in SotC. "VICTORY! YES, I DID IT! I'M SO HAP- aw, I feel a bit bad for him now."
This piece from the game is the strongest form of tragedy one can encompass in sound. No words, no overwhelming sound, just simple storytelling by music. Bravo, my friend. Bravo.
Hands down the best boss music in any souls game. Some people say its somewhat anti-climatic, but I completely disagree. This piece is epic and emotional, and the subtlety of it only emphasizes that even more. To be quite honest, I'm not really crazy about a majority of the boss music in these games. They definitely work and serve their purpose within the game, but as standalone pieces they're somewhat bland and pretty similar to one another, especially in Dark Souls 2.
I remember the first time I crossed the fog and the music started to play, just stood there watching Gwyn run after me. I gave a big breath and with an smile on my face said, This is it! One of my best moments in gaming ever!
jonah jackson When I faced him I did not knew that you could parry him, I think I died twice to him the first time. But later on I would parry him and then hit with low damage weapon just to hear the song for longer time.
Angel di Soufre But it is easier to parry and then riposte with a longsword, that way I would enjoy the moment and listen to the music. Dodging and then hitting requires focus, even though I always play the dodging type and I have always find the blocking builds boring.
Christian L I started asking my female friends about the element this music might represent - most girls have answered "water" but one said that it is a fading sparkling fire. The only person I know which hasn't played the game and gave me the right answer.
Wow oh my.... just wow. You have an unparalleled sense of talent, the level of emotion I felt during this video; watching such a beautiful masterpiece, from one of my favorite games of all time being played before my eyes, truly breathtaking. This was amazing beyond word's descriptive abilities.
This is just stunningly beautiful. When it hits peak intensity around the 3:40 mark, I get chills every time, all other renditions of this piece can't compare.
I actually came again to hear, and I must again comment on how unreal you've really made this. You've captured a very, very, very hard perfected feeling to express and convey in music, and implemented it gracefully and beautifully in this peace. That feeling is the feeling of unknown. The whole game leads up killing everything in sight, and then you finish by fighting an incredibly powerful king. It sparks wonder and question. A spiral of death, for no reason. You've shown that feeling here.
I adore the personal touches you added to piece; the song in and of itself is a masterpiece and a stunning soundtrack, but the little touches you added in were absolutely amazing. Nice work!!
My first time hearing ur rendition of the song and… wow. Absolutely incredible. Can’t describe my reaction when I heard your tweaks and how natural but also unnatural it sounded.. the additions were subtle and then took over in such a beautiful and satisfying way! Thank you so much for this. The original already took so many tears from me, and this piece, some more.
One of the most epic pieces, so breathtaking one'd wish to get hold of a Boesendorfer and have a go at this masterpiece. But also the saddest to listen to back in the day...
Absolutely gorgeous. Sakuraba is a fantastic arranger, and this is my favorite piece he's arranged in any medium. I cannot fathom the skill it requires to do this in the first place, let alone after re-producing the work presumably by ear. I also really love how you mentioned that the piece implies some emotion to the fight that words cannot convey.
From a theme for a God's reversion to a mindless Pigmy, to the theme of Verdegrand's obituary in the eyes of his time as a TH-cam pianist. Fitting coincidence.
Now THAT enticed me to listen to the original. Wow, great job. I'm glad you could communicate and share this with us as I now appreciate this piece greatly
Amazing work, battling Gwyn for the first time blew me away and your composition of his theme sent shivers down my spine all over again; thank you so much for doing this!
when fighting Gwyn.... i felt.... i feel... lonely... seeing a diety fallen to cinder... it must have been gut wrenching to surrender yourself to the flames...
absolutely amazingly beautiful, piano pieces, especially ones like this one, have always held a special place in my heart, and i love what you did with Gwyn's theme
verdegrand...this is amazing..magical and has the perfect atmosphere of darkness and mystery to it. i love how you play the songs that people may not know about, and share these masterpieces with the world
Verde, this is wonderful - your performance is great, but reading your story about it has made it so very special. You pour your heart into your music and it's always a pleasure to watch! Also, nothing wrong with doing a duet with yourself! Twice the V = twice the awesome!
