The Music of A Link to the Past
ALTTP is the Zelda game that established the saga's most famous music, themes that would be reused in most subsequent installments. Thus, we discover the Fairy Fountain music in the file selection menu, Kakariko Village's music, Ganon(dorf)'s theme, Zelda's Lullaby, Hyrule Castle's theme... It brilliantly reinterprets the main theme of the Zelda saga and creates a piece of music that even today is considered one of the series' greatest musical works: the Dark World theme.
The Legend of Zelda - Sound & Drama
On June 22, 1994, a two-CD album was released in Japan, containing the complete OST of The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past. But it doesn't stop there; it also includes the music from the very first Zelda, 10 re-arranged ALTTP themes, and a ten-minute audio track that features a fiction based on the game's universe! This album is titled Zelda no Densetsu - Sound & Drama (ゼルダの伝説"サウンド＆ドラマ").
As you might expect, the album never crossed Japan's borders, so the track list below is an English translation of the names:
Track List
Disc 1
- Overworld
- Fortune Teller's Shop Theme
- Dungeon-Temples
- Hyrule Castle
- Forest Theme
- The Other World
- The Goddess's Appearance
- Kakariko Village
- Sound Drama "The Prologue of the Two People"
Disc 2
The Legend of Zelda
- Title
- The Surface
- Underground
- Death Mountain
- Treasure Acquisition Fanfare
- Triforce Acquisition Fanfare
- Ganon's Appearance / Victory Fanfare
- Zelda's Rescue Fanfare
- Game Over
- Ending
The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past
- Title
- Opening Sequence
- When the Rain Falls
- Overworld
- Kakariko Village
- Forest
- Master Sword Sequence
- Rabbit Transformation
- Kakariko Village Soldiers
- Fortune Teller's Shop
- Selection Screen
- The Other World
- The Mountain Forest of the Other World
- Hyrule Castle
- Dungeon-Temples
- Caves
- The Church
- Boss Music
- Boss Victory Fanfare
- Dungeons of the Other World
- Fortune Teller's House
- Princess Zelda's Rescue
- Crystal
- The Goddess's Appearance
- The Priest
- When the Priest Transforms into Ganon
- Ganon's Message
- The Fight Against Ganon
- The Triforce Chamber
- Ending
ZREO Music
If you're a Zelda fan, you might know the ZREO collective, or its full name Zelda Reorchestrated. Their concept was to reorchestrate the music of The Legend of Zelda series, and when I say "reorchestrated," I mean it in a quality close to a symphonic orchestra (with synthetic instruments, though). They had composed many reorchestrations for almost all Zelda games of that era, and A Link to the Past was one of them.
Why do I speak in the past tense? In 2013, they decided to close their site, and unfortunately, all the musical content that was there is no longer available today (even if the old site is still accessible, thanks Wayback Machine!). That said, luckily, I had downloaded the Zelda 3 music and it's on my PC, so when I feel motivated, I'll upload them and make them accessible here 🙂. Their last project before closing their site was to reorchestrate the entire OST of Twilight Princess, in an album titled "The Twilight Symphony".
However, as of writing (hello from February 2023!), the collective has relaunched relatively recently, under the name "ZREO - Second Quest." Since their return, they haven't released a huge amount of music, and these are exclusively rearrangements of tracks from 3D games, so it's safe to say that ALTTP doesn't seem to be a priority for now! But who knows, maybe they'll re-upload their old compositions to their new site someday... 👀
Symphonic Concerts
Music in Zelda is no small thing. It's even become an essential component, and quite early in the series, because it doesn't just accompany the player; it also permeates the gameplay, and this from the very first installment! Across generations of games, Zelda music has helped to thrill players, and it started with A Link to the Past. It's therefore not surprising that Nintendo, in the 2010s, embarked on the production of live concerts, a symphonic orchestra being particularly well-suited to pay homage to the majesty of the saga's music.
25th Anniversary Symphony (2011)
In 2011, for the 25th anniversary of the Zelda series, Nintendo, with the help of a producer, Jason Michael Paul Productions, put on a symphonic orchestra show that took place around the world in three cities: Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London. They played, among others, the Hyrule Castle theme, the Princess Zelda theme, the Kakariko Village theme, and the Fairy Fountain theme, all created in ALTTP.
Some of the tracks from the concert program would be included on a CD sold with the collector's edition of Skyward Sword. The very first track is a medley that begins with ALTTP's ending music, that of the Triforce chamber. It's incredibly moving.
Symphony of the Goddesses (2012-2017)
Starting in 2012, another tour took place, and this time they didn't hold back, as there were regular concerts until... 2017! The name of this show is Symphony of the Goddesses, a symphony in four movements, each of which is a medley from one of the games in the series: Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and to conclude - saving the best for last 😎 - A Link to the Past; all punctuated by other pieces and medleys featuring the series' most iconic music.
I personally had the immense frustration of missing the 2011 concert, as its only European occurrence was in London, and at that time it was impossible for me. However, I was lucky enough to attend Symphony of the Goddesses in May 2013, as they came to Paris! So I made an 8-hour train journey multiplied by two to go Nice-Paris and back in a weekend, and I don't regret it. This concert was something I will never forget.
The A Link to the Past medley, the 4th and final movement of the symphony, was incredible. Some clever people recorded the live concert, and while waiting for, who knows, an album release someday, here are the 12 minutes that make up the A Link to the Past movement played in Paris in 2013. Yes, the same concert I was able to attend. Below is the medley that brought me to tears:
30th Anniversary Concert (2016)
On the occasion of the Zelda series' 30th anniversary, a new series of concerts was held, but only in Japan this time. The concert included the most recent entries in the series that were not or barely present in Symphony of the Goddesses, such as A Link Between Worlds or Tri Force Heroes. While the medleys from Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, or Twilight Princess were retained, the one from A Link to the Past was not. However, the iconic themes that it brought to the series are obviously included!
Not having been able to attend these concerts myself (I was in Japan all summer 2016, but bad luck, I returned to France in September and the first concert of the series was played in October!), I cannot say much about it. We know that Miyamoto, Aonuma, Tezuka, and Kondo all four made an appearance on stage during the concert, it must have been truly amazing!
A 2-CD album, once again exclusive to Japan, was released in 2017 in a standard and a limited edition. It is a recording of the second concert of the tour that took place in Tokyo in October 2016, and the limited edition also includes a DVD that shows the concert from a behind-the-scenes perspective.
