@@echofeather6765 just because someone SAYS something doesn't mean they speak the TRUTH. If you think everything that's said online is true your going to have to find out the hard way.
You are 1000% percent correct on your analysis. 1. Yes, he lives in a cave. 2. Yes, he is massive 3. Yes he is an ancient creature that has finally awakened from his long slumber 4. Yes, he is grand, powerful and almighty. 5. Yes, canonically speaking we DID barely beat him, even with the help of the local "god". You are so painfully spot on with your analysis that its kind of scary. Just goes to show what a trained ear can pick up from an amazing composer.
@@mysteriousastrolabe if I recall, you can find the battlefield where zhongli and azdaha had their battle before azhdaha was sealed. It's in the chasm where there are huge rocks and it spans across the entire side. He's that big.
0:34 "Ten bucks, he lives in a giant cave." The fact that you got this right from literally just 2 notes; it's like professional musicians are all part of the same secret society with secret codes hidden everywhere
Signora & Azhdaha's BGM has deep lyrics, literally telling their story of what, how, and why about their character. Yu Peng Chen really is a very talented composer. For La Signora, the lyrics is in latin, telling her tragic backstory. She was a charming lady back then, and a lover to a knight that will fall in battle, while the God of Wind (Barbatos) who supposed to protect his country, was absent in the war. She chose the dark path to take revenge for those who creates calamity on the land, becoming a Crimson Witch. As for Azhdaha, the lyrics is in ancient chinese language. He was one of the first and closest companion to God of Rock (Morax), but nothing is eternal, even for a mighty geo dragon. Erosion made him losing his mind and memory, turned him againts the people he protected his whole life, and his master. Morax and Azhdaha was once bonded by heart for thousand years, but they can't hide from the inevitable erosion. Morax only had one answer to save his people, and that is sealing his most loved friend beneath the earth. The story quest is one of the finest quest in the game, peak story writing. "Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember, but where are those who share the memory?"
These two tracks are my all time favorite in all genshin impact OST's, along with wolfie, dragon, sugar daddy ost, all the battle themes, qingyun peak ost...... and a whole bunch. Man Yu Peng Chen is so good.
@@annalisehua It's alright xD. But if you try to forget all osmanthus wine meme for a few seconds and just try to understand his words then...yeah..uhh..sad..
@@Unforgiving_Eye it's more poetic and melancholic in Chinese, too, since they had the line in ancient Chinese format (The English equivalent I think would be something like Shakespearean English). More meanings packed into every word due to the usage of a hieroglyphic language instead of using alphabets.
The lyrics of ode to azhdaha and rage beneath the mountains are very heavily inspired by the Chu Ci poetry, and it is basically Azhdaha expressing his hatred for Zhongli and the people of Liyue with a hint of sadness or regret of his erosion(especially the lines at the end of the first phase: 山峦耸荡，龙躣之出。 咄！ 安归乎？蕙园憭栗兮宫为渚 lit. When mountains shift and the dragon stirs. *sigh* Can I still return? Alas, my home is now a place of sorrow, and my palace but a pond. ) I would say the lyrics to la signora's theme would be equally as beautiful but sadly the wiki offers no translation of it D:
you can say what you want about genshin, but ALL of their soundtracks are absolutely divine. i recommend listening to "Devastation and Redemption"! it's inspired by chinese opera and it's really really good!
ESPECIALLY Azhdaha talk and the thrill of not dying are a part of the fun what better place for such an amazing music, than the most amazing of bossfights ?? how else are we gonna enjoy the mightiest, if not against the mightiest oponnent ? the epicness of the music guides us through the epicness of the fight !
@@walaxometrobixinodrink1727 Genshin took a lot of Souls inspiration. The Azdaha we fought was a lot smaller and weaker than originally was. He was supposed to be the size of a mountain and looks different according to wallpaper.
I'm aware of it. I just want to tackle this and the ff6 opera scene with a bit more care so I'm delaying for a while while I listen to the tracks. those two "episodes" will be much meatier. But, they will come.
@@MarcoMeatball I’ve heard opera singing in English and I think in Spanish and possibly other languages and while there mostly not my fancy I don’t dislike them or have anything against them. But the Chinese opera singing yunjin does hurts my ears and I was not too far off from my ears bleeding the 1st time I heard it. Personally I just prefer it when opera is incorporated into songs of other styles. Kinda how it is done in some of these BGM. And personally my favs have to be the bleach OSTs. Absolutely godly.
“ 10 bucks he lives In a cave” …. Well who’s gonna pay him Also the fact that musicians don’t need to know ANYTHING about the game and still know exactly what’s happening just amazes me every time
Lyrics from 7:47~ 邃宇兮 黑翳逐 _Suìyǔ xī hēiyì zhú_ (Long ago) In the field of stars, expelling the dark shadows 山野兮 窘步 _Shānyě xī jiǒng bù_ (Now) Lost in the mountains and wilderness, with no way to go 出！(幽宫兮 余既伏) _Chū! (Yōugōng xī yú jì fú)_ Show yourself! (O deep, cold palace, the place of my sins) 君常违兮 国隳芜 (乌有兮 归处) _Jūn cháng wéi xī guóhuī wú (Wūyǒu xī guīchù)_ Since you left, this country has fallen into a terrible state (Already long lost and forgotten, as for my home) 蓄雠怨增欷 (零落兮 困洿渎) _Xù chóuyuàn zēng xī (Língluò xī kùn wūdú)_ Hatred, sorrow, and grief accumulate day after day ((Fate) Lonely and wandering, trapped in such a harsh place) 惶惶兮 索陵迟恶途 (奈何乎！) _Huánghuáng xī suǒ língchí ètú (Nàihé hū)_ Panicking and not knowing where to go, I embark on the treacherous journey ahead / What can I do! 归兮！ _Guī xī!_ It's time to return! 巉石峦岳毂转乎 _Chánshí luányuè gǔzhuǎn hū_ The steep rocks and mountains withstood the test of time 万川湍流吞穹庐 _Wànchuān tuānliú tūn qiónglú_ Thousands of rivers rush rapidly, seemingly swallowing the sky 山崩岩崒 _Shānbēng yánzú_ (But even if) Mountains fall and the earth tremors 愆辜安除？(愆辜安除？) _Qiāngū ān chú? (Qiāngū ān chú?)_ How can the evil (which caused all this) be eradicated?
Love the face at 6:22 lmao. You stopped jamming to the music for a good second when the Erhu came in, like "what the hell is that doing here?!", before accepting it as godly fitting and ascending straight to music heaven.
I remember when I first did this boss battle. About halfway through I went, "Holy ... WHAT IS THAT MUSIC??" Defeated the boss after much struggle, immediately logged off the game and typed "Azhdaha boss battle music" in the UA-cam search bar.
there is a bit sadness in the theme song as well, Azdaha was not an evil to begin with, he's a good friend that suddenly went mad rampage and they don't have other choice but to sealed him away.
