ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages 'Nayru's Love'

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Who is Nayru, and what exactly is his love? Dhsu, with an assist from Graylightning, is glad you asked:

"Yes, the introduction, is a verbatim cover of the OoT title intro. Yes, that was intentional. Right after that, the Oracle theme comes in, but it's over the OoT (or OoT-style) rolled chords, instead of the original single-note accompaniment. After that, you hear the main part of the OoT theme, and the accompaniment switches to arpeggios. Then it changes to the Oracle theme again, with some subtle OoT references at 1:29 and 1:48. Finally, we come to the OoT ending, which similar to the original but takes an interesting turn at 2:12 (I think it goes to an F# in the arrangement instead of a G).

And that's the song. It's a little simple on the left hand side and a little conservative on the right hand side, but I think if you compare it as a whole with the sources, you'll realize they're significantly different in feel and arrangement."

GrayLightning explains his role:

"After 3 different attempts with various versions, we're finally happy to submit the final version of it. I helped edit some of the midi aspects of the piece with some tweaking of the left hand sections, and note velocities. I also did the mixing and mastering with some eq, compression, reverb, etc."

This solo piano arrangement sounds like a theme they'd play in a film about someone who'd just been diagnosed with a terminal illness... in Autumn; as Brandon points out, it's really two rather conservative arrangements melded into one less conservative arrangement - the key is in the juxtapositionamifyingication... to be sure. Production is both crisp and warm simultaneously, and the performance displays solid dynamic range and control of tempo. It ends up feeling more like a Zelda 64 mix to me than Oracle of Ages, even if the melody is from the latter, as the progression is inherently dominant - and I spent a helluva lot of time watching the title sequence back when the former game first came out for the N64. Mr. Taub confesses to a softer side underneath that stony facade of bleak indifference:

"perhaps the most melancholy performance on this site. You know if you can break through Vig's icy shell and inject a little compassion into the charred stone that is his heart, you've done good."

Much like the jaded youngsters in the critically-acclaimed Care Bears Movie, who learn to love - and trust - with the help of psychedelically-colored carnivores, Jesse's cathartic breakthrough speaks to the strength of the mix's tone. That's what I'd say the strong suit is here - it's not a virtuoso performance, not an ingenious arrangement, but what it does quite effectively is use both themes to construct a third, descendant work that achieves a serene, reflective tone, with perhaps a hint of longing; I can certainly relate. Deceptively simple but openly emotive, this is a good example of a short, well-executed idea that doesn't try to be all things to all people but still confidently paints a picture.

― djpretzel