ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "Epona's Pastorale" 2:34

By Abadoss

Arranging the music of one song...

"Lon Lon Ranch"

Primary Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo , 1998, N64), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2007-05-06, evaluated by the judges panel


Before I begin, two unrelated cool things: Video Game Cakes and a cool OCR music video that syncs up Star's Robot mix with in-game footage quite well. Abadoss returns with his second mix, sticking with his orchestral approach but switching from CT over to Zelda 64. He writes:

"I came across the idea of arranging Epona's Song at work, actually. I was pretty bored one day and started fiddling with the melody a little (with improvised lyrics, of course) and came up with the nuances for it that are currently in the piece. Before starting, I had thought about actually using the lyrics I had come up with for it, but I liked it better without. The name, "Epona's Pastorale", is somewhat of a play on words (pasture/pastorale)."

This is a relatively tricky piece to mix; for some reason it always sounded like a pleasant theme from a Western, like Ma and Pa sitting on the porch at the ranch, while little Jimmy tends the horses. Or something. Whatever it is that goes on in the Midwest... with animals, and work, and stuff. Mr. Keyn's done a sweet job turning it into a lullabying orchestral composition, with strings, flute, bells, piano, and yes... bassoon. The children cry out for bassoon, and Kenneth Edward Keyn is there to sate their palates. So to speak. Ojisez:

"The samples were a bit exposed and rigidly sequenced with the piano from :22-:39 but that was a minor snag. Even until :59, the samples were a bit too exposed, a bigger than usual drawback when going for such an intimate, purposefully sparse soundscape. Otherwise though, the arrangement was nothing short of excellent IMO, and the production was solid enough despite the samples sounding weak in spots. I loved the several emotive variations on the source tune. The changeup at 1:55 with the strings moving toward the close was beautiful stuff and a strong resolution. A brief mix but with excellent dynamics, it says a lot in a little time. Nice work, Kenneth."

With zyko lowercasedly chiming in:

"on one hand, i'm a sucker for zelda music and especially epona's theme. this is very cinematic in that early 20th century sort of way. i feel as though i'm watching a cecil b. demille film... epic and deeply moving. the arrangement is killer - it is intelligently interpreted and skillfully altered. very easy to run out of ideas with a short source material - not the case here."

Tricky source material and satisfying arrangement. Production isn't squeaky clean; there's still room for improvement on both samples and sample usage, and I think tempo variation could be utilized for more ebb and flow, but even if it weren't difficult source material, this would still be a very compelling arrangement, and its challenge only adds to the appeal.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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TillyFun
on 2016-02-06 18:16:19

I've been listening to this piece for years. It brings a nice soothing feel with some sadness, as if dark clouds are appearing.

Outro from 2 is pleasant. :)

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Tydin
on 2010-01-24 18:52:10

Something is lacking with the piano, not sure what though, just doesnt sound... Meaty enough? lol

But all in all I love this remix so much. Very peaceful. and one of my faves on the site! Going to have a look and see what else he has done.

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Emunator
on 2009-12-08 18:44:28

I definitely like the quieter sections where there's just one instrument taking center stage... it sounds almost too cheesy when the full orchestra comes in. Still, I appreciate the arrangement and, while they're not the best, I don't think the sample quality inhibited my enjoyment much, if at all.

That being said, I'm also glad that Abadoss has taken advantage of the various collaboration opportunities for projects lately... when his stellar arrangements meet live music/professional-sounding samples, that's when his music really shines and you realize just how talented of an arranger he is! :-D

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-10-28 23:06:24

This came up on random on itunes, so I'm going to take advantage of it to write a review here.

Overall Abadoss is a master at classical writing, which is always a nice listen. I've loved hearing your arrangements, and I look forward to hearing what you can cook up next. The original is definately there, but it's also your own, which really is what I enjoy about your works.

Beating a dead horse here (11PM and I can be clever?), but the sample quality is your downfall. I'm glad you've collaborated a lot more lately to make some really nice sounding pieces, because it's a shame that these pieces can't realize their full potential.

Nice work though, keep arranging awesome stuff!

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goombapatrol
on 2008-11-13 19:16:07
I'm not completely sure why, but this mix didn't really vibe with me overall. There were small portions of it that I thought were very cool, creative, and well done, but I think maybe I found this piece slightly boring (to your credit, I don't think there's much to work with in the source track). I also didn't really like the quality of the instruments that I heard during the louder parts of the mix - particularly at the very end of the song. I'm no expert, but things sounded a bit MIDI to me.