Such an amazing piece of music from an equally great game. The music in the game creates such an atmosphere, in a way no other game has for me. They took a real unorthodox approach to it, and I think it paid off Never have I heard final boss music like it. Just hearing the music alone you might think it wouldn't work, but in the context of the game, the world they created, the long arduous journey up to that point, and knowing what must happen next...it melds beautifully. Amazing job Verde
I put off listening to this for days because I wanted to wait for just the right time to experience this beautiful performance. You played this fantastically. I'm happy that you put this much effort into a Dark Souls piece, probably because I think the game is just amazing, but also because the passion and dedication makes the performance that much better. When I finally fight Gwyn for the first time, I'm going to be imagining you playing this in the background =)
I think about this piano cover a lot. Been listening to this off and on since it came out back in 2011. I think it's especially incredible how you were able to get access to record on a Bosendorfer, I can't imagine how that must have felt
Wonderful! Splendid performance! I briefly played the game but didn't find it alluring enough to keep playing it. The music is nice and gloomy and fits the whole theme perfectly. Congrats! I see that your therapy has been slow but sure and we're all glad. Cheers!
This game change my way of thinking, as i learned more about the lore it was a perennial quest that ever gamer/ person must take. Play it..and beat it. You'll see
amazing really. because i finished the game and i can tell you how hard and difficult this moment is. with the music it feels like your powerless against his fire. Its really a nice video. and has always it's really well played. I'm glad that you can still have fun while playing music and learn new things like piano duets and all. i also like the sotry behind
Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic. Very impressed. I am almost finished with my first run through of Dark Souls and I find your piece to be very illuminating and relaxing in a dark brooding way which is why I love the game so much,
this was such an amazing recording on so many different levels. such an emotional and powerful song, there's so much feeling in your playing! i love watching your hand gestures, from the occasional quick wipe of the hand to the way you raise them to play chords. the scale runs gave me chills as did the beautiful rolling chords! and the sound of those dark, blackened keys! DUUMMMM! DUUUMMMM! you're in a league of your own V. i'll be relistening to this one for a while. i thank you verdegrand.
The song is indeed just perfect for the fight. Gwyn, walled up in the desolate land of ash, by himself (spare a few knights). Just embers of a fire, but to him they are more than just embers; they're a remembrance of the past.. Great job on the piano.
The best interpretation and performance. So much emotion. Unbelievable how much further this piece was pushed, it was good - but here it's made timeless. Wish you could re record it with better equipment for better sound quality, but thats... not necessary. Bravo.
Thank you very much for this comment. I would love to rerecord this at some point. This was a gorgeous instrument and it's too bad I didn't take better mics with me.
i love the concept of this game they made it so hard that you have to help each other and work together by placing messages and summoning others and beat the game all together
I've commented on this before, but this performance and arrangement is some of the best anyone will ever experience. The second half of this, created by Verdegrand, goes well beyond the original composers score and shows how creative Verdegrand is. From 3:43 to 4:17 is a complete masterpiece imo. Especially on a complexity level. Verdegrand is one of the rare people you will find on here that can create/arrange from his imagination in a way that sounds not only more "full" but also brings out the most a score has to offer, as we all can see in the portion I mentioned above. He's a genius! Truth
This was no boss battle.
This was a work of art.
***** even the fight was. he wasn't supposed to be a final boss... more like a final far well to all that was.
You simply murder what was known to be a great man..
***** Pretty much.
hobnobs1550 He was a typical patriarch. Stubborn and reckless, only focused on his own glory. Just look at what he did to Gwyndolin and how he defended Seath.
He brought this missery above himself and his allies in selfishness.
I would never call Gwyn a great man and never a hero, but his sacrifice was a selfless act, but was it to gain glory or to protect something or someone? Nevertheless he "reaped what he sowed" indeed.
