ReMix:Skies of Arcadia "Valse pour un Prince Rebelle" 3:43

Old(ish) gold from Arcadia Legends, this symphonic waltz from Deedubs (Mike DeWeese) puts a classy, 3/4 spin on "Enrique's Theme":

"An elegant waltz for an elegant prince. This is my third ReMix contribution to this album project. Perhaps through plain ignorance on my part, "Enrique's Theme" was one of the few tracks from the OST that I completely forgot about. If I remember correctly, it wasn't used much in-game. The more I listened to the tune though, the more I got a feel for its pleasant melodies. In my search for what genre/style I should tackle, I decided to go back to my classical roots and arrange "Enrique's Theme" into an orchestral waltz, because what's more elegant than that? As I translated the melodies from the original 4/4 meter tune into a 3/4 meter waltz (always a fun thing to experiment with), everything felt like it fell into place. As such, I had an a lot of fun arranging this and I hope you have a lot of fun listening to it!"

The 4/4 to 3/4 adaptation is... addictive. I've always got a handful of ideas swimming around in my head that fall into this category, and it's amazing how many themes work really well as waltzes/ballads in 3/4 or 6/8. With any luck, at least a couple of these ideas will one day be realized, and I hope they turn out as well as this celebratory, rich, & fully-orchestrated piece from Mike. Judges were unanimous, but only DarkSim made me laugh:

"Well, that was fantastic. What can I say? I felt like I was sweeping through a ballroom like something in that godawful Bridgerton programme that my wife watches. I definitely don't watch it, honest.

The switch to 3/4 was inspired, and the melody works so easily as a waltz, that it all comes down to execution, and that's been knocked out of the park as well. Great interplay between lead instruments, everything gets a turn to shine, nothing outstays its welcome, and there's a big, bombastic finish. 2:39 onwards is glorious. Most importantly, the piece has a wonderful flow to it which you could easily dance to - surely satisfying the goal of any orchestral waltz. Brilliant stuff!"

What he said; Chimpazilla adds:

"The orchestra here is very full and layered in unique and interesting ways. I do love the switch to 3/4. Some of the writing, especially lead writing sounds a bit stiff (mostly where strings are playing lead) but overall the instrumental execution is terrific. The brass sounds especially good to me. Arrangement stays fresh as it moves along. Many lovely interpretations of the source theme. It's a luscious waltz."

I love the phrase "luscious waltz" just in the abstract, but she's right: it is. Great stuff, and a great occasion to shine the light on a terrific album from four years ago - bravo!