Congrats on the good review score though. The arrangement in this track was definitely great. Keep the remixes coming!

same.

i like epona's song, but there's not much material there.

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Chavous
on 2007-05-14 08:41:37
I'm not completely sure why, but this mix didn't really vibe with me overall. There were small portions of it that I thought were very cool, creative, and well done, but I think maybe I found this piece slightly boring (to your credit, I don't think there's much to work with in the source track). I also didn't really like the quality of the instruments that I heard during the louder parts of the mix - particularly at the very end of the song. I'm no expert, but things sounded a bit MIDI to me.

I'm getting the same kind of feeling...I don't know. I like the new chord progression, considering I love the V - V7 feeling, but with the sparse instrumentation, attention to the sample quality is important...and it does sound MIDI-ish. I never really liked Epona's theme (couldn't this also go under the Lon Lon ranch theme, too?), and this doesn't do much to change my mind for it. It just sounds very cliche to me...I'm not quite sure why.

But hey, that's just my opinion. You can't please everyone, and it looks like you did a good job pleasing the majority.

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Kapyrna
on 2007-05-09 13:29:48

I'm new to the forums, but have listened to OCRemixes since I first got a computer, and this is a favorite already!

A little short, but the arrangement is great, and I like how it /isn't/ Gerudo Valley! Even though the sampling is clearly visible (audible?) here, it doesn't take away anything for me.

Thanks, Abadoss!

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apoc
on 2007-05-09 01:07:46

I'm not completely sure why, but this mix didn't really vibe with me overall. There were small portions of it that I thought were very cool, creative, and well done, but I think maybe I found this piece slightly boring (to your credit, I don't think there's much to work with in the source track). I also didn't really like the quality of the instruments that I heard during the louder parts of the mix - particularly at the very end of the song. I'm no expert, but things sounded a bit MIDI to me.

Congrats on the good review score though. The arrangement in this track was definitely great. Keep the remixes coming!

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ChloroPhil
on 2007-05-08 09:05:10

Epona's song was always one of my least favorite songs in the game. However, I like your arrangement very much. Thank you for your efforts in making it, it is and will go on being enjoyed.

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Rekklis
on 2007-05-07 17:44:29

I love this mix. It's nice to see some of the parts that we're (in my opinion) not as great as they could be, being orchestrated. I love this not only because it is something finally not Gerudo, but it really is altogether a great piece that made my day.

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Dhsu
on 2007-05-07 09:32:40

Nice arrangement, although the sample usage and partwriting in the first half put a big dent in the execution for me. Also a little on the short side.

Still, it's good to see more Zelda64 coverage that isn't Gerudo Valley. ;)

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Duo
on 2007-05-07 01:11:10

This is a nice, charming piece. There's no critcism I could offer that hasn't already, so I'll offer praise. I really enjoy listening to this and always felt the source material had potential, which you have tapped masterfully. It also stands unique among many of the OCR songs I've heard in the past, bringing something sort've new to the table. This is one I'll be listening to often for a long time to come and is already one of my favorites. Great job, I hope to see you do much, much more work of this skill and quality.

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HoboKa
on 2007-05-07 01:03:29

It's exactly as the judges said. It has a profoundly classy- western feel to it. I also think that its definately earning of the title "rearangement" :D, because it's oh so very original, yet very reminiscant of the source material. Awesome job Abados :).

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OA
on 2007-05-07 00:29:24

Overall very well done, with some very nice ideas, I especially like how you kept hinting harmonically at some of the original, and then going in a different direction, it really kept surprising me,and in a good way.

Some of the samples seemed too exposed, mostly the solo instruments, and though the piano was a bit rigid, it didn't detract in any way to me.

Very nice work. :-)

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djpretzel
on 2007-05-06 23:58:18

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo , 1998, N64)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Lon Lon Ranch"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Classical
Mood:
Happy
Instrumentation:
Orchestral,Piano,Strings,Woodwinds
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_Ocarina_of_Time_Epona's_Pastorale_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,782,378 bytes
MD5:
26258a0e243fcbd5bf30973205930027
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
2:34

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