***** parry riposte parry riposte parry riposte parry riposte VICTORY ACHIEVED
had me in tears
This was absolutely fantastic. Thank you.
Wow. Didn't expect to see you here.
bro what
i'm listening to this on my 27th birthday rn, the funny thing is; this song pretty much takes me back to a period of my life you know? it was so memorable and unique that to this day it's still has impact.
also, i've sent this to friends who are into "classical" and 75% think it's something out of the last couple of centuries composers, which is funny but also speaks to how well it is done.
@@mt-9320 happy biethday - 8 months late but idk
He must have a high dex level
swadextra no, he must have a high faith, cause this performance is a miracle :')
I was responding to the vile dex accusation.
This game.
This absolute masterpiece of a game.
IKR
This game. Unmatched , unparalleled
This game... that... fuck it, I can't be romantic even if I try.
***** But after you know what to do, this game just give you truth of "gameplay", and I think not only of the difficult, but its totally skillful gameplay style.
And the storyline goes deep into all items, all npc dialogue, and even the background music in game. This kind of idea just driving you want to know more the story by your curiosity, not to reading so many word of books with not so interesting.
Dark souls 1 really a masterpiece in every place, specially in storyline it really impressed me, i not go to talk about the story inside, i suggest you play twice and if you really don't know what happen, go to forum seek the post the people what they thought about what they found in story, and you'll find that everyone may not thinking with a same story!
This is what Dark Souls 2 make me not so agree it doing well in DS2 storyline ... I think Ds1 was "fantastic" that made the huge different to DS2.
The Japanese are the RPG kings. I adore all of the souls games, especially Dark Souls.
I also thought this was a very unique choice for a final boss theme. For so many RPGs, the final boss is a great, powerful lord of darkness, or some such. In Dark Souls, it wasn't like that; it was just putting an old man out of his misery.
There is just one thing: Gwyn may be old and dying but he was once a god. He is still able to destroy chosen undead if given a chance to attack his opponent directly. I believe that if Gwyn was as powerfull as when he destryed dragons then he would be a lot more powerfull than Gough, Ciaran, Ornstein and Artorias together. They were his servants after all. It's more like you are killing a fallen god to take his place.
*****
That's totally true, in his soul descripcion it says that his power was bequeathed by giving his soul to the gods (Seath and The four kings), and then it was burned when he linked the fire. And still his soul "stores a great power", and he is a pretty hard boss.
carlos faurby not if you know how to parry. But yes I had a hard time on my first playthrough as well^^
Holzkohlen "no parry" shield was interesting in this battle :D
>mfw this is the last piano piece verdegrand uploaded before his hand injury
it's so fitting it's just cruel
+ykOni the guy had a hand injury and can't play anymore. Pretty sure that he posted a video about it on an alt channel, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
+Ulcar He was already dealing with his hand problems at least a year before he uploaded this. This was just the last video he posted before taking a real break from the piano to start working on his rehabilitation. You're absolutely right that this piece is perfectly fitting though.
He has an alternate channel, TheUrbanOrb, where he uploads gaming content. He did a SL1 NG+7 run of Dark Souls 1 in which he used no shield, and put a whole bunch of other restrictions on himself. It was crazy, funny, and beautiful, considering the situation he's in. He even posted a video of himself playing the character creation theme from Dark Souls 1 on the piano recently (relatively speaking), and I think it really shows how much of an impact the game's had on him.
And he played the game BECAUSE of this music, as far as I know. I've read an interview with him somewhere. He streams a lot on twitch, by the way.
I get kinda twisted up when people ask me what song this is. I usually say its just from a video game but I really think its so much more than that. Its a song that tells the tale of a king who would do anything to save his kingdom, his people. He sacrificed everything he had to hold back the darkness, his greatest knight, his best friend, and his eldest son. When it became clear the darkness was imminent he set out alone to turn the tide and gave his soul to the light. Lord Gwyn, I salute you,
Well said.
