OCR04678 - *YES* Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask "Withered and Forgotten"

[Emunator]

Artist Name: Sebastien Skaf

Hello, it's been some time since I've submitted a remix!  I was listening back to some of the piano arrangements I've made the last couple years and I thought this might fit the bill in terms of being transformative enough to constitute an OCRemix, I hope you agree.

At the start of Majora's Mask you find a small tree with what looks like a face on it, Tatl comments that it looks sad, like it could start crying at any moment.  It's just a passing remark on something you see for a second in the tutorial, but it's little details like this that really make Majora's Mask so special.  There's a blanket of loneliness and desperation draped over the whole game, and I wanted to convey that in this arrangement.

In terms of source usage, the entire original tune is there.  The introduction to the piece is a 12 bar variation on the A theme which floats up and down the keyboard, eventually resolving to a pretty faithful rendition of the original piece.  After spending a minute there I approach the theme again from the beginning with increasing embellishments and intensity: first in octaves, then in a 3-2 polyrhythm, and finally by layering the A and B sections of the piece on top of eachother, with the A theme played as a middle voice and the B theme soaring above in broken arpeggiated chords.  I round off the piece with a restatement of the intro that finally fades off into an unaccompanied quote of the A theme.

If you're curious, here's the score: https://www.dropbox.com/s/68lcafj4c2gtaje/Song of Healing.pdf?dl=0

Thanks for your consideration

[prophetik music]

there is a lot of headroom to start this remix. would have loved to see a bit of compression on it.

initial piano tone is gorgeous. the suspension at 0:25 is very nice. the initial performance of the melodic material is also very well-handled - i recognize it's a very conservative adaptation but it's beautifully managed. the broken chord at 1:29 and later is great how it pops out of the texture. 1:42 continues the gradual crescendo to the big climax section at 2:15, and this continues to be richly voiced.

there's a significant dropoff at 2:31 and the arrangement becomes more introspective here. there's a final bit at 3:10 and it's done, a bit suddenly - would have preferred a longer sustain there. 

there is a consistent static sound that i believe is the sustain pedal's action or else some nervous movement by the performer. i've never heard that in a recording before. it is noticeable but not enough to make me want to reject this. certainly better than gould's humming.

i think this a beautiful rendition of the theme, minor technical issues aside. there is a ton of patience taking to let the original's beautiful modal tonality shine out and to let the suspensions really sing through clearly. excellent work.

 

 

YES

[Chimpazilla]

Wow, this is glorious!  What a beautiful interpretation of this source, the chord changes give it a very rich vibe, while keeping the feel of the original the same.  Beautiful triplets added, really nice embellishments to this theme.  Piano tone sounds perfect to me.  Wow, love it.

Lots of dynamics in the piece.  Could it use a bit of compression, perhaps, but I don't find it necessary.

Actually... I also hear that static.  It is such an easy fix using RX, especially since there is half a bar of silence before the piano begins.  The noise is there in that half-bar, so it was easy to have RX learn the sound, and delete it.  What do you think @prophetik music?    denoised wav

YES

Edited January 25 by Chimpazilla

[MindWanderer]

What a gorgeous interpretation. It's very difficult to make a remix using the same instrument and pacing of the original and have it come out so differently, so great job there. Lovely performance.

I never would have heard that static on my own, and I can barely hear it even when I'm listening for it. I would vote against messing with it.

Fantastic work.

YES

[Emunator]

Absolutely beautiful piano tone and recording here. I'm consistently amazed at how dynamic and varied artists are able to get with these ocarina songs - the core is so simple, but you've demonstrated a mastery of your instrument that allows you to spin the source material in so many different directions without ever feeling simply like a tech demo showcase. There's a clear dynamic curve to your arrangement that feels very deliberate, with the exception of the very sudden ending which felt unsatisfying.

On a personal note, the way that this was mic'd picks up a lot of the sustain pedal releases, which felt distracting to me. I normally like leaving ancillary room/performer/pedal noises in recordings, but in this case, it felt weirdly isolated as there wasn't a lot of other organic sounds that made their way into the recording. I actually didn't notice the static buzz that other judges talked about - I thought they were referring to the pedal noises but those are still fully present in Chimpazilla's denoised WAV, so that must be something else entirely.

Either way, clear pass for me - it's a really beautiful take that deserves all the accolades it's been given!

YES

[Liontamer]

Clear pass despite the production issues. Digging the approach and wanted to co-sign. :-)

YES