Exactly, and like, in the story quest it seems for us the players like it was very quick, but I can also kind of imagine that, in the canon it was a very slow, gradual change. Like, Zhongli/Morax being able to see Azdaha slowly forgetting things, but not being able to do anything about it. In that way very much paraleling dementia, and how people slowly lose small bits and pieces of themselves, at the end often without even noticing anymore. I think they did that very well in the story telling (sorry I saw this and thought of this and just had to gush for a second haha)
I think the "Raiden Shogun full battle theme" also from genshin would be interesting to listen to due to its use of traditional japanese instruments and also electronic music, I'd be super interested to hear your thoughts
the first part of it is amazing; the one that shows up in the scene where Raiden kills Signora. There's a fun interplay between Signora's theme and Raiden's theme, where Signora's theme becomes increasingly chaotic due to her panicking
The WORDS voice during the metallic part is actually a Chinese poem brought out by Mihoyo. The form of that type of poems is call CHU’CI during the SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD of ancient China, which was from 2000 years ago, around 26 to 6 BCE. The poem basically tells about Betrayal, Destruction and regression, Hatred, Sorrow, Return (the plot of that Azhdaha and Zhongli Quest in game). I apologize for not doing the translation. The reason is that I am afraid I can never precisely translate this Godly poem. Fact: ancient Chinese is so very hard to comprehend due to a lack of Chinese characters at the ancient times, they had to use fewer characters to state more meanings（interchangeable characters). Even for a native Chinese speaker, it takes years and years of professional training and systematic studies to understand ancient Chinese poems. Mihoyo did a great job.❤
I mentioned this in another comment. This will take me more because I want to treat it with delicacy since it's completely foreign to me. It will come as I make videos. I just felt bad you Genshin folks had to wait more than a week.
agreed his theme is great also. but i would say i like the concert version for his first phase more, because i think it's fitting him better without that "liyue touch" from the flutes.
@@xLeenix But Liyue's instrumentation is necessary! One of the things I like most about Never Ending Perfomance is the mix between Liyue's music and Childe's as Fatui Heraldo. Which indicates in a certain way Tartaglia's stay in Liyue as her relevance in that mission. So, as much as I also prefer the concert version because it's epic, I think it would be better if it reacted to the original.
@@constanzacku575 yea well it is not bad and i love both versions but...look at signoras - she is also in inazuma and they give her nothing clear inazuma and her themes are so so so great! :D and they make it clear that childe loves snezhnaya and the snow and that he is likely one of the most loyal harbingers. but yea ofc you are also right, it shows his stay in liyue - its just--- it is likely not even a long stay, hard to say because there isnt a clear timeline
Azhdaha is a stone dragon, born from stone spirit in the depths of the earth. The Geo God gives him the huge dragon body and granted him to live on the surface under a contract: if he turns against humanity, he'd be sealed again. And this song is about his rage to Geo God for being sealed and abandoned
@@IndraD Well, it's a story that's hundreds of years old, probably not even written down until long after it happened. Those tend to end up a little different to how they started.
9:30 Funny you should say that because the amalgamation of eastern and western instruments and the music genre is reminiscent to the in-game mechanic of combining different elements to do an elemental reaction. Excellent use of elemental reactions can help the players defeat enemies more quickly. And here's the kicker, Azhdaha can use multiple elements in the boss fight, not just one. This boss theme is like if elemental reactions were turned into music.
Would love to see you react to “Caelestinum Finale Termini” from genshin too! It’s among the earliest released boss music along with “Boreal Wind” in the game, so it’s definitely an amazing experience of how much they have improved since then! (Your signora react got recommended to me this morning and now I’m hooked! Also would love to watch your reactions to the other franchises don’t worry about just reacting to genshin xD all good music should be appreciated ayy)
@@jamesa.7113 Yes, mine too. The Mondstadt tracks get overlooked a lot I feel. Symphony of Boreal Wind and Caelestinum Finale Termini remain to be some of my favorites.
Monds bgm makes you feel lighthearted, Liyue's nostalgic, and the Chasm is depressive. And then there's Inazuma where you don't know if you're sad, then angry, then more sadness.
This video left me in awe! It’s like when two geniuses meet One of them is Yu-Peng Chen, who could flawlessly illustrate everything about Azhdaha via music The other one is you, who could speculate everything about Azhdaha just by listening to his theme
Certainly hard to say for the 18th century composers, but some grandiose orchestration like this is completely up Mahler's alley. Guy even wrote in door closings just to play with the soundscape. Given his additional fascination with Tang Chinese poetry in Das Lied von der Erde, I'm sure if he were alive today, he would have jumped on the opportunity to write something in this vein. Classical music has never, ever been divorced from other styles of its time. We have countless "Slavonic Dances" and other renditions of folk music programmed for orchestras. Rachmaninov himself became so fascinated with what those "unwashed" Jazz musicians were doing that he incorporated their ideas into his Fourth Piano Concerto. And let's not forget those who wanted to forge new ground like Mussorgsky or came from completely irrelevant backgrounds like Borodin (a chemist) and yet composed pieces like Prince Igor. Video game music is just a new concert hall and the tools today are just extra fancy instruments. We are no less classical today than we were in the 18th century. Thank you for bearing the torch, it's been wonderful listening to you tearing down these artificial barriers.
7:05 why does that part go so hard lol The slowest of the guitar as it changes notes feels so, methodical as if its not afraid nor in a rush or something
I'm so happy to have stumbled on your page. You managed to put all my hysterical screaming about sound design and composition into coherent sentences. Now I can slap my friends with your videos so that they understand why I cry so much playing Genshin.
Geez... hearing this music makes me wanna cry. The meaning behind this ominous sounds are way deeper than we could think at first sight. Erosion from time is what ends an epic friendship of a god an his beloved companion. Both heroes of countless battles. Erosion is what we discover so far that has deformed the ancient fellow citizens of the damned city of our protagonist. Echoes of the Azhdaha tragedy follow us as we discover it. Music is part of those reminiscences.
Pretty much exactly spot on and btw the reason it basically stops is basically because that’s when he talks to the player for a second before powering up Also very accurate on a battle we shouldn’t be able to win this dude is so strong that it took the god of geo and several other mythical creatures to stop him the first time but when we fight him it’s just us a human and the geo god who’s power has greatly diminished over time
You may enjoy another Genshin Impact song called ‘Devastation and Redemption’. It’s done in a traditional Chinese opera style and was sung by a professional Chinese opera singer.
I've already seen some recommendations for the character specific themes from their trailers. Rex incognito is a personal favourite of mine as well as being highly regarded in the community. A suggestion from outside of genshin would be some of the other boss tracks in ff7 remake. Like the airbuster or the valkyrie. Regardless keep up the good work I always enjoy the reactions from people who are more involved within the industry.
I would also recommend listening to Enkanomiya's Battle theme, I remember stopping in place to hear the whole thing the first time i listened to it. And if you want to react to soundtracks different from Genshin, I highly recommend Devil May Cry, or some anime's soundtracks. Naruto's, for example, is really good. I also love Attack On Titan's (you should listen to 'You See Big Girl', it's a masterpiece!) and I reciently watched Howl's Moving Castle so, of course, I reccomend its main theme, 'Merry Go Round of Life'. I have so many more recommendations, the whole videogame and anime industry is filled with amazing composers, but my comment would be way too long! Loved your analysis on this piece btw :) I'm definitely subscribing rn!