Didn't Gwyn create the dark sign? Thats not noble at all.
@@Phoebe_Bea im not sure if he did, but the dark sign made undead's humanity linked to the first flame.
So i guess the intention was to use them as kindling for the flame, except it doesnt make sense when you realize the undead would have to absorb the souls of so many others to he able to be worth linking the flame snd keeping it going.
And if they were meant to be used as kindling, why didnt the knights force them to be used instead of putting them in undead asylum?
I guess the best conclusion you can make is that whoever made up the tale or fate of the chosen undead knew eventually one undead would absorb enough souls to be able to link the flame.
You're wrong, gwyn linked the first flame creating the dark sign and making humanity cursed, while the humans were the true lords of the world, the true lords of dark.
What you said is the ilussion that the gods created, making gwyn look like a hero, while he was just a desperate king.
"A lie will remain a lie."
-Aldia, schoolar of the first sin.
Gwyn was nothing but greedy liar
This has got to be my favourite iteration of Gwyn's theme, the first half is similar enough to the game's version. When the second half kicks off, it feels even more grander as if we're hearing Gwyn's peak moments in the Age of Fire, but the notes eventually starts fumbling such as how Gwyn's age eventually comes down tumbling. In the end it feels more somber and nostalgic, Gwyn's life finally coming to an end at your hands.
Groxworld1 glad I'm not the only one who was visualizing this
>This is the last piece that Verdegrand performed for youtube
>This song plays when you're fighting what's essentially a decaying god
OH MY GOD HELP ME I'M CRYING
+Esper MY GOD
Why is it the last piece?
CJ00014
hand condition/injuries etc
A true fucking legend that guy is
As of a week or two ago he posted on facebook that he doesn't really know what will happen in regards to his condition but he wants to recover, and until then he's making a living streaming gaming content. I don't know this youtuber at all but he was mentioned off hand in a cover I was listening to and I dug a little bit. Thought you'd might like to know :o.
Such a great atmosphere with such a simple key.
+Marl Boro Agreed, after I learned this, people have been complaining about me improvising in A-minor so much. That little conflict has been resolved tho hahaha
More surprisingly;
>major key
>sounds sad as shit
>???
It’s E phrygian which is similar to minor, but with a flat 2nd.
@@toprak3479 bruh it's in A minor
@@theboy-rq2bk clearly resolves to an A but okay
This song is beyond beautiful, BEST GAME EVER MADE.
I think this music matches the fight perfectly. The music paints this lore to it all, that you're fighting an entity that was once a powerful legend. It also paints a tragic picture of a God that once was, now a mere hollow shell of an insane lord is all that's left. Gwyn is an old relic when the chosen reaches him and must be removed. As someone below said, it's time to put him out of his misery.
I can’t believe it’s been 10yrs, I so love this piece by you!
Easily the best cover I've heard
Gwyn is still my favorite boss/fight in the entire Souls series.
*And "Soul of Cinder" too :v*
+Henrique Fabrício (エンリケ) soul of cinder becomes gwyn in 2nd phase right?
+Jake Villaruel Not really. The Soul of Cinder is the living memory of every single linked soul to the first flame. The Gwyn theme added in the 2d phase its to enfatize that Gwyn is the one that started this linking tradition.
+Typical Otaku Nah, I think if you count only the big-human-with-sword bosses, Knight Artorias wins in everything, except of soundtrack
+Coffee Desghostler The 2nd Phase is Gwyn's Soul living on and Fighting once again as a Last Resort to beat the Ashen One
This is gorgeous, I love what you did with the second half of it as well. Beautiful emotional playing. well done.
I keep rewatching this every now and then, thank you for making this.
2024 and I'm still coming back for this masterpiece
Please put this on iTunes or bandcamp or something, its one of the most amazing things I have had the pleasure of listening to.
What a beautiful piece.
Thank you for your contributions to the world.
