ZREO: Second Quest Partners With String Quartet ATLYS for “Fair Winds & Following Seas,” A Brand New Wind Waker-Themed Fan Album
Posted on December 13 2022 by Sean Gadus
It is time to set sail on an exciting new adventure with the team at ZREO: Second Quest. Continuing their legacy of fantastic Zelda music fan projects, ZREO: Second Quest (successor to the the acclaimed Zelda ReOrchestrated project) has announced Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS, a fully licensed Wind Waker cover album. Fair Winds & Following Seas, scheduled for release in March 2023, will feature a talented group of over 30 musicians and will include around 50 minutes of music across 12 tracks. ATLYS, an all-female string quartet who were previously featured on ZREO: Second Quest’s recent version of “Hyrule Field,” are returning for Fair Winds & Following Seas.
ZREO: Second Quest discussed via press release the origins of the project and the meaning of the album’s title. Work on the album dates back to 2020, where the basic idea of a Wind Waker-focused project was first discussed. Fair Winds & Following Seas was developed in the midst of the global pandemic with six musical arrangers (two from ZREO: Second Quest and four guests), the strings quartet ATYLS, and a talented group of 29 musicians who served as a remote orchestra. The phrase “fair winds and following seas” is a nautical blessing for good weather and safe travels used by sailors. According to ZREO: Second Quest, the phrase was chosen as the title of the album to capture the “adventurous feeling from The Wind Waker.”
Fair Winds & Following Seas is scheduled to release in March 2023. The album will be available for purchase on Bandcamp, iTunes, and Amazon Music. In addition to the digital release in March, the album will be ZREO: Second Quest’s first licensed CD release. And the team behind the album is also partnering with Mango Mage Records for a vinyl pressing of Fair Winds & Following Sea. The details for pre-orders will be announced at a later date.
As a preview of the full album, the single “The Great Sea” is now available on all major streaming platforms. This song from Fair Winds & Following Seas can be purchased on Bandcamp, iTunes, and Amazon Music.
During an interview about Fair Winds & Following Seas, the team at ZREO: Second Quest gave Zelda Dungeon some insights about how “The Great Sea” was chosen as the debut single. ZREO: Second Quest co-founder Samuel Ferrara revealed that “Great Sea” was ultimately chosen as the single when the team behind the album realized that “many fans love the ocean theme, and might even skip parts of the album to go listen to it first.” The team also considered “The Great Sea” a great hook and showcase for what the listener can expect from Fair Winds & Following Seas, without spoiling some of the other great songs on the album. Discussing the development and construction of this new arrangement, Ari Fisher (arranger and ZREO: Second Quest co-founder) cited the “flowing melodies of Erich Wolfgang Korngold and the whimsical woodwinds of John Williams” as inspirations for the team’s arrangement of “The Great Sea.”
What do you think of the announcement of Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS from ZREO: Second Quest? Have you followed the previous work of ZREO: Second Quest or ATLYS? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: ZREO: Second Quest
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