To be fair, in the times of debussy, mozart and the gang, musics were often written to tell stories with no visual cues or sometimes not even an accompanying lyrics, so the nuances have very pronounced meaning. It's so amazing to know that such nuances still lives even in today's visual heavy, vocal heavy industry
Watching musicians and singers listening to video game music has got to be my favourite pastime activity. Bonus points if it's their first time listening to it
The lyrics in 2nd phase is an acient chinese poem from ~ 500 BC during the warring state period. Its meaning and sound sounds like a spell, truely magical.
You definitely gotta check out Tartaglias boss theme (Childe) all phases. His theme shares musical cues with la signora do them both working for the same organization and being from the same region of Frost
@@MarcoMeatball if you want to hear a song from the game that has a little more Eastern influence check out the Raiden Shogun boss theme All Phases but make sure you also react to the 2.5 boss theme which is essentially a fourth phase because they added another boss fight
I actually like the Dragonspine OST the most from Genshin Impact. The MV they did of it with the choir of little girls was simply magical! The track is called “Tales from the Snow Mountain”
You can now listen to new Genshin soundtrack from official channel. Yesterday Genshin just uploaded new album "Islands of the Lost and Forgotten" to their Spotify, Apple Music and UA-cam. It's second Inazuma Chapter OST album that has official lyric for Chrysalis Suspirii and Saltatio Favillae (La Signora boss music.) It has "Combat Beneath the Waves" or well know as Enkanomiya Battle Music 1 too. Like I said it's currently my top favorite battle music in Genshin. Imagine you encounter some random slime and this start playing, a lot of people just run around and let slime hit them instead for music. Yu-Peng Chen make me love and respect game music even more. I'm glad you like it.
You can clearly tell how the first and second phase represents his rage, his other side that went insane. The last phase represents his sanity, the good side that's still in him fighting back against the darkness. That's why the last phase sounds more heroic and enlightening instead of ominous.
the music in this game is top top tier. You mentioned how you enjoyed the synergy of the eastern and western sounds and this game is full of stuff like that. The composer for ALL of the music in the game, Yu-Peng Chen, is really gifted at this method of fusing two distinct sounds/genres and making something brand new, all in a beautiful way. I reccomend taking a look at the Genshin Impact Concerts (especially the first one) which are all on their youtube channel where they have a live orchestra as well as a bunch of other excellent artists all performing the music from the game. I really love your reactions from your classically trained point of view as well!
The Interjection is part of Azhdaha's mechanic of elemental change where he forces the player away so he can absorb elemental energy to hit the player even harder.
You might be interested in the character of Yun Jin, she's an opera singer in game and has an official Chinese opera singer as her singing voice, she even sings a song in game telling an interpretation of another characters story
One of the things I realized while watching your reaction - both the erhu and electric guitar feature in Zhongli's theme (Rex Incognito)... and during the first encounter with Azhdaha in the game, he fights alongside you. The introduction of those instruments in the second phase of the battle could be referency to that piece of lore, considering it is after that point that Azhdaha is defeated and re-sealed beneath the Earth. I'll have to listen to Rex Incognito again to check for leitmotifs o-o
I'm so excited to see you cover this! It's absolutely one of my favourite boss battles ever : D I also wanted to chime in on lyrical context, a lot of people mentioned it being "ancient chinese" but I don't think that's very accurate - it's classified as being written in Classical Chinese, which (at least in my parents' generation) is still studied in school. It's actually pretty common for song lyrics to imitate/use classical chinese to invoke that ~historical~ feeling LOL One of the reasons that it's difficult to understand for modern speakers is because the text is often very dense with literary references and allusions that you need to have context for, and also because it's very concisely written yet has a lot of meaning behind it. But the lyrics for this specifically was based on the writing style of Chu Ci (Verses of Chu or Songs of Chu), that has a specific kind of syntax and lyricism within classical chinese poetry. I also wanted to recommend some of the songs from Warframe! Most of the songs in that game are more atmospheric, but it has a few lore important songs that are pretty cool! "This is What You Are" is iconic, and then "We All Lift Together" and "Sleeping in the Cold Below" are both super interesting imo, especially because it's taking these historically working class song genres and transplanting them into a sci-fi setting! If those interest you : D
Your video on Signora got recommended to me a few hours ago and I remember enjoying it, checking out your channel & thinking ‘ah dang it he hasn’t reacted to the azhdaha theme yet’ and WOW here we go. Thank you for the amazing commentary 👏
Aw man, I absolutely loved azhdaha's story. And you got so much right, just from the music! Spoilers ahead! He was essentially one of the major allies of the God of earth, Zhongli. But he lived too long, and centuries ago his mind began to erode, and he began to act erratically confusing friend and foe. And Zhongli the God of earth, being his friend, was unwilling to kill him, so he trapped azhdaha in a magically sealed tomb below a mountain. (Hence the name of this song, and the game event being called something "Mountain-queller".) The story you play follows modern day, and azhdaha nearly escaping and defeating you alongside the depowered God of earth. But then, as you hear in the music, a moment of warmth and clarity breaks in, and that signifies there's still a part of azhdaha that remembers he was friends with Zhongli, fighting back against his own insanity. And that ultimately is what allows us to defeat him in-game. That part realizes he's a danger to everything and everyone he used to fight for and believe in, and sees that most of his own mind has forgotten everything except that Zhongli is the one that trapped him here. So good, man. And sad. Had me in tears at a few points.
I looked at the top two comments, and I say they are both completely correct, in which Yu Peng Chen did amazing in composing the battle music and your trained ear is so good at picking up all this information from simply listening to the music. As a former music student (from elementary to high school, I still take voice lessons and am considering doing choir in my college), I appreciate heavily that you were able to do the music justice with good explanation and amazing analysis of the sounds. It makes me heavily appreciate that I love music, and that music had been a passion of mine for quite a long time. I really do think I might join choir, not just because people have told me to, but because I think my appreciation for music has increased after this experience. Again, thank you for this video. I'll probably be commenting on a few of your other videos now XD
That's why Azhdaha is my fav boss. I love 2nd phase of his fight. This theme is so powerful! And it feels good just to listen to this masterpiece without sweating in a battle xD Also if you guys don't know there's an easter egg when we have Zhongli in our team. Then Azhdaha has completely different voicelines during a battle cuz then he speaks directly to Morax And you got everything right. That means devs of Genshin are doing really a great job if someone who never even played GI can guess all of the story just by listening to theme :) Also if you are curious what they're singing about (translated from chinese): "(Long ago) In the field of stars, expelling the dark shadows. (Now) Lost in the mountains and wilderness, with no way to go Show yourself! Since you left, this country has fallen into a terrible state. Hatred, sorrow, and grief accumulate day after day. Panicking and not knowing where to go, I embark on the treacherous journey ahead. It's time to return! The steep rocks and mountains withstood the test of time. Thousands of rivers rush rapidly, seemingly swallowing the sky. (But even if) Mountains fall and the earth tremors. How can the evil (which caused all this) be eradicated? (Fate) Lonely and wandering, trapped in such a harsh place. There is no way out of this miserable generation. The mountains are precipitous and lush, hiding the path that diverged (between you and me). Recounting how I had lost my way and wandered away from you, engulfed by the shadow of a mountain ridge."
