When you see a track titled “Symphony of Wisdom,” you probably expect to just hear a remixed version of “Zelda’s Lullaby.” While that iconic track is featured in “Symphony of Wisdom,” Sam Dillard surprises the listener by tying together multiple, seemingly disparate themes from throughout the Zelda series, not all of which are tied into the titular princess of Hyrule. This leads listeners to embark on the track as they would any Zelda adventure: ready to solve its puzzles.
The arrangement begins with the “Song of Time.” A variety of instruments ranging from bells and horns to choral accompaniment are used to bring this melody to life, and it provides an amazing entry. I hadn’t really thought of the connection between the attribute of wisdom and the “Song of Time” before, but its use here serves to highlight both the brilliance of trying to hide the power of the Triforce from the grasp of the wicked and the diversity of intelligence and experience the sages all bring from their various life experiences.
A little later in the song, the somber notes of “Midna’s Lament” play, and just as if I were Link entering a new dungeon room, my brain is left with a new puzzle to solve. How is Midna tied to wisdom? I can buy her being the embodiment of the unknown Triforce of sassiness, but wisdom is not the first word that comes to mind when I think of this impish royal. She’s tricky and sly and a little bit of a bully in the early parts of Twilight Princess. She’s not wise in the same way that Zelda is, but she easily fulfills the role of the trickster archetype. In the same way that Loki or Odysseus can be seen as wise, so too is Midna. She uses her intelligence to reach her goals in whatever way she can. In the end, she also adds to her wisdom by realizing that she doesn’t know everything. She needs to continue to grow as she journeys alongside the Hero of Twilight.
As “Midna’s Lament” fades out, the “Great Fairy Fountain” theme twinkles in with a new conundrum. Where’s the wisdom here? Well, since the beginning of the series, all fairies great and small have helped the various incarnations of the hero. They impart knowledge of the healing arts, various magical spells, and in the case of Tatl and Navi, they provide knowledge of whatever you’ve chosen to Z-Target. This new insight into the series’ gossamer-winged companions left me feeling smart as I moved towards the track’s end.
As we near the end of the track, Sam Dillard gives us the song we’d been expecting all along. As the familiar notes of “Zelda’s Lullaby” greet us, it feels like our reward for a puzzle solved. This masterful mix of Zelda songs both expected and unexpected has been our companion on our own musical journey. Sam Dillard has created an audio adventure for Zelda fans that invites them to participate in the construction of meaning. The song’s mysteries called us to decipher and interpret and build our own interpretation which may be different from other listeners. In the end, we each get to solve the puzzle on our own. In a way, it becomes the symphony of our own wisdom.