It's people like you that make this world a better place.
That was just god damn beautiful. Well done, you perfectly captured the essence of this song. And the second half was perfect too!
good god, I always come back to this... Your arrangement in the second half was amazing. I especially love the resignation in the last minute or so.
@docnanomusic thank you, and yeah it's easy to miss out on those pianos because they aren't too common. i think it's 97 keys, as lukkysama said.
I think the feeling I got when I killed Gwyn was similar to beating a collosuss in SotC.
"VICTORY! YES, I DID IT! I'M SO HAP- aw, I feel a bit bad for him now."
A truely marvelous piece. Intimate; disturbing, loom impending all the while.
your second half interpretation is godlike, i have goosebumps all over. incredible.
I don't recall the last time a piece of music made me cry, but your own changes and additions in the second half did it. This cover is incredible.
If played on a regular piano, I wouldn't even have noticed these 4-5 notes were wrong if I didn't know... You're great!
I heard this open and Knew it was sakuraba immediately. The dark essence in this song is just breath taking, leave it to motoi to take my heart again.
This piece from the game is the strongest form of tragedy one can encompass in sound. No words, no overwhelming sound, just simple storytelling by music. Bravo, my friend. Bravo.
Hands down the best boss music in any souls game. Some people say its somewhat anti-climatic, but I completely disagree. This piece is epic and emotional, and the subtlety of it only emphasizes that even more. To be quite honest, I'm not really crazy about a majority of the boss music in these games. They definitely work and serve their purpose within the game, but as standalone pieces they're somewhat bland and pretty similar to one another, especially in Dark Souls 2.
I remember the first time I crossed the fog and the music started to play, just stood there watching Gwyn run after me. I gave a big breath and with an smile on my face said, This is it! One of my best moments in gaming ever!
jonah jackson When I faced him I did not knew that you could parry him, I think I died twice to him the first time. But later on I would parry him and then hit with low damage weapon just to hear the song for longer time.
farrex0 or just hit him with a low damage weapon....
STOP PARRYING!!!!
Angel di Soufre But it is easier to parry and then riposte with a longsword, that way I would enjoy the moment and listen to the music. Dodging and then hitting requires focus, even though I always play the dodging type and I have always find the blocking builds boring.
Christian L I started asking my female friends about the element this music might represent - most girls have answered "water" but one said that it is a fading sparkling fire. The only person I know which hasn't played the game and gave me the right answer.
Chills, every time I revisit this... Chills through my entire body. A beautiful piece, performed perfectly. Thank you so much, truly.
This is truly amazing. I keep coming back to this and it keeps blowing me away.
Wow oh my.... just wow. You have an unparalleled sense of talent, the level of emotion I felt during this video; watching such a beautiful masterpiece, from one of my favorite games of all time being played before my eyes, truly breathtaking. This was amazing beyond word's descriptive abilities.
I don't think I've ever heard a piece of music with as much meaning behind it as this.
Found this through that lovely Kotaku article about you! Seriously a chilling piece, well done!
Praise the sun :')
This is just stunningly beautiful. When it hits peak intensity around the 3:40 mark, I get chills every time, all other renditions of this piece can't compare.
I actually came again to hear, and I must again comment on how unreal you've really made this.
You've captured a very, very, very hard perfected feeling to express and convey in music, and implemented it gracefully and beautifully in this peace.
That feeling is the feeling of unknown. The whole game leads up killing everything in sight, and then you finish by fighting an incredibly powerful king. It sparks wonder and question. A spiral of death, for no reason. You've shown that feeling here.
Outstanding work. I think this captured the emotion of the original well. I also loved the added parts.
I also really want that piano.
I adore the personal touches you added to piece; the song in and of itself is a masterpiece and a stunning soundtrack, but the little touches you added in were absolutely amazing. Nice work!!
The 4 kings dislike this video
and Kaathe :D
Lautrec disliked, too .... ;)
Lets not forget Artorias
That fifth king you didn't expect to be there disliked too.