Azdhaha is my best weekly boss!... its huge, so huge... you know ;) hehe this dragon is earth dragon, equal to me in chinese horoscope hahaha so strong! I like to see you vids every day men
This Genshin Impact OST is one of the best in the game! I also would like to recommend: Raiden Shogun - Judgment of Euthymia, from her character demo trailer. Great content as always 👌👌👌
Termination of Desires + her weekly boss pieces which are Thunderings of the Merciless and The Almighty Violet Thunder would make a fantastic video. The use of traditional Japanese instruments and modern electronic music is just outstanding.
I highly recommend giving Wrath of Monoceros Caeli a listen! It's the battle ost when you fight a member of the Fatui, Childe (your first Fatui before La Signora). Yu Peng Chen and Hoyo Mix work for Genshin's OST is INSANE.
Music helps me process my trauma through a really long and difficult time in my life. Your videos help me feel more comfortable feeling those feelings and going through them. Something about how you enjoy music and share your interpretations is really freeing. Thank you.
Such an amazing track and seeing you enjoy it makes me so happy, it felt like I was listening to it with a friend and yes, the music is one of the main reasons I even got into Genshin, it is always so well done and crafted to every area and every boss fight. Your analysis was on point, and I was like, how cool is it that you manage to get an idea of the story from music alone! Thank you for reacting to this piece, the video was wonderful!
I love that traditional eastern-sounding instrument that plays around 6:22, it's probably my favorite part of the whole piece. I definitely agree with what you said about the end about how cool it is to hear all the different styles and sounds come together. One of my favorite things about Genshin's OST is how every nation in the game is based off a real culture and the music that plays in that area always tries to reflect that in the style and instruments used, really adds to the experience.
i played this game from the start but i never expected such masterful composing, the composer really absolutely blew everyone out of the water and they have held live orchestras too, it's just crazy
it's amazing that entire stories can be told through instrumental music and that there are some people who can immediately decode it. half of the music i listen to is instrumental but i'm accustomed to listening to things for the emotion it evokes rather than the story it's telling. it's not a skill most people think about, but i suddenly want to learn more.
I think a bit of context that adds a lot of flavor to this theme is that Azhdaha was blind (he gained the ability to see, but due to circumstances we're not sure if he still has his vision or if he can no longer see as he used to). As with any boss theme, it's gotta be epic of course, and you picked out right off the bat that Azhdaha must be some ancient huge dragon that lives in a cave (all accurate). The emphasis on rhythm and bass tones in this theme really add to the fact that Azhdaha cannot see, and I imagine hearing this song-especially live-you would really be able to feel the music like how Azhdaha feels the earth (he was essentially an earth/rock dragon). This is really solidified when earlier in the music, there's long sequences of monotonous notes where it feels that there is less emphasis on the importance of the intonation, and more on the actual structure and rhythm of the notes. Out of curiosity, I actually checked if it matches with anything in international morse code (it doesn't interpret to anything meaningful, unfortunately), but now I'm thinking it would be kind of cool to see something communicated in dots-and-dashes via music like that.
They have a diverse soundtrack for a free to play game. You should listen to Duel in the Mists, especially the music video if you want to see it performed.
Awesome reaction and awesome track! One thing I love about genshin is also that on their official channel they sometimes upload and livestreams their osts concerts, and it's my absolute favourite thing to watch the actual orchestras play my fav osts and see all the instruments used! I'm sure you would love that 🥰
New player here. Seriously i did not expect to fight a large behemoth on that simple quest. Yes this boss is formidable. Without a shield, your team will have a hard time. But the story was very sad too. Man, you are on point on Azhdaha. ❤
In addition to these two songs, I would strongly recommend listening to "Wrath of Monoceros Caeli", which is the theme for the Tartaglia boss fight. Keep up the good work! Love it.
Best boss theme in the game hands down and one of my favorite theme from every boss theme i've heard. What i like the most from Azhdaha's theme is the language. Most boss themes i know uses latin, but Azhdaha uses old chinese in a style of Chu Ci. I truly didn't expect this at all
These videos are such a treat. In just one week, you became one of my favorite UA-camrs- I can see this channel getting really big. Love your content man!!
I'm guessing some of this is from the quest cutscenes because it's not familiar (I played through them twice but a lot of that doesn't stick). However... at 2:19 the PTSD sets in and my brain screams, "IT'S GO TIME." Yes, Azdhakjaslkjf, Morax is here, and he's bringing co-op shields to shelter his allies. All of phase 2's theme is extremely familiar, as by that point in the fight, either enough people brought cracked carries that dino is going down hard, orrr somebody's probably dead and it might be the healer, and everything is chaos. How many uses of my NRE do I have left? Dangit, I got marked again! GO GO GO!
Great to see you reacting to more Genshin music! Hopefully you'll listen to Tartaglia (Childe's theme) soon as its one of my favorites & its always a pleasure hearing your thoughts and your analysis on the character's backgrounds based on their themes.
"I'm not sure what to make of this; I don't play the game, I don't know anything about the game." And here we are a year later and Marco is literally voicing an in-game character. You love to see it.
I highly recommend giving the Tartaglia (Childe) boss themes a listen as well! Though his have less opera elements than Signora and Azhdaha, his themes were the first time my jaw has ever dropped listening to a boss theme. His boss was implemented much earlier into the game and it honestly felt like his themes were a morsel of what was to come!
Azdhaha's soundtrack is epic!!! I found your channel from your La Signora reaction video and admired how genuine your reactions were. I got more interested in your content as soon as I saw your posts of Final Fantasy OST reaction! (My favorite games are FFVII, FFXV, and FF Type-0!) When you do play Genshin soon, I wish you good luck from the RNG gods and have fun!
Your reactions match mine whenever I listen to this composition while travelling wearing earphones 😂 Looking forward to watching more vids of your reactions on other game music 😊
Video games especially genres like JRPG's have molded my tastes in music ever since I was a child. Video games even lead me down the road of classical music like beethoven and the like. While all my friend where listening to the newest fad band, I was rocking out to moonlight sonata. Yea all my friends thought I was an oddball, but it's what I love.
Your analysis is incredible, I love this videos and the simple opportunity of enjoying great pieces of music with someone who is knowledgeable on the matter
cant wait for you to hear "Caelestinum Finale Termini" . it remains my absolute favorite among epic themes in Genshin. even with all the new amazing songs keep adding
i love watching your videos because i rarely get to focus on the music when actually playing the game to focus on not dying in the fight. but the music is just so amazing
i absolutely love your genshin videos!! you put into words what my musically illiterate brain can't, and its so fun to watch!! i get a heart attack and an adrenaline rush every time i hear these songs in game so i never really realized the subtleties that yu peng chen puts into em, great video :D
The fact that u can understand the character and their story just from their battle music means that Yu Peng Chen did a very good job.
I did see a picture to be fair. But yes Yu Peng Chen is astounding.
