A Classical thoughts?

[toLOVE]

Love song is freaking epic and flawless!! Best song on that album (I would love if there's Love songs Classics than this...). You & Me sounds great, second best. Every other song had better version imo. Voyage.... sounds almost like the original... If they included the BLUE BIRD from PoM then I would died in happiness. <3 I find Song 4 u & Missing orchestra version from the "mini-album" better than the classics.

[TeamAyu2004]

finally got to listen to the whole album!!
Love this thing.... i'm most disappointed with Love song... and that might just be because EVERYONE is talking about how EPIC it is...
and well, its not that epic.
I was really surprised with seasons... I love this version...
as a whole I like this album!
2 bad things: Track listing/length and cover.

[jewelbox]

those that are worth listening are new songs, Love song/ Song 4 U.

[Andrenekoi]

People believing hiring a whole orchestra to play 30 tracks is cheap... ~~'

About the album... So far, so good. Blue Bird sounds like a Disney song xD

[YuriChan]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

finally got to listen to the whole album!!
Love this thing.... i'm most disappointed with Love song... and that might just be because EVERYONE is talking about how EPIC it is...
and well, its not that epic.
I was really surprised with seasons... I love this version...
as a whole I like this album!
2 bad things: Track listing/length and cover.

As a band dork, I have to agree with you about "Love song". It didn't stand out to me... SEASONS could of just used a flute choir arrangement and it would of been perfect! (But, that's just me, though. )

[microphone]

I loved all of them except BLUE BIRD. The acoustic orchestra mix was a let down and I had high hopes for the classical mix. Overall, A CLASSICAL was great to listen to.

[FoObY]

MY STORY Classical still resonates more with me, especially with how the interludes were handled on that album. (One-dimensional interludes turned into complex classical masterpieces)

A CLASSICAL is just "pretty" throughout, not many "daring" or complex tracks. I'll have to listen to this album again with headphones in FLAC and make another assessment. Sometimes you just need to close your eyes and simply take in the music.

[gogirlanime]

I was very pleased with this album, it is slightly forgettable, I won't be listening to it super often but I was more impressed than I thought I would be. I still don't like Days no matter how much Avex tries to push it on me haha. My favorites are Love Song, M, Dearest, You & me, and Song 4 u.

[relmy]

It's a nice album but none of the tracks felt special or distinctive. It was nice to hear some of her classics, but they were pretty lacklustre.

I personally didn't like Love Song, the classical arrangement took away what made the song great, the raw and emotional feeling is what made that song great. The classical arrangement really doesn't work with her vocals, this is one that did need a new vocal track.

The problem with all the tracks is... hmm... because it's the old vocals the singing doesn't feel integrated with the song. It's like she's singing over any old arrangement. It's rather jarring. Jarring is the last thing a classical arrangement should be.

Should have made it with no vocals, that would have been cool. See how they played with the songs when they didn't need to fit in verses and choruses. The interlude tracks were the best songs on MY STORY CLASSICAL.

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by relmy

Should have made it with no vocals, that would have been cool. See how they played with the songs when they didn't need to fit in verses and choruses. The interlude tracks were the best songs on MY STORY CLASSICAL.

There are such versions! =-) Try the Harmony: J-Pop Meets Classics ayumi hamasaki by Warsaw philharmonic orchestra!

[Jennie Mae]

This was pretty hit or miss for me. LOVED Love song, SEASONS, You & Me, Days, and Dearest. The rest were just meh. Especially Voyage.

[Leaf King]

SEASONS was exceptionally well done.

The trouble I have with You & Me (original) is the arrangement--I loathe it--but the classical version is really nice.

Dearest, I love.
BLUE BIRD is nice too.
Song 4 You is another good one.
I prefer the original mix of Missing; and Love song, which I was looking forward to the most, just doesn't do it for me.
Oh and M--I like this rendition of the song too.

[YuriChan]

Originally Posted by relmy

I personally didn't like Love Song, the classical arrangement took away what made the song great, the raw and emotional feeling is what made that song great. The classical arrangement really doesn't work with her vocals, this is one that did need a new vocal track.

I agree... It had potential, but it lacked something.

[kimmeh]

I don't want to sound whiney, but seriously - Ayu did "nothing" on A Classical.
Think about it.
The vocals are the same, just stripped and put on other arrangements.
She didn't even have a photoshoot as the cover is a drawing.
Nothing new to compose, nothing. She didn't even have to pick the songs herself. The fans did.

And I think it REALLY shows. I'm disappointed with A Classical :/ I had hoped for new vocals. I'll just consider it a free bonus

(Well she probably did something like approving/disapproving, but you get my point.)

[emi♡]

Finally listening... I'm gonna write as I listen...so, it's gonna be long.

Spoiler:

M - I like the "low" parts over the climactic ones. I like how they kept the arrangement simple in certain places where the original wasn't. But it's hard for me to put the melody with the arrangement completely. I wish there were less instruments.

Love Song - Starting with tympani and brass is nice. I actually think it was a good choice for the composer to choose this sort of arrangement for this song, with the heavy brass. I also feel like it's more connected with the melody than M was. Piccolo epicness in the background also. Oh...I wish this part at 3:00 had one standout instrument in the back instead of it being just her vocals. Ending is meh.

SEASONS - I wish there wasn't so much heavy brass here. This will be a classical song like M was I suppose. Yeah. It's not too bad for this song...it would be nice live. Gives a really BIG song.

