Symphonic Legends - Donkey Kong Country Suite

[@Melchiorblade7]

I'm so overjoyed to see Hamauzu's wonderful arrangement loved by this many people! His impressionistic angle really contours well with Wise's original intent.

[@Arrow9100kj]

I honestly couldn't agree more. The few persons who felt like it was too far off from the original clearly don't understand impressionism and don't understand what a magnificent arrangement and performance this is. Luckily, I see that their comments have been drowned in the flood of overwhelming praise since I last looked at this particular video in 2010.

[@Chris-qp6le]

And here I am. Still hearing this beautiful piece of music. Can’t make it loud enough to cover my sobbing…..

[@Demi-kid]

almost ten years and i still remember lurking through DKC osts and stumble on this gem. thank you for posting this mate.

[@daigoro789]

this was so beautiful... hamauzu, truly the master of ambience!

[@oODatenshiOo]

I think this was the best song yesterday. I had to cry I dunno know why but it sounded kinda sad and I got goose pimples....I`ll be there next year again!

[@AdarNasiykh]

Coming back 14 years later. Still in love with this arrangement~ Masashi Hamauzu and David Wise ♥♪♥♫

[@pepelepulcro]

WOW this is amazing! I love this!! thanks for the uploading and grettings from Mexico

[@mistakrunk]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this, but I'm disappointed to see the negative comments like "Oh it doesn't sound like the original". If you want to hear the original, listen to the soundtrack. Have an open mind and appreciate the fact that a composer elaborated on a beautiful melody. The "actual" Aquatic Ambience song is roughly a minute and a half long that loops continously in the game; would you pay to go to a live show to hear an orchestra loop the same chords until an eventual fadeout?

[@Alotofshake67]

I was there as well! This is probably my favorite track from the whole concert!

[@KaoCJ]

One of my favorites, Masashi Hamauzu, arranging one of the best ambient tracks ever? This is fantastic! Thank you for uploading. Wish they held these types of concerts near me.

[@Hamurator]

@viewerbroadcaster Aaahm, the arranger for this piece was Masashi Hamauzu, composer for games such as Final Fantasy XIII, Unlimited SaGa, and so on. And you can hear the main melody of DKC's Aquatic Ambiance (what is the water theme) several times.

[@noxmeroah]

the pianist and the violinist.... they sound just beautiful together! it was a great level with a great song to begin with, and they totally made it even more wonderful for me!

[@Artax666]

Ein toller Kontrast zum insgesamt eher fröhlichen bzw beschwingteren Nintendo-Soundtrack und eine viel bessere Wahl, als es ein Donkey Kong-Hauptthema je hätte sein können :) Hat sich super in das Konzert eingefügt, einfach fantastisch!

[@FrostyOverlord]

At every corner I can most certainty hear the differences between this and the original, however I can also constantly hear the original sound persisting in the background until finally, at 3:21, it wins over and comes out to show itself off. And even then it doesn't take a rest, playing up until the end of the song. All of those who truly remember the music, or have heard the OST recently, should easily recognize this.

[@firewings07]

ohh man...this nostalgic song..from one of the best game soundtracks...make me cry...haha..i miss the old games....beautifull...one word!...greetings from somewhere in Mexico...

[@darsal20]

what a beautiful piece. Brings me back to when i was a kid and i first played the game. :) good memories

[@DeformedLunchbox]

I've probably listened to this a billion times. Where can I get tickets to see Symphonic Legends? Amazing.

[@Metroidpescao4]

Just hearing the music give me a flash back when I was playing Donkey Kong Country Level 1-4 Super Nintendo 15 years ago (1997). AWESOME SYMPHONIC !

[@Naleka2008]

@sivarticus1985 Composer/conductor Koichi Sugiyama started it August 1987 in Japan. The first video game music concert outside Japan: August 2003 in Germany.

[@Ragrunzel]

I was there, it was absolutely great. Some songs really gave me watery eyes :) especially this one, how nostalgic!

[@chessfreakflo]

Ich war da und es war einfach nur geil ;-) Freu mich schon auf nächstes Jahr ^^

[@OdnetninAdlez]

I love the way the main violinist gets into the song. Shows just how amazing these video game songs can be be if people pay attention to them...

[@carlbernard7615]

Man that brought back memories of trying to collect bananas on that damn fish.

[@LeethLee1]

Amazing atmosphere in this performance!

[@ArianBVRZ]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG JUST WOW. goes to show how great this track is that it got this kind of attention and recognition .

[@xNickTheBrickx]

this needs about a hundred times more views.