+beebeep Along with the other 13
your second to last paragraph says it all...dark souls is truly unique
I never survived the battle long enough to hear out the full song...
this made me cry...
My first time hearing ur rendition of the song and… wow. Absolutely incredible. Can’t describe my reaction when I heard your tweaks and how natural but also unnatural it sounded.. the additions were subtle and then took over in such a beautiful and satisfying way! Thank you so much for this. The original already took so many tears from me, and this piece, some more.
One of the most epic pieces, so breathtaking one'd wish to get hold of a Boesendorfer and have a go at this masterpiece. But also the saddest to listen to back in the day...
Absolutely gorgeous. Sakuraba is a fantastic arranger, and this is my favorite piece he's arranged in any medium. I cannot fathom the skill it requires to do this in the first place, let alone after re-producing the work presumably by ear. I also really love how you mentioned that the piece implies some emotion to the fight that words cannot convey.
From a theme for a God's reversion to a mindless Pigmy, to the theme of Verdegrand's obituary in the eyes of his time as a TH-cam pianist. Fitting coincidence.
"Oh that's right. There is not one, but TWO Lord's of Cinder."
Every single second more I hear of your composition makes it constantly better. Holy shit, this is amazing. Thank you for this.
It is so very good to have you back Verdegrand! When I heard that you were doing a peice from Dark Souls I hoped that it was this. Welcome back!
Absolute legend. Returning to this video from year to year. I can't describe how grateful I am. I dream about hearing this live one day.
Now THAT enticed me to listen to the original. Wow, great job. I'm glad you could communicate and share this with us as I now appreciate this piece greatly
I have to say, I really love what you did with the last half of this(not that the first half wasn't done well), particularly the ending. Beautiful.
A fantastic cover and a fine tribute piece. I listened to it in the winter of 2011 and I'm still listening to it today.
Amazing work, battling Gwyn for the first time blew me away and your composition of his theme sent shivers down my spine all over again; thank you so much for doing this!
One of the most incredible piano pieces i've had the luck to experience. I truly hope we get to hear more from the great Verdegrand
when fighting Gwyn.... i felt.... i feel... lonely... seeing a diety fallen to cinder... it must have been gut wrenching to surrender yourself to the flames...
This song grows on me the more I listen to it. Great work!
One of the best songs I have heard on the piano and one of the most epic boss fights I've seen in a game.
absolutely amazingly beautiful, piano pieces, especially ones like this one, have always held a special place in my heart, and i love what you did with Gwyn's theme
One of your best works yet. I'm amazed. And this indeed really cool music for a boss battle.
Wow, I just realized all of the stuff you added. This is a truly beautiful rendition of a fantastic piece. Amazing work
verdegrand...this is amazing..magical and has the perfect atmosphere of darkness and mystery to it. i love how you play the songs that people may not know about, and share these masterpieces with the world
Thank you for your work. I come back every few months to listen to you. I hope you're doing well.
great cover man. i really like it when somebody puts so much work into doing a single person duet and succeed in this great of a matter. Thumbs up
Verde, this is wonderful - your performance is great, but reading your story about it has made it so very special. You pour your heart into your music and it's always a pleasure to watch!
Also, nothing wrong with doing a duet with yourself! Twice the V = twice the awesome!
This music has so much feeling to it and you captured it perfectly!
Such an amazing piece of music from an equally great game. The music in the game creates such an atmosphere, in a way no other game has for me. They took a real unorthodox approach to it, and I think it paid off
Never have I heard final boss music like it. Just hearing the music alone you might think it wouldn't work, but in the context of the game, the world they created, the long arduous journey up to that point, and knowing what must happen next...it melds beautifully.