You & Me - Oh yeah. I liked this arrangement for this song I think. Just because it was positive. Did the original song have this tempo? I can't remember. Her English still bothers me. Like the little percussion things happening in the verses. And the clarinets. I think he did a good job of filling in the song behind the melody. I actually liked the melody for this song, cause when you sing it, it feels like you're telling a story. Don't like the La La's. I kinda wished they cut the last verse, and ended with those flutes.

BLUE BIRD - Interesting decision for the opening. It was sweet. omg I miss these vocals, holy ****. I think I wanted something more like HAPPY ENDING for this song...obviously not getting it...but okay. I feel like the melody takes over here, like with M. Oh...no, trumpets. I don't care for this arrangement. It moves alright though. Oh, but no, no, not for me.

Days - lol If the woodwinds don't own this song I'll be mad Composer person. Harp is nice. I like that he kept it simple there. He knows there's already so much going on with the vocal track lol I don't know if I like how they kept in the harmonies for her voice. I do like the balance between the arrangement and the melody though. Ah there, before 4:00, the only reason to keep in those low harmonies.

It's still kind of typical. I would have liked to see something different done for the song. But the composition for Days is already such a mess.

Voyage - aww Voyage. Oh interesting with the violin opening. This one is also typical, but I like it. lol I forgot about Ayu's vibrato. I think, oh nice french horn, I think the good parts of this arrangement lie with what's underneath those overhead strings and top melody. The backing brass, and lower strings, that french horn. aw flute trill prettiness. Otherwise, typical.

Haha! I knew the brass was gonna come in there. I like how they did the grace note.

Song 4 U - omg is that FINALLY A ****ING PIANO. Damn. This song is boring me tbh lol Nice flute run. This is another that I feel, at least during the chorus, the melody takes over and there isn't a nice balance. Woah, that verse was disjointed. I don't like this one because I don't think I wanted such a big arrangement for this melody. My favorite parts are the low parts or the piano ones.

This is also another, where I wish they could have done more with it. Like Days. They could have been more creative. The arrangement is just "there".

Missing - oh pretty.... oh no no don't go there. ah okay. But the chorus will. I think. Yep there it goes. Another. The arrangement is nice, but it's just there. The flute runs are really nice, but you have to pick them out. And ew...what's with this boring transition. I think he was trying to go for the more somber tone, while keeping everything in there, and filling in the background, but idk, it just doesn't work for me. It's boring.

Dearest - Alright last song...this song always makes me cry lol Pretty harp. Actually, I think if all of these songs didn't have that harp, they'd all suffer. I want to kill him for using those overhead strings so much. This arrangement is also typical and boring. Just there. Can't hold it's own without the melody.

CAN YOU PLEASE BRING OUT THE PIANO OMG. Why is it stuck way back there? Kill those other instruments! You don't need them! ****.

This low part is nice. SEE. PRETTY PIANO IS ALL THAT'S NEEDED.

Yeah. This song also...could have utilized so many of these beautiful instruments. Classical is not ALL about these high strings. A song like this...could have been so creative.

Why are you ending with the harp and not the piano. Who should have been the star of that song.

Okay. I got a little angry towards the end...Sorry. But. um I think it's nice. I could have been...amazing, but. It's just so Japanese "I love high strings and flute runs all the time".

Some of the arrangements are boring. Many of them don't do anything interesting in their own right, and that makes me really disappointed. You have SUCH an array of gorgeous instruments. USE THEM.

And don't just throw them all together just doing simple chords so that they get lost and nothing happens.


I think my favorite might be LOVE SONG just because the arrangement wasn't AS typical and it complimented that melody nicely.

So many of them were on the same level. REALLY upset about my BLUE BIRD.

6.5/10 for the album I guess.

[Larien]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

People believing hiring a whole orchestra to play 30 tracks is cheap... ~~'

About the album... So far, so good. Blue Bird sounds like a Disney song xD

To be honest, I kept thinking "Disney" while listening to this as well. Not necessarily bad, because Disney/Disney parks have some pretty fancy orchestral arrangements.
I feel pleased about the album. I don't have huge feelings of disappointment, and my socks are still in place on my feet.

[primavera♥]

I love this

And especially as a brass instrument player. I'm just a sucker for brass usage that is really well done in Love song.

[Saki-Chan]

I really liked DEAREST in this new album.. dunno why but even if it's an old track, remixed over&over.. don't know... It has a special feeling in A CLASSIC. It has impressed me.
About the other tracks.. nothing so special, nice but not so EPIC.

[Bad Wolf]

Originally Posted by toLOVE

Love song is freaking epic and flawless!! Best song on that album (I would love if there's Love songs Classics than this...). You & Me sounds great, second best. Every other song had better version imo. Voyage.... sounds almost like the original... If they included the BLUE BIRD from PoM then I would died in happiness. <3 I find Song 4 u & Missing orchestra version from the "mini-album" better than the classics.

If she did a classical version of Long songs I'd be as happy as happy could be lol. To me that's basically my favourite Ayu album ~of all time~, all the way through.

I listened to the album all the way through again at work tonight. It's nice as background music, but her older tracks (SEASONS, Voyage, Dearest) didn't stand out to me as much as they could have. I think it's because they already have orchestrated versions -- several? -- that have already been ingrained in my mind, that these new ones aren't exactly sticking to me.

[freedreamer]

I actually LOVED M, Love song, SEASONS and Dearest so much hahah
You & Me was different in a good way
BLUE BIRD was alright in the end hahah..felt a bit too fast. the Power of Music wan was stellar. Days was slightly predictable (though the song's still great). Somehow it was great to hear Voyage again but yea, felt like the same song TOTALLY.