[@Mpow518]

mi primer video juego en concierto, aunque amo los rpgs, nunca olvidare mi primer juego: Donkye Kong Country

[@Melchiorblade7]

It's variations on a theme using an impressionistic guise. I think Hamauzu did a remarkable job and kept the 6 minutes very fresh and meaningful. Yes, it sounds different than the original, that's the intent :)

[@Leningrado30]

es una cosa rtan bella cuando se organizan pa tocar toda una obra de buena musica o q diria yo musica mas bien ARTE!!! es demasiado calidad esto de verdad mi personaje favorito y ese orquesta hacen un trabajo magnifico

[@Thoraxe619]

@dzcomposer I totally agree. Not all music has to have melody. Sometimes it's best to just enjoy the music for it's sound content, and the arrangement of this piece was definitely made greater by Hamauzu's tendencies towards impressionistic music. It's very beautiful (AMAZING), and i'm glad Hamauzu took the already awesome source material and made it even more amazing by incorporating his musicality into the piece. Bravo!

[@Melchiorblade7]

A Hamauzu arrangement of Bramble Blast would be miraculous

[@DKFan4Life]

Its a song rarely touched upon, I've only heard it orchestrated once before. Its nice to hear something other than the Jungle Theme from DKC. Now all they need is the Brambles music.

[@dimsimlord]

Gorgeous

[@levinssonclash]

reminds me of that 1995 when my brother and I spent hours and hours playing Donkey Kong The years passed and my brother is no longer with me, but many memories, laughter and tears burst into my head while listening to the symphony, and closed my eyes and see the smiling face of my brother I miss you lawrence (R.I.P)

[@MunneyMerking]

beautiful

[@Ieglenguyen]

Benyamin Nuss has matured a lot since the previous concert Symhonic Fantasies, I really like his playing. Beautiful arrangement, very Debussy-like.

[@Nebulate]

omg... this is way to great.... So damn nice music....

[@emiliongo007]

what the hell is amazing i love it , it made me remember and thats something speciall for me

[@MaskedBishop]

Thumbs up! Yet, the creators of this one are David Wise (composition) and Masashi Hamauzu (arrangement).

[@rommiezero]

Im dissappointed in the people who say they dont mind that it dosent sound like the original. when i first heard this it took me straight to the underwater levels lol. i love orchestra and yea just thought id add the point that the game music is amazing. but a full blown orchestra can turn that game magic into reality by blowing your mind!

[@FiveTimeFiveTimeFiveTime]

@dmixwell i'm with u man people go to these video game concerts for the nostalgia and this set didn't really make me think of donkey kong country

[@Hamurator]

@Veit81 Listen to the original Aquatic Ambiance piece and then to the arrangement again. You can hear the leitmotif pretty often.

[@Jackcabbit]

Right at 0:44 is when I start getting goosebumps. Beautifully, masterfully done!

[@gebe774]

Monde aquatique, de tte beauté

[@Dhaos620]

music is universal language. simply as that

[@Urgessa]

Even though they may have tweaked aquatic ambiance to much, that intro til :43 was one of the most beautiful symphonic intros I've heard.

[@BritishFoodGuide]

wonderfull

[@TheAngryAndre]

Steinway, the piano of champions. What a sound!

[@kldusche]

jaaa, wunderbar!

[@Naleka2008]

@sivarticus1985 very welcome. if you care for more details, check 'symphonic game music concerts' on Wikipedia. :)

[@firestrings272]

So Schön...

[@brunonobrega4083]

mais que perfeito, muito além de perfeito se existir! memorias e sentimentos vem a tona!

[@harry426]

I pine for an orchestral medley of Aquatic Ambiance, Stickerbrush Symphony, and Frosty Frolics.

[@Smaschge]

i can imagine DK whipping his banana out to this one. :) really nice.

[@oODatenshiOo]

@chessfreakflo ich war ebenfalls da, saß in Block B. Es war einfach nur wunderschön ^^ Ich geh auch nächstes Jahr wieder hin x)

[@FerAnimaciones]

Esto es relajante y hermoso

[@batlin]

Wow, amazing interpretation here. It has a very different feel from the original "Aquatic Ambiance" track, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's very powerful and I'd love to have been there to hear it live!

[@haruhi2Doll]

que version mas bella...

[@Toohera]

This reminds me of the water level with all the junk! Awesome!

[@Apollyon2119]

@Veit81 then you don't know donkey Kong boy!! This music is incredible!

[@Bj0rnSH]

Lovely interpretation. It really sounds very Masashi Hamauzu. Not much is similar to the original, instead this is something new and interesting. The original, of course, has something special which can't be replaced by reinterpretations (which this version obviously doesn't even attempt). The beginning of this is especially good IMO. It reminded me of something, and I finally figured out that it was the song Wow by Kate Bush.

