Definitely not the first orchestral ‘symphony’ to cover the entire Mane 6, but definitely not the last either. It’s nice to see that even though other composers have done this sort of thing before, each one puts their own spin on it. Here you can clearly distinguish between the different sections, composed for each individual character, yet they all flow seamlessly into one another.
Orchestral
Top Ten Pony Songs of October 2016 released!
More community voted Top 10 songs, and a good half of them came from Ponies At Dawn: Voyager, great job by the entire P@D collective. Anyway, take a look at which pony songs* made it into the top 10 this month.
*Oh, and Say by BlackGryph0n & Baasik is in there too for whatever reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ponyphonic – Shy Heart | Acoustic
Ponyphonic is known for their timeless (relative to fandom lifespan) songs, and it’s about time we saw another! It’s been over a year since their last original pony song, and this certainly is a great way to make a comeback. With so many melodies and sounds being played by guitar and strings in this, you’d be surprised to hear that it’s all done using live instruments. That’s right, not a single orchestral VST in sight, something which I greatly admire when available and done properly! And with so much emotion poured into the song, it’s likely to draw up some feeling in you too.
Horse Music Central – Vol. 1 | Complilation Album | Multi-Genre
NB: This was originally posted on Equestria Daily on 13 November 2016.
Horse Music Central, a group for brony musicians, have released their first compilation album, organised by FruityFusion, Spectra and Violin Melody, called Horse Music Vol. 1! This album, comprising 14 tracks, features relatively established artists such as Ryazan, fractilx and FruityFusion himself, as well as other new and upcoming artists such as Filly in the Box, Intersekt and Lunar Dance. With the money made from the album going towards charity, it’s definitely something worth checking out if you like compilation projects (I know I do!). You can find the album on bandcamp for free or donation here!
Ataraxia – 5:00 At The Café on Monument Parkway | Piano Solo
A much inspired and beautiful piano piece from Ataraxia, 5:00 At The Café on Monument Parkway conveys a comforting warmth through moving melodies on that sacred instrument, reflecting on personal feelings and hence displaying once more the beauty and magic there is to heartfelt songs, in this case even more magical thanks to the added level of emotion there is to pony tracks where we can appreciate that certain connection to what we feel, and imagining the artist play this piece inside a piano bar or a café in Equestria, and attending that live performance, only makes it more emotional. Well, Ataraxia said he’s trying to go to as many conventions as possible this year, so perhaps a music live at one of those is the best equivalent we can get for now! Be on the lookout for that!
A Symphony Of Two – The Clearing | Orchestral
This new track from Orchestral/Ambient duo A Symphony Of Two, and another of my recent favorites (yes there has been a lot of them recently!), has all that it takes to perfectly embody the beauty and serenity of its theme, title and cover art. If you’re a lover of Nature like I am, you might fall in love for forest clearings as well, suitable for the appreciation of the many wonders of Nature, there among trees and bathed by sunlight. And with this song full of wonder, spirit of exploration, wooden sounds, divine choruses, and untold bliss, a new dimension has been added to the sight.
Lunar Drift – Octavia’s Sonata: 2nd Movement ~ Without Grace | Orchestral
Perhaps just as epic as the battle depicted by the mighty cover art by Bugplayer, this new piece by Lunar Drift and continuation to the 1st Movement pays much tribute to Octavia in a beautiful musical embodiment of her fighting spirit. Battling Without Grace, paradoxically resulting in such a gorgeous and graceful piece… Music is magic!
Radiarc – Sunset Volcano | Orchestral
Perfectly embodying the risky and most probably meaningful adventure suggested by the gorgeous cover art by Shamanguli, this new piece from Radiarc unveiling the Perception album takes us through a masterful and powerful progression through epic and deep strings, tribal-y drums, intriguing piano, and emotional vocals.
New Reverian – Night Of The Willow | Orchestral
NB: This was originally posted on Equestria Daily on 8 November 2016.
New Reverian makes a combination of orchestral and electronic tracks, and whilst some of their electronic stuff has been quite popular this track shows their orchestral works can be just as good! Luna is a popular source of inspiration for pieces such as this, and the heavy night-like tone of the track certainly fits her well. The woodwind and foley sounds back up some strong drums, piano and strings wonderfully, and overall this is a pretty neat track!
Radiarc – 6pm | Orchestral
As part of an upcoming project, Radiarc released this “Animal Crossing style” track the other day. Said project will involve 24 “short simple themes for every hour of the day”, a concept similar to other I’ve heard before but none quite as extensive and detailed as this. This particular piece seems to mark a slight change of style from some of Radiarc’s recent works, and feels (for lack of a better word) ‘happier’.
Horse Music Herald 