Also a testament to Marco's expertise/experience to notice the details
Or this opera guy already knows genshin :/
@@ScoScope "I don't play the game, I don't know anything about the game" 0:15
@@echofeather6765 just because someone SAYS something doesn't mean they speak the TRUTH. If you think everything that's said online is true your going to have to find out the hard way.
You are 1000% percent correct on your analysis.
1. Yes, he lives in a cave.
2. Yes, he is massive
3. Yes he is an ancient creature that has finally awakened from his long slumber
4. Yes, he is grand, powerful and almighty.
5. Yes, canonically speaking we DID barely beat him, even with the help of the local "god".
You are so painfully spot on with your analysis that its kind of scary. Just goes to show what a trained ear can pick up from an amazing composer.
Moreover, the "azhdaha" we fought is just a avatar of him. His real body is much bigger than that
@@phamtien3967 i mean that whole tree is just his tail sooo 😭😭😭
@@phamtien3967 wait fr?🤭😳🕶🤏
@@mysteriousastrolabe yeah..for real,he big as mountains in his real form
@@mysteriousastrolabe if I recall, you can find the battlefield where zhongli and azdaha had their battle before azhdaha was sealed. It's in the chasm where there are huge rocks and it spans across the entire side. He's that big.
You know the music slaps hard if you intentionally refrain from killing the boss too fast
I Kokomi solo my weekly bosses and this is one of the reasons why. 🤣
I just use my 45k hp zhongli to just stand there and deal 500 dmg
Ah I know I am not the only one.. 🤣
When azhdaha first came you can't kill him that fast.
you can't kill that frog too fast anyway-
0:34 "Ten bucks, he lives in a giant cave." The fact that you got this right from literally just 2 notes; it's like professional musicians are all part of the same secret society with secret codes hidden everywhere
i meannn the title is also rage beneath the mountains lol but still cool that the music gives him visual clues
@@YoItsNeeks shut.
@@YoItsNeeks music? visual clues? you mean audio clues right?
@@pinecone3498 Context clues
@@tequila7433 c l u e s
Signora & Azhdaha's BGM has deep lyrics, literally telling their story of what, how, and why about their character. Yu Peng Chen really is a very talented composer.
For La Signora, the lyrics is in latin, telling her tragic backstory. She was a charming lady back then, and a lover to a knight that will fall in battle, while the God of Wind (Barbatos) who supposed to protect his country, was absent in the war. She chose the dark path to take revenge for those who creates calamity on the land, becoming a Crimson Witch.
As for Azhdaha, the lyrics is in ancient chinese language. He was one of the first and closest companion to God of Rock (Morax), but nothing is eternal, even for a mighty geo dragon. Erosion made him losing his mind and memory, turned him againts the people he protected his whole life, and his master. Morax and Azhdaha was once bonded by heart for thousand years, but they can't hide from the inevitable erosion. Morax only had one answer to save his people, and that is sealing his most loved friend beneath the earth. The story quest is one of the finest quest in the game, peak story writing.
"Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember, but where are those who share the memory?"
These two tracks are my all time favorite in all genshin impact OST's, along with wolfie, dragon, sugar daddy ost, all the battle themes, qingyun peak ost...... and a whole bunch. Man Yu Peng Chen is so good.
I'm sorry the last line made me laugh
@@annalisehua It's alright xD. But if you try to forget all osmanthus wine meme for a few seconds and just try to understand his words then...yeah..uhh..sad..
@@Unforgiving_Eye it's more poetic and melancholic in Chinese, too, since they had the line in ancient Chinese format (The English equivalent I think would be something like Shakespearean English). More meanings packed into every word due to the usage of a hieroglyphic language instead of using alphabets.
The lyrics of ode to azhdaha and rage beneath the mountains are very heavily inspired by the Chu Ci poetry, and it is basically Azhdaha expressing his hatred for Zhongli and the people of Liyue with a hint of sadness or regret of his erosion(especially the lines at the end of the first phase: 山峦耸荡，龙躣之出。 咄！ 安归乎？蕙园憭栗兮宫为渚 lit. When mountains shift and the dragon stirs. *sigh* Can I still return? Alas, my home is now a place of sorrow, and my palace but a pond. )
I would say the lyrics to la signora's theme would be equally as beautiful but sadly the wiki offers no translation of it D:
you can say what you want about genshin, but ALL of their soundtracks are absolutely divine. i recommend listening to "Devastation and Redemption"! it's inspired by chinese opera and it's really really good!
"Story Teaser: The Divine Damsel of Devastation" if you want the translation + the visuals with it 🥰
omg yessss
That's the one to go!
Chinese symphonic metal opera - combination totally out of the world.
Yes please 🙏
music is a thousand years old industry, people are payed big bucks to do it well. genshin just can afford it
When you want to listen OST, But Azhdaha says: "THE ENRAGED EARTH WILL NOT ABSOLVE YOU"
And I was too busy running for cover after that.
ESPECIALLY
Azhdaha talk and the thrill of not dying are a part of the fun
what better place for such an amazing music, than the most amazing of bossfights ??
how else are we gonna enjoy the mightiest, if not against the mightiest oponnent ?
the epicness of the music guides us through the epicness of the fight !
@@walaxometrobixinodrink1727 Genshin took a lot of Souls inspiration. The Azdaha we fought was a lot smaller and weaker than originally was. He was supposed to be the size of a mountain and looks different according to wallpaper.
i think more people should be suggesting yunjin's performance, really showing off some traditional chinese culture and opera singing
I'm aware of it. I just want to tackle this and the ff6 opera scene with a bit more care so I'm delaying for a while while I listen to the tracks. those two "episodes" will be much meatier. But, they will come.
@@MarcoMeatball Hell yeah man :)
@@MarcoMeatball speaking of FF , also try FFVII: Advent Children's One Winged Angel
@@tonyrsoares can't recall any prominent honkai OST with opera sounds though. That would be deviating from his overall content on opera tracks.
@@MarcoMeatball I’ve heard opera singing in English and I think in Spanish and possibly other languages and while there mostly not my fancy I don’t dislike them or have anything against them. But the Chinese opera singing yunjin does hurts my ears and I was not too far off from my ears bleeding the 1st time I heard it. Personally I just prefer it when opera is incorporated into songs of other styles. Kinda how it is done in some of these BGM. And personally my favs have to be the bleach OSTs. Absolutely godly.
“ 10 bucks he lives In a cave”
…. Well who’s gonna pay him
Also the fact that musicians don’t need to know ANYTHING about the game and still know exactly what’s happening just amazes me every time
Lyrics from 7:47~
邃宇兮 黑翳逐
_Suìyǔ xī hēiyì zhú_
(Long ago) In the field of stars, expelling the dark shadows
山野兮 窘步
_Shānyě xī jiǒng bù_
(Now) Lost in the mountains and wilderness, with no way to go
出！(幽宫兮 余既伏)
_Chū! (Yōugōng xī yú jì fú)_
Show yourself! (O deep, cold palace, the place of my sins)
君常违兮 国隳芜 (乌有兮 归处)
_Jūn cháng wéi xī guóhuī wú (Wūyǒu xī guīchù)_
Since you left, this country has fallen into a terrible state (Already long lost and forgotten, as for my home)
蓄雠怨增欷 (零落兮 困洿渎)
_Xù chóuyuàn zēng xī (Língluò xī kùn wūdú)_
Hatred, sorrow, and grief accumulate day after day ((Fate) Lonely and wandering, trapped in such a harsh place)
惶惶兮 索陵迟恶途 (奈何乎！)
_Huánghuáng xī suǒ língchí ètú (Nàihé hū)_
Panicking and not knowing where to go, I embark on the treacherous journey ahead / What can I do!
