Posted 2013-02-15, evaluated by the judges panel


We've got a special collab for you today from Chris ~ Amaterasu & waltzforluma, aka Aivi Tran, who's debuting on OC ReMix with this mix but already has a substantial fanbase on her YouTube & Twitter accounts. She's ALSO the composer for CRYAMORE, an action RPG that's looks awesome and has 10 days left on its very successful Kickstarter - check it out, and scroll down to the "Music" section for some examples! Speaking of kickstarters, we should have a backer update soon on our OWN FF6 project which is nearing completion - stay tuned!

Of this solo piano & violin duet, Chris writes:

"Here is 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, played by Aivi Tran/waltzforluma and myself whilst I was holidaying in SF. It is one of my favourite tracks from the game, and possibly out of all the Zelda games I've played. I've always wondered why there had not been a more classical approach to this tune, since it's style and structure really lends itself well to acoustic instruments.

But anyway...this song uses intimate answer/call sections between the violin and piano with an emphasis on phrasing. It is also one of those songs that remind me when my music teachers always said that you had to 'play' a rest. But anyway, other elements I used for my part included harmonics/flautando. These techniques were used to convey more of a airy/dreamy quality to the song. In regards to Aivi's part, I really enjoyed the harmonies which she brought out, and her elegant legato phrasing really set the tone at the beginning of the piece.

Even though we could have had a more technically sound recording (since decided to learn,play,record in about an hour) I think this recording captured a lot of the emotions I get when I listen to the original. Aivi thought of the name 'Dreams of Home', and we chose it because it is relevant to the game's storyline and she said that she thinks of home when she listens to this song."

I LOVE this source tune, and it's one of my favorite Zelda themes as well; the fully-orchestrated version that's performed as part of Symphony of the Goddesses blew me away, but I also think it lends itself to a more intimate, personal setting that a duet like this can explore. Aivi adds:

"This is my favorite duet of ours, the sweet and haunting "Ballad of the Wind Fish" from Link's Awakening. We jammed it out by ear to figure out our arrangement before recording it. I got really emotional while I was playing this - it all just felt very genuine."

At 2'33" this arrangement is short-but-sweet and very focused on the interplay between the two instruments - as arguably any good duet should be. The melody is kept more or less intact, and most of the interpretation comes from Chris's accompaniment, with some interesting voicings that caught my attention and had me trying to anticipate where things were headed. The dynamic range & development are excellent, and when Aivi glisses up to that peak note @ 1'58" it's a truly breathtaking moment. Larry sums it up well:

"Great interplay between the piano and violin, with Chris's piano adding a lot of new writing ideas to really compliment Aivi's rendition of the source and add that much needed interpretive dimension to it. It's relatively straightforward, but beautiful and expressive. It's short, it's sweet, it definitely gets the job done. Nice collab."

Agreed, 100%. Chris has participated in some amazing collabs with various artists, this is no exception, I'm glad to have some aspect of Aivi's work represented on OCR, and check out & support CRYAMORE if you're looking forward to an action RPG with great music!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 7 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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SoaringWyvern
on 2019-03-03 23:56:14

Loved this song so much, my wife chose this song to walk down the aisle at our wedding. Fantastic piece

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Crulex
on 2013-04-17 14:24:52

Beautiful. The violin and piano are so gorgeous in this one. Lots of emotion and nicely done for a live recording. Love it.

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Subz1987
on 2013-02-16 17:16:22

Welcome to OC Remix Aivi! Been a big fan of your work for a while now, and great to see another piece from you! Hoping for more.

please don't disappear

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Chimpazilla
on 2013-02-15 18:16:03

Utterly lovely. Just brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations Aivi and Chris! :)

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wvlfpvp
on 2013-02-15 17:12:16

Fucking wow. Absolutely ace mix, this, and nailed the general feel I got whenever I heard the song in any of the (I dunno how many) times I played through the game.

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Melody of Light
on 2013-02-15 12:51:24

This is a truly beautiful, emotion-filled rendition of one of the most "magical" songs encountered in a game. Bravo!

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djpretzel
on 2013-02-15 12:20:53

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo , 1993, GB)
Music by Kozue Ishikawa,Minako Hamano
Songs:
"Ballad of the Wind Fish (Instruments Ver.)"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Classical
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Piano,Violin
Additional:
Arrangement > Duet
Origin > Collaboration
Production > Live Recording

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_Link's_Awakening_Dreams_of_Home_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,741,159 bytes
MD5:
b66ee2dd02270221c30c943b006a61dc
Bitrate:
241Kbps
Duration:
2:34

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