Amazing job Verde
I put off listening to this for days because I wanted to wait for just the right time to experience this beautiful performance. You played this fantastically. I'm happy that you put this much effort into a Dark Souls piece, probably because I think the game is just amazing, but also because the passion and dedication makes the performance that much better. When I finally fight Gwyn for the first time, I'm going to be imagining you playing this in the background =)
I think about this piano cover a lot. Been listening to this off and on since it came out back in 2011. I think it's especially incredible how you were able to get access to record on a Bosendorfer, I can't imagine how that must have felt
Really cool that they wrote this for piano 4 hands, you don't see that often in mainstream media. Great cover!
I loved this Mr. Verdegrand.
You touched the right summon sign! Jolly co-operation has never been so lovely.
You have an amazing talent for beautiful description. May that skill serve you well for all your days.
Wonderful! Splendid performance!
I briefly played the game but didn't find it alluring enough to keep playing it. The music is nice and gloomy and fits the whole theme perfectly.
Congrats! I see that your therapy has been slow but sure and we're all glad.
Cheers!
Completely breathtaking. You are amazing.
This game change my way of thinking, as i learned more about the lore it was a perennial quest that ever gamer/ person must take.
Play it..and beat it. You'll see
amazing really. because i finished the game and i can tell you how hard and difficult this moment is. with the music it feels like your powerless against his fire. Its really a nice video. and has always it's really well played. I'm glad that you can still have fun while playing music and learn new things like piano duets and all. i also like the sotry behind
Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic. Very impressed. I am almost finished with my first run through of Dark Souls and I find your piece to be very illuminating and relaxing in a dark brooding way which is why I love the game so much,
this was such an amazing recording on so many different levels. such an emotional and powerful song, there's so much feeling in your playing! i love watching your hand gestures, from the occasional quick wipe of the hand to the way you raise them to play chords. the scale runs gave me chills as did the beautiful rolling chords! and the sound of those dark, blackened keys! DUUMMMM! DUUUMMMM! you're in a league of your own V. i'll be relistening to this one for a while. i thank you verdegrand.
This is beautiful. Dark Soul's soundtrack is wonderful and this piece stuck out as such a strange and surreal piece for a final boss battle.
never got to hear this song for that long, thx for this.
don't give up on anything stay strong! Thanks for this masterpiece
I knew about Verdegrand, knew about this masterpiece of music, but never heard him play it. It's truly beautiful.
The song is indeed just perfect for the fight. Gwyn, walled up in the desolate land of ash, by himself (spare a few knights). Just embers of a fire, but to him they are more than just embers; they're a remembrance of the past..
Great job on the piano.
Fantastic piece, great performance and I love your modifications towards the end. That part would play very well over ending credits.
The best interpretation and performance. So much emotion. Unbelievable how much further this piece was pushed, it was good - but here it's made timeless. Wish you could re record it with better equipment for better sound quality, but thats... not necessary.
Bravo.
Thank you very much for this comment. I would love to rerecord this at some point. This was a gorgeous instrument and it's too bad I didn't take better mics with me.
Finally someone who makes use of the extended range of these pianos
i love the concept of this game they made it so hard that you have to help each other and work together by placing messages and summoning others and beat the game all together
Love this. May it stay in web until the end of this Fire Age and beyond.
Thanks for the link :) I'm already loving it. I'm actually gonna' watch the entire playthrough now :3
I've commented on this before, but this performance and arrangement is some of the best anyone will ever experience. The second half of this, created by Verdegrand, goes well beyond the original composers score and shows how creative Verdegrand is. From 3:43 to 4:17 is a complete masterpiece imo. Especially on a complexity level. Verdegrand is one of the rare people you will find on here that can create/arrange from his imagination in a way that sounds not only more "full" but also brings out the most a score has to offer, as we all can see in the portion I mentioned above. He's a genius! Truth
very well done thanks for doing/sharing this! Dark Souls music is such an amazing thing for a kick ass game.
This is so grand. I have to check out more of your videos.
I would love to hear this piece played live by him.... just the raw emotion that is being played through this is just purely amazing
The best musical performance on TH-cam
This is a beautiful rendition of an amazing song. Thank you very much for this amazing piece!