归兮！
_Guī xī!_
It's time to return!
巉石峦岳毂转乎
_Chánshí luányuè gǔzhuǎn hū_
The steep rocks and mountains withstood the test of time
万川湍流吞穹庐
_Wànchuān tuānliú tūn qiónglú_
Thousands of rivers rush rapidly, seemingly swallowing the sky
山崩岩崒
_Shānbēng yánzú_
(But even if) Mountains fall and the earth tremors
愆辜安除？(愆辜安除？)
_Qiāngū ān chú? (Qiāngū ān chú?)_
How can the evil (which caused all this) be eradicated?
Love the face at 6:22 lmao. You stopped jamming to the music for a good second when the Erhu came in, like "what the hell is that doing here?!", before accepting it as godly fitting and ascending straight to music heaven.
Still blows me awayb
Man just went 🙂->😳->🤨->😌 in 2 seconds
Erhu is the best instrument in genshin 🤩
@@santiagoluyo509 erhu is the best instrument, period
lmao
“10 bucks he lives in a cave. A giant cave.”
HAHAHA I love this man.
Yea he guessed that right, which was a bit funny lmao
I remember when I first did this boss battle. About halfway through I went, "Holy ... WHAT IS THAT MUSIC??" Defeated the boss after much struggle, immediately logged off the game and typed "Azhdaha boss battle music" in the UA-cam search bar.
there is a bit sadness in the theme song as well, Azdaha was not an evil to begin with, he's a good friend that suddenly went mad rampage and they don't have other choice but to sealed him away.
Exactly, and like, in the story quest it seems for us the players like it was very quick, but I can also kind of imagine that, in the canon it was a very slow, gradual change. Like, Zhongli/Morax being able to see Azdaha slowly forgetting things, but not being able to do anything about it. In that way very much paraleling dementia, and how people slowly lose small bits and pieces of themselves, at the end often without even noticing anymore. I think they did that very well in the story telling (sorry I saw this and thought of this and just had to gush for a second haha)
I think the "Raiden Shogun full battle theme" also from genshin would be interesting to listen to due to its use of traditional japanese instruments and also electronic music, I'd be super interested to hear your thoughts
yeah right!
Can't wait for that lol
Yes!!
the first part of it is amazing; the one that shows up in the scene where Raiden kills Signora. There's a fun interplay between Signora's theme and Raiden's theme, where Signora's theme becomes increasingly chaotic due to her panicking
i was too busy dying that i didn't realize what an absolute banger this music is
The WORDS voice during the metallic part is actually a Chinese poem brought out by Mihoyo. The form of that type of poems is call CHU’CI during the SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD of ancient China, which was from 2000 years ago, around 26 to 6 BCE. The poem basically tells about Betrayal, Destruction and regression, Hatred, Sorrow, Return (the plot of that Azhdaha and Zhongli Quest in game). I apologize for not doing the translation. The reason is that I am afraid I can never precisely translate this Godly poem.
Fact: ancient Chinese is so very hard to comprehend due to a lack of Chinese characters at the ancient times, they had to use fewer characters to state more meanings（interchangeable characters). Even for a native Chinese speaker, it takes years and years of professional training and systematic studies to understand ancient Chinese poems.
Mihoyo did a great job.❤
God, that poem gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.😂😂😂
*Patiently waiting for the chinese opera song “The Divine Damsel of Devastation” reaction*
Which is also from GI.
I mentioned this in another comment. This will take me more because I want to treat it with delicacy since it's completely foreign to me. It will come as I make videos. I just felt bad you Genshin folks had to wait more than a week.
@@MarcoMeatball dont feel bad! we take all the food we can get 🙏 haha
tysm for doing this in the first place! your videos are such a blessing
@@MarcoMeatball I know you will treat it with respect so i wouldn't be worried.
The OST from Childe/Tartaglia fight is absolutely insane too, would be amazing if you reacted to it.
Yes please!!
agreed his theme is great also. but i would say i like the concert version for his first phase more, because i think it's fitting him better without that "liyue touch" from the flutes.
@@xLeenix But Liyue's instrumentation is necessary! One of the things I like most about Never Ending Perfomance is the mix between Liyue's music and Childe's as Fatui Heraldo. Which indicates in a certain way Tartaglia's stay in Liyue as her relevance in that mission.
So, as much as I also prefer the concert version because it's epic, I think it would be better if it reacted to the original.
@@constanzacku575 yea well it is not bad and i love both versions but...look at signoras - she is also in inazuma and they give her nothing clear inazuma and her themes are so so so great! :D and they make it clear that childe loves snezhnaya and the snow and that he is likely one of the most loyal harbingers. but yea ofc you are also right, it shows his stay in liyue - its just--- it is likely not even a long stay, hard to say because there isnt a clear timeline
@@xLeenix probably because signora did not live or reside in inazuma like how childr did
0:34 You're right on. Guess we owe you $10
head over to my Patreon or paypal then :D IM COMPLETELY JOKING THAT'S A JOKE. ITS NEVER AN OBLIGATION I JUST LIKE SHARING MUSIC OKAY I WAS KIDDING
@@MarcoMeatball well I owe you subscribe and like that will do
@@gamergaming6604 it will do ;)
Azhdaha is a stone dragon, born from stone spirit in the depths of the earth. The Geo God gives him the huge dragon body and granted him to live on the surface under a contract: if he turns against humanity, he'd be sealed again. And this song is about his rage to Geo God for being sealed and abandoned
@Greensburg tldr, he wasn't a rock spirit, he was always a dragon who Zhongli gave eyes to. Storyteller exaggerate.
@Greensburg I tried to make it simple for non player, but maybe I just missed many important things as well, my bad then
Minor corrections
Azdaha already existed Morax only granted him the blessing of sight (just gave him eyes to see with)
@@IndraD
Well, it's a story that's hundreds of years old, probably not even written down until long after it happened. Those tend to end up a little different to how they started.
9:30 Funny you should say that because the amalgamation of eastern and western instruments and the music genre is reminiscent to the in-game mechanic of combining different elements to do an elemental reaction. Excellent use of elemental reactions can help the players defeat enemies more quickly. And here's the kicker, Azhdaha can use multiple elements in the boss fight, not just one. This boss theme is like if elemental reactions were turned into music.
not even 2 minutes in and you already describe Azdaha flawlessly. Yu Peng did a freaking good job and you are a man of culture!
Kupo!
Would love to see you react to “Caelestinum Finale Termini” from genshin too! It’s among the earliest released boss music along with “Boreal Wind” in the game, so it’s definitely an amazing experience of how much they have improved since then!
