ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages "Tranquil Homesteads" 3:14

Rebecca E. Tripp continues on a roll, with another beautiful, transporting classical/new age arrangement, this time focusing on Oracle of Ages:

"This is my extended arrangement of the house music from Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages / Seasons. Though the original was merely a 16-second loop, it stole my heart completely. I actually kind of prefer it to the Ocarina of Time "House" theme! I made a cover of that piece too in a similar style. This track is meant to be a sister piece to the OoT one!

What does it mean to have a home? Is it simply a place that's warm and dry? Is it somewhere for us to store our precious items? Is it, perhaps, something which we associate with relatives and neighbors? Is it a trench of memories -- painful and wonderful alike? Is it a temple within the mind? Or is it, perhaps, something even more than this? And if so, how often is "home" authentically experienced on a conscious level?"

Rebecca often waxes philosophical, and I like how she uses music to explore & examine concepts - or is it the other way around? Home is where the heart is, I suppose, and either way we've got a lovely piece (levels still a bit low so turn it up!) featuring mixed winds & ensemble strings in more of chamber/intimate setting. Flute, clarinet, & bassoon all factor in, and everything has a mellow, peaceful vibe to it, as the title suggests. Chimpazilla writes:

"I love that I hear Zelda's lullaby on the clarinet as a countermelody. The piece is repetitive as it would have to be using an 18 second source, but I feel like there is enough variation in how that source is played and by different instruments, and the mix is so light and cute that I'm not finding the repetition to be a problem. I think this is adorable and well produced."

Rexy concurs, and sums things up nicely:

"Stretching out a source that's less than 20 seconds long is always going to offer different methods of interpretation. Still, even then, the "theme and variations" route is suitable enough to twist the foundations and keep them recognizable at the same time. No two run-throughs sound identical, the use of "Zelda's Lullaby" as a countermelody is charming and compelling, and I liked how you placed the core motif of the source into a broodier minor key development at 1:14, spread across multiple wind instruments. Arrangement-wise, the sum of the parts are simple, but get their job done effectively."

While I think the panel as a whole agrees that several of Rebecca's pieces could use a volume bump, I absolutely love the *arranging* here - it's a great example of extrapolation, variation, and to echo Kris & Bev, the use of "Zelda's Theme" is a very nice touch. Enjoy!