Akane — The Winter of My Heart [FULL ALBUM]
123Hello again, my friend! I am glad to present you with my second album - The Winter of My Heart. It features 8 arrangements of Touhou soundtrack made by ZUN.
In this piece I will take you on a journey to the deepest parts of my mind, my soul, my heart. We will go through my own personal winter - through my cold feelings and emotions, my smiles and tears, hopes and fears, melancholy and inspiration. I very much hope that you will like this adventure, that you will go with me until the end and probably even find yourself in the reflection of this music. As always, I hope that you'll like what you'll hear.
I thank you for being with me and I wish you a great journey.
01. Snow (00:00 - 02:54)
Your journey starts here. As you can feel, this is a place of snowstorm that seems to be everlasting. It is very easy to get cold, to get lost in such harsh conditions. But do not worry, I know this place, I will be your companion and guide. And together, we will go through the snow.
This is the song of winter. The song of white cold everywhere around. The song of path's beginning.
02. Melancholic Tengu (02:55 - 10:11)
There is only one road through this snowy desert, and we must follow it. The desert seems endless, and it is only natural to feel melancholic, as the path is very repetitive. But do not feel down. At the end of the day we still have each other's company. So let us both express our feelings while we continue our path.
This is the song of emptiness. The song of looking inside it and finding something dear there.
03. Tranquility of the Shrine (10:12 - 15:50)
We've reached our first stop. It's a lonely shinto shrine in the middle of winter. It's unusually warm inside, and the residents are very kind to visitors. We can always rest and feel at ease here. We can cover ourselves with blankets and watch as the snow calmly falls from the sky outsite the window. This will be our place of rest until we finally descend into the very depth of my heart.
This is the song of comfort. The song of feeling warm and cozy while looking at the coldness outsite.
04. Heartfelt Fancy (15:51 - 23:07)
Well, we have reached this place. This is the center of my heart and soul. It's a city amidst the desert, but the city is as much of a wasteland as it's surrondings. The buildings are empty and forgotten, nobody lives here anymore. Everyone left this place as if in a hurry - their belongings are still there. Writings on the walls, children's toys on the playgrounds, teacups filled with unfinished and now frozen tea. This place is very much like the infamous ghost town of Pripyat. My innermost sanctum.
This is the song of loneliness.
05. The Hardest Struggle (23:08 - 28:03)
The storm is getting out of hand. The snow hits the skin so hard and the wind is so strong that it's nearly impossible to move forward. Nothing can be clearly seen in the thick fog that surrounds us. It might feel like we have reached hell, and the devil himself took the form of a blizzard to stop us from going further. Yet we must move. No matter how hard it is, we must hold on to each other and break these walls of snow.
This is the song of struggle. The song of fighting against the odds and finding strenght in oneself when facing the situation that seems impossible to overcome.
06. The Wind is No More (28:04 - 29:37)
We can finally relax. The intense snowstorm is finally over, and we can see the clear sky above us. As we sit on the snow, exhausted after the fight with nature, we can feel the gentle warmth of the Sun.
This is the song of rest. The song of that long-awaited breather after the hardest part of the way.
07. Now We Look at the Stars (29:38 - 33:49)
The sky is still completely clear, but the Sun is below the horizon already. And so when we look up we see one of the most beautiful sights in the existence - endless stream of stars shining in the darkness, showing us the beauty of our Universe. When we look at this picture we almost feel like we are losing gravity ourselves and fly towards this infinity. Let us live our lives so that one day we may become just like these stars - shining brighty for those who are lightyears away from us even after we are gone.
This is the song of inspiration. The song of feeling alive and motivated to create.
08. The End of Winter (33:50 - 41:56)
It's over. The snowstorm is but a distant echo right now. As we continue on our way we can see that white snow is gone, instead we see the green grass and colorful flowers. The howls of wind are gone, we now hear gentle wind in leaves and cheerful tweets of the birds. The Sun showers us with warmth and light.
No matter how cold it is, no matter how hard it is to go on, no matter how powerless you feel. Even after the coldest winter... comes spring.
This is the song of the end.
Thank you for being with me on this journey, my closest friend.