(Your signora react got recommended to me this morning and now I’m hooked! Also would love to watch your reactions to the other franchises don’t worry about just reacting to genshin xD all good music should be appreciated ayy)
hahahah the response to this one has been pretty off the charts.
I second this Caelestinum Finale Termini is a fantastic track, as well as symphony of boreal wind
@@sanctus9857 Boreal Wind is so underrated. One of my favorite tracks.
@@jamesa.7113 Yes, mine too. The Mondstadt tracks get overlooked a lot I feel. Symphony of Boreal Wind and Caelestinum Finale Termini remain to be some of my favorites.
There is something magical about watching people vibe to the music you love.
Monds bgm makes you feel lighthearted, Liyue's nostalgic, and the Chasm is depressive. And then there's Inazuma where you don't know if you're sad, then angry, then more sadness.
This video left me in awe! It’s like when two geniuses meet
One of them is Yu-Peng Chen, who could flawlessly illustrate everything about Azhdaha via music
The other one is you, who could speculate everything about Azhdaha just by listening to his theme
Yu-Peng Chen is amazing. And thank you ❤️
Certainly hard to say for the 18th century composers, but some grandiose orchestration like this is completely up Mahler's alley. Guy even wrote in door closings just to play with the soundscape. Given his additional fascination with Tang Chinese poetry in Das Lied von der Erde, I'm sure if he were alive today, he would have jumped on the opportunity to write something in this vein.
Classical music has never, ever been divorced from other styles of its time. We have countless "Slavonic Dances" and other renditions of folk music programmed for orchestras. Rachmaninov himself became so fascinated with what those "unwashed" Jazz musicians were doing that he incorporated their ideas into his Fourth Piano Concerto. And let's not forget those who wanted to forge new ground like Mussorgsky or came from completely irrelevant backgrounds like Borodin (a chemist) and yet composed pieces like Prince Igor. Video game music is just a new concert hall and the tools today are just extra fancy instruments. We are no less classical today than we were in the 18th century.
Thank you for bearing the torch, it's been wonderful listening to you tearing down these artificial barriers.
you're absolutely right about Mahler. and I wholeheartedly agree. Thanks for deigning me worthy to bear it. I appreciate it a lot.
Thank you for this comment.
by the way Signora's themes had their official lyrics released and even had something of a remastering with the release of the new volume of the ost
Do you have by any chance the link? Haven't found it yet
@@nicolasherrera105 How have you not found it? It's on Genshin's very own channel? ua-cam.com/video/QrSeAOUZpeQ/v-deo.html
@@nicolasherrera105 Check out the official Genshin UA-cam channel
7:05 why does that part go so hard lol The slowest of the guitar as it changes notes feels so, methodical as if its not afraid nor in a rush or something
I'm so happy to have stumbled on your page. You managed to put all my hysterical screaming about sound design and composition into coherent sentences. Now I can slap my friends with your videos so that they understand why I cry so much playing Genshin.
Hahaha I’m so glad!
The way you enjoyed the second phase was so so...
I don't know, it just made me feel very identified 😂
6:23 And that part, oh my god
7:04 YES.
SAME lol I was like YEA THAT PART SLAPS RIGHT
What instrument is that? i really like the sound that it make
@@kiff3842 For 6:23, it’s called an Erhu! 😁
Geez... hearing this music makes me wanna cry. The meaning behind this ominous sounds are way deeper than we could think at first sight.
Erosion from time is what ends an epic friendship of a god an his beloved companion. Both heroes of countless battles.
Erosion is what we discover so far that has deformed the ancient fellow citizens of the damned city of our protagonist. Echoes of the Azhdaha tragedy follow us as we discover it. Music is part of those reminiscences.
Pretty much exactly spot on and btw the reason it basically stops is basically because that’s when he talks to the player for a second before powering up
Also very accurate on a battle we shouldn’t be able to win this dude is so strong that it took the god of geo and several other mythical creatures to stop him the first time but when we fight him it’s just us a human and the geo god who’s power has greatly diminished over time
You may enjoy another Genshin Impact song called ‘Devastation and Redemption’. It’s done in a traditional Chinese opera style and was sung by a professional Chinese opera singer.
I've already seen some recommendations for the character specific themes from their trailers. Rex incognito is a personal favourite of mine as well as being highly regarded in the community. A suggestion from outside of genshin would be some of the other boss tracks in ff7 remake. Like the airbuster or the valkyrie. Regardless keep up the good work I always enjoy the reactions from people who are more involved within the industry.
Thank you Liam! We stan anything FF period. Grateful for your words.
I'm telling you the music hits you harder when you're literally dying fighting azdaha 💀
Ah yes! More Genshin music is always a treat.
Eh, I still want more Ace Combat
@@fokjohnpainkiller good for you
@@fokjohnpainkiller everyone gets what they want don’t fret
I would also recommend listening to Enkanomiya's Battle theme, I remember stopping in place to hear the whole thing the first time i listened to it. And if you want to react to soundtracks different from Genshin, I highly recommend Devil May Cry, or some anime's soundtracks. Naruto's, for example, is really good. I also love Attack On Titan's (you should listen to 'You See Big Girl', it's a masterpiece!) and I reciently watched Howl's Moving Castle so, of course, I reccomend its main theme, 'Merry Go Round of Life'. I have so many more recommendations, the whole videogame and anime industry is filled with amazing composers, but my comment would be way too long! Loved your analysis on this piece btw :) I'm definitely subscribing rn!
To be fair, in the times of debussy, mozart and the gang, musics were often written to tell stories with no visual cues or sometimes not even an accompanying lyrics, so the nuances have very pronounced meaning. It's so amazing to know that such nuances still lives even in today's visual heavy, vocal heavy industry
I agree. That is the point of the channel ultimately!
Watching musicians and singers listening to video game music has got to be my favourite pastime activity. Bonus points if it's their first time listening to it
You seem like someone who’d enjoy the genshin impact concert
Anyway, divine damsel of devastation is something I’d love to see your reaction to :]
I want genshin to be programmed regularly too not just in special concerts. It's so good.
The lyrics in 2nd phase is an acient chinese poem from ~ 500 BC during the warring state period. Its meaning and sound sounds like a spell, truely magical.
You definitely gotta check out Tartaglias boss theme (Childe) all phases. His theme shares musical cues with la signora do them both working for the same organization and being from the same region of Frost
I am almost certain my next pass on Genshin will be that!
@@MarcoMeatball if you want to hear a song from the game that has a little more Eastern influence check out the Raiden Shogun boss theme All Phases but make sure you also react to the 2.5 boss theme which is essentially a fourth phase because they added another boss fight
@@Cwronaga216 color me intrigued
@@MarcoMeatball I do believe it is a entirely instrumental piece however
@@Cwronaga216 I’m all for that :)
I actually like the Dragonspine OST the most from Genshin Impact. The MV they did of it with the choir of little girls was simply magical! The track is called “Tales from the Snow Mountain”
omg yes its a personal favorite of mine too!!
It used to be my favorite but now it moved down a second place when ruu's song was officially released. Ruu's song is definitely now my number one.
8:22 that is a distorted erhu
that rocks so hard
You can now listen to new Genshin soundtrack from official channel. Yesterday Genshin just uploaded new album "Islands of the Lost and Forgotten" to their Spotify, Apple Music and UA-cam. It's second Inazuma Chapter OST album that has official lyric for Chrysalis Suspirii and Saltatio Favillae (La Signora boss music.)
It has "Combat Beneath the Waves" or well know as Enkanomiya Battle Music 1 too. Like I said it's currently my top favorite battle music in Genshin. Imagine you encounter some random slime and this start playing, a lot of people just run around and let slime hit them instead for music.
Yu-Peng Chen make me love and respect game music even more. I'm glad you like it.
You can clearly tell how the first and second phase represents his rage, his other side that went insane. The last phase represents his sanity, the good side that's still in him fighting back against the darkness. That's why the last phase sounds more heroic and enlightening instead of ominous.
I truly recommend just listening to all of HoYomix's music from both Genshin and their previous games. The violins are worked VERY HARD at times
the music in this game is top top tier. You mentioned how you enjoyed the synergy of the eastern and western sounds and this game is full of stuff like that. The composer for ALL of the music in the game, Yu-Peng Chen, is really gifted at this method of fusing two distinct sounds/genres and making something brand new, all in a beautiful way. I reccomend taking a look at the Genshin Impact Concerts (especially the first one) which are all on their youtube channel where they have a live orchestra as well as a bunch of other excellent artists all performing the music from the game. I really love your reactions from your classically trained point of view as well!
The Interjection is part of Azhdaha's mechanic of elemental change where he forces the player away so he can absorb elemental energy to hit the player even harder.
Rage Beneath the Mountains is my the most favorite boss music. 🥰
Love when the Erhu comes in at 6:23!
i really ascend when i hear the whole ost lol
6:25 funny that i do the same when hearing that part. My goodness i love music. I feel it in my veins
You might be interested in the character of Yun Jin, she's an opera singer in game and has an official Chinese opera singer as her singing voice, she even sings a song in game telling an interpretation of another characters story
One of the things I realized while watching your reaction - both the erhu and electric guitar feature in Zhongli's theme (Rex Incognito)... and during the first encounter with Azhdaha in the game, he fights alongside you. The introduction of those instruments in the second phase of the battle could be referency to that piece of lore, considering it is after that point that Azhdaha is defeated and re-sealed beneath the Earth. I'll have to listen to Rex Incognito again to check for leitmotifs o-o
I'm so excited to see you cover this! It's absolutely one of my favourite boss battles ever : D I also wanted to chime in on lyrical context, a lot of people mentioned it being "ancient chinese" but I don't think that's very accurate - it's classified as being written in Classical Chinese, which (at least in my parents' generation) is still studied in school. It's actually pretty common for song lyrics to imitate/use classical chinese to invoke that ~historical~ feeling LOL
One of the reasons that it's difficult to understand for modern speakers is because the text is often very dense with literary references and allusions that you need to have context for, and also because it's very concisely written yet has a lot of meaning behind it. But the lyrics for this specifically was based on the writing style of Chu Ci (Verses of Chu or Songs of Chu), that has a specific kind of syntax and lyricism within classical chinese poetry.
I also wanted to recommend some of the songs from Warframe! Most of the songs in that game are more atmospheric, but it has a few lore important songs that are pretty cool! "This is What You Are" is iconic, and then "We All Lift Together" and "Sleeping in the Cold Below" are both super interesting imo, especially because it's taking these historically working class song genres and transplanting them into a sci-fi setting! If those interest you : D
Yes we love warframe! And thank you for this context and info :)
Your video on Signora got recommended to me a few hours ago and I remember enjoying it, checking out your channel & thinking ‘ah dang it he hasn’t reacted to the azhdaha theme yet’ and WOW here we go. Thank you for the amazing commentary 👏
Aw man, I absolutely loved azhdaha's story.
And you got so much right, just from the music!
Spoilers ahead!
He was essentially one of the major allies of the God of earth, Zhongli. But he lived too long, and centuries ago his mind began to erode, and he began to act erratically confusing friend and foe.
And Zhongli the God of earth, being his friend, was unwilling to kill him, so he trapped azhdaha in a magically sealed tomb below a mountain. (Hence the name of this song, and the game event being called something "Mountain-queller".)
The story you play follows modern day, and azhdaha nearly escaping and defeating you alongside the depowered God of earth. But then, as you hear in the music, a moment of warmth and clarity breaks in, and that signifies there's still a part of azhdaha that remembers he was friends with Zhongli, fighting back against his own insanity. And that ultimately is what allows us to defeat him in-game. That part realizes he's a danger to everything and everyone he used to fight for and believe in, and sees that most of his own mind has forgotten everything except that Zhongli is the one that trapped him here.
So good, man. And sad. Had me in tears at a few points.
I looked at the top two comments, and I say they are both completely correct, in which Yu Peng Chen did amazing in composing the battle music and your trained ear is so good at picking up all this information from simply listening to the music.
As a former music student (from elementary to high school, I still take voice lessons and am considering doing choir in my college), I appreciate heavily that you were able to do the music justice with good explanation and amazing analysis of the sounds. It makes me heavily appreciate that I love music, and that music had been a passion of mine for quite a long time. I really do think I might join choir, not just because people have told me to, but because I think my appreciation for music has increased after this experience.
Again, thank you for this video. I'll probably be commenting on a few of your other videos now XD
Genshin Impact is one of the games I’ve played with hella sick OSTs, the composer never fails to surprise us!
Because... tell me if not: Who else thought about Zhongli's feelings as we slowly eliminated Azhdaha?
That's why Azhdaha is my fav boss. I love 2nd phase of his fight. This theme is so powerful! And it feels good just to listen to this masterpiece without sweating in a battle xD
Also if you guys don't know there's an easter egg when we have Zhongli in our team. Then Azhdaha has completely different voicelines during a battle cuz then he speaks directly to Morax
And you got everything right. That means devs of Genshin are doing really a great job if someone who never even played GI can guess all of the story just by listening to theme :)
Also if you are curious what they're singing about (translated from chinese):
"(Long ago) In the field of stars, expelling the dark shadows. (Now) Lost in the mountains and wilderness, with no way to go
Show yourself!
Since you left, this country has fallen into a terrible state. Hatred, sorrow, and grief accumulate day after day.
Panicking and not knowing where to go, I embark on the treacherous journey ahead. It's time to return!
The steep rocks and mountains withstood the test of time. Thousands of rivers rush rapidly, seemingly swallowing the sky. (But even if) Mountains fall and the earth tremors.
How can the evil (which caused all this) be eradicated? (Fate) Lonely and wandering, trapped in such a harsh place.
There is no way out of this miserable generation. The mountains are precipitous and lush, hiding the path that diverged (between you and me). Recounting how I had lost my way and wandered away from you, engulfed by the shadow of a mountain ridge."
Azdhaha is my best weekly boss!... its huge, so huge... you know ;) hehe this dragon is earth dragon, equal to me in chinese horoscope hahaha so strong! I like to see you vids every day men
Marco: 10 bucks he lives in a cave.
me taking a sip on my drink: Oh this is gonna be good.
I swear all the updates probably take forever just because hoyoverses wants to make 10 ost masterpieces every single time
This