Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Postings from the 18th floor.

Moving out of my comfort zone, out of home, the place I've ad for long yet only lived no more than 3 years. Right now settled in the bustling side of Kuala Lumpur, this relatively new condominium, renting with another college mate of mine a room. 18 floors up, and you can imagine the view. Having need of the convenience of being near to college, I moved out. Independent life has its perks, yes.

But I do so miss the slower pace of the outskirts, and oh do remind of the coasts, though I have no favour of the beaches, it feels nice know that you're near the edge to grand water-hole. The lovely ocean, as much as I dread it, it is a beauty to behold.

Motion of the city life is pretty standard for me. 12am to bed, 8am to rise. And all else just depends on the flow of the mind. As much as I want to feel comfortable, I still feel out of place some how.

Today happens to be one of those days where Rachel chooses to sleep 1st before me. Oh well, I have not much left anyway. I do feel the need to express today. Yet it's an unsettling feeling of looking back in time.

Checked around the old pictures of me and my friends, and as usual, I lament the fact that I only get to live through those times once, and one time alone.

Times move on quickly. One day I feel like I have an edge, the next I feel like I'm not good enough. Practice is one thing, but I greatly lack the will to practice.

The semester just started, everything feels fresh, but there's that sense of foreboding in the air. I don't know what or why, but I guess it's cause my Friday performance looms. Which reminds me, I need to get the lead sheet down.

Till then, I'll write.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony.

Oh the unexpected discovery, this great joy...

You see, the thing about The Legend of Zelda's renowned soundtrack is that over the years, it manage to garner a near cult-like following. Koji Kondo, who worked with other well-known Nintendo game music helmed the role of composing for the series, creating many iconic leitmotifs from the game. The sad part is, even up until the latest games (Skyward Sword, 2011), all the soundtracks are predominantly MIDI, which means they do not use any acoustic orchestras to record the grand scale of the orchestral themes, resolving only to the sampled sounds. Boo hoo... :(

So with that said, I've failed to find any orchestral recordings that are officially tied to the series, only fan-made ones. Until I came across this:

Soundtrack list:
1. The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Medley [00:00 - 8:10]
2. Kakariko Village - Twilight Princess Theme [8:11 - 11:00]
3. The Wind Waker Symphonic Movement [11:01 - 21:30]
4. Gerudo Valley [21:31 - 25:03]
5. Great Fairy's Fountain Theme [25:04 - 28:11]
6. Twilight Princess Symphonic Movement [28:12 - 38:42]
7. The Legend of Zelda Main Theme Medley [38:43 - 43:09]
8. Ballad of the Goddess from Skyward Sword [43:10 - 45:18]


In celebration of their 25 years since the 1st game, apart form all other things, they've made a 25th anniversary symphony to commemorate the event. Songs and themes that occur and re-occur through the series, along with the iconic fanfare, soared through. The arrangement, all being medleys, are amazing, capturing the essence of the song and bringing it to a whole new level. Hand-picked by Koji Kondo himself, no one has to this point had any qualms about the music selection.

Having already played 2 games from the series, call me a fan, or a newbie. I love the soundtracks, some of the songs had me drowned in emotion.

I do say, if you have time, do spare. If you've played Zelda, don't miss out, go have a listen.