[@FrostyOverlord]

To all those who think this is nothing like the original, go listen to the OST again. Throughout this piece they do everything they can for an Orchestra to sound nice while playing a song from and NES game and do a wonderful job of it. BLUH BLUH character limit *finishes in second post*

[@BrandonMcBadass]

YEA!

[@ArturoLamillaM]

Koji Kondo is a master, he is my favorite composer I think, with David Wise, Grant Kirkhope, Kenji Yamamoto, Hirokazu Tanaka, Yoko Shimomura, and others, but he hasn't made DK music. He has worked mainly in the Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda series. Also he composed almost every song in Starfox 64.

[@lulitanaomialanis3902]

Arturo Lamilla jmivf

[@MusicRelatedCandy]

3:32 the bad ass just finally hits him

[@ericskyu3052]

Hermoso, bravo bravitsimo

[@DigitallyFazed]

0:44 ...I got chills...

[@wrukproek]

I've been there and do not agree with all the criticism. This score is a masterpiece and was for me the best one in the first part of the concert - I don't care how close it is to the original.

[@MusicFreddy]

been there

[@leonardoneen]

Que lindo...

[@acoustic404]

Can a digital designer upscale the quality to 4k and remaster the sound it deserves a full hd 4k remaster. Some do it!

[@acoustic404]

@3:38 he invented the dab!

[@luiscanamarvega]

while this was heavily arranged... it still sounds pretty amazing in its own right

[@azduelingpianos]

@Mistakrunk - The gentleman below has an excellent point, actually. I don't disagree this is a well-phrased and interesting elaboration - however - by adding a sort of 12-tone component to the overall harmonic structure, he has successfully managed to DESTROY the commanding, overwhelming beauty of the melody in the first place! I studied classical music at one of this country's premier liberal arts colleges - I will tell you that this type of thing drives me nuts.

[@Naleka2008]

@elpianisto26 Yes, he is.

[@dylz]

wow

[@iAzn08]

I love the part at 3:31.

[@Autobotsunited]

@mistakrunk LOL Thank you. As a musician, I love reading comments like this.

[@2bmuse]

beautifully played, got the CD Nuss plays Uematsu and love it. How can it be ordered from overseas?

[@Plastic_Kong]

Bramble blast is good, and I grew up with that song along with that game in particular, but Aquatic Ambience is THE BEST song of the trilogy. I haven't even played first donkey kong country and I absolutely love aqua. not that I don't love Bramble.

[@TrainerDerek]

@edwardshallow Implying aquatic ambiance is unrecognizable. Do you even play the games?

[@lazerpow]

nice.....

[@elpianisto26]

Benyamin Nuss at the piano?

[@hyrulepolitikk]

This piece and arrangement remind me of Mannheim Steamroller.

[@abelcuayla9306]

Muy buena

[@dzcomposer]

@dmixwell Most of the original song is there, you just have to listen for it. You expect it to sound exactly the same, which I think gets a bit boring after awhile. And to your analogy, no, I would not be disappointed. I would feel the same as I do about this piece.

[@malice23]

i mean...aside from the fact that the arrangement strays from the original, listen to when they play the ostinato of the orginal, then listen to their reproduction of that ostinato, played by the lead violinist at 3:16. It's different than the original. That's definitely not something that should be done in an arrangement. I'm talking about the section of it that starts at 3:20

[@uthar1986]

obergeil

[@Diditallforthexp]

One Winged Angel gets a 47 minute bongo solo and Donkey Kong Country has none?

[@MusicRelatedCandy]

Aquatic Ambiance

[@timolampe]

@dzcomposer Even though I appreciate orchestrated music I don't like this piece. But I agree with you that reinterpreting music is a good thing. And instead of doing a direct cover version there should be a lot more reinterpretations in music business. Cheers.

[@ragnaroktomorrow]

hey is that the pianist from distant worlds? it looks like him.

[@ariashach0]

Could someone clarify for me please which Donkey Kong Country tunes they picked? It's been awhile since I really listened to that game, or played it really. Thank you so very much!

[@natepearson9804]

Aight i'm four years late :P but this was all just one track "Aquatic Ambiance". They just extended it a lot.

[@fourandx]

My tribute to Harambe... 🙏

[@TrainerDerek]

@viewerbroadcaster So your telling me you don't hear aquatic ambiance at the begging. Sounds like YOU don't play the games.

[@justaguy12345]

Piano seems a bit too loud? hard to hear the gorgeous violins in the song.

[@coolman229]

I expected this to be big and loud. Why didn't they do the Metroid one like this?

[@viewerbroadcaster]

@TrainerDerek I never said I didn't, I said it has little to do with Donkey Kong, not nothing at all. And clearly I can because I said 'change a catchy tune', meaning its there, but different. But in my personal opinion destroyed.

[@nndsmc]

Aquatic Ambience

[@Ikesama]

Oops I meant David wise :)