Description
Genre: A Story of Season is a half improv/half written piano piece, with mild synth and orchestral editing to make it sound like something you would hear in a Ghibli movie. There is an obvious wink to Joe Hisaishi's work, especially Kikujiro no Natsu's OST. The full track is the Medley and follows the changing seasons. I added an element of sound design with an ambient evolving SFX texture to evoque each one. I also divided the medley in four different tracks for listener's convenience.

What kind of game ? the drawing gave me some strong Boku No Natsuyasumi vibes. It's an adventure game that is all about holidays in the Japanese countryside, spending time with your grandmother and living kid's adventures. In this imaginary game, the kid would stay beyond summer and experience the changing ambiences in the countryside and in O basan's house. The game would mix mild elements of exploration and role play, subtle yet powerful story elements about a secret hidden in the backwoods.

DAW: Ableton Live 10.

Composition method: The piano is the backbone of the piece. The mood changes with each passing season (from E minor, to F# minor, to A minor and back again, Spring jumps between C and E minor and finishes in G major for a more dramatic effect). Orchestration was done with heavily modded elements from Spitfire's BBC Orchestral Library, a Cypher2 software synth for added bells and even a Typhon for a clarinet like lead in the Winter part. The ambient part was made with the usual sound design shenanigans: layered ambient recordings, distorted, EQed and warped to sound more organic.

Message from the artist:
Jeddy Chu's drawing gave me some strong Boku No Natsuyasumi vibes. A Story of Seasons is an adventure game that is all about holidays in the japanese countryside, spending time with your grandmother and living kid's adventures. In this imaginary game, the kid would stay beyond summer and experience the changing ambiences in the countryside and in O basan's house. The game would mix mild elements of exploration and role play halfway between Animal Crossing and Maniac Mansion, with a subtle yet powerful narrative about a secret hidden in the backwoods.

Theme:

Story of Seasons

Picture theme

How does it fit the theme?
The drawing marks a clear line between each season yet remains unchanging in style.

I tried my best to evoke each season with this ever changing piano improv', but as this is still highly subjective I added the SFX layer to more obviously convey each particular mood.

Also, "Story of Seasons" is also the story of the passing of time, and how everything remains ephemeral, hence the bitter sweet flavor of the piece.

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/pete-wojtek/sets/story-of-seasons?si=1f8d77c3274041559c88619bdc048a1c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing