ReMix:Castlevania II: Simon's Quest "Simon's Epic Symphonic Quest" 5:26

Sometimes a mix title tells you everything you need to know; newcomer Ben Oz (Benjamin Oziel) delivers an epic symphonic quest, indeed, offering up a fantastic medley of tunes from Simon's Quest, woven into a narrative symphonic tapestry:

"Here is a submission of a symphonic version from a game that marked my childhood. Symphonic medley of Simon's Quest CastleVania II NES game.

Hope you will enjoy it! :) Have a nice day."

Concise & to the point; would have loved some background details on tools, software, inspiration, etc., but I'll live - transitions & integration of numerous themes is on point, and on top of a strong symphonic foundation you've got some bonus piano, organ, and choir elements, making for a dramatic ride that covers spooky unease, majestic bombast, gothic intrigue, and everything in between. Judges were unanimous; Liontamer writes:

"This is definitely a medley structure with brief hits of several themes, including some quick transitions, but the instrumentation and dynamics employed here do make the piece feel cohesively presented and it's obvious the transitions are thought through and purposeful. I'm willing to hear other judges opinions as well, including djp's, but I'd say this is a valid medley with care put into the transitions. The expansive part-writing and solid orchestration make it an easier sell on the arrangement side. Good stuff, Ben!"

My thoughts echo Larry's - I think "purposeful" is a good word, as the journey through themes flows very naturally and pivots in a way that conveys musical storytelling as opposed to "how many themes can we fit in one medley!?!?" - which to be honest was more of an issue back in the early days of OCR. I feel like in recent years most medleys we've seen steer clear of outright "medleyitis," as we call it. Ben does cover a lot of material, and there are tonal shifts in mood, sparseness, etc., but it still feels unified and directed at all times - and sounds fantastic! Judges did have some minor gripes on believability of certain samples, but they're being used quite well, which can mask such concerns fairly effectively. prophetik music had the last word:

"there's a lot of fun ideas in this one. starting with bloody tears is great since it's such a recognizable theme. i didn't mind the transition at 0:55 (not sure what would have made it better? it's a dramatic stylistic shift). same with 1:30's shift, i thought that was fine. i really liked the swell into 1:55. 2:39's grace notes is such a fun, eerie idea that flows well into the brass fanfares and subsequent faster section. the trumpets particularly in that section weren't great (great writing, poor execution by the computer unfortunately). 3:45 just had me bobbing my head, i love the realization there. 4:08 is just fantastic - great lead-in, epic scale (organ in right ear was a bit loud), and the big orchestral tutti with the melodic content. the piano following this section was a great contrast and again very well written albeit fairly straightforward."

There are more than a couple "magic moments" where the musical stars align and this arrangement really clicks, and to have that happen in the grander context of an ambitious, well-executed medley is impressive. Excellent stuff & truly wonderful orchestration from Ben Oz - hope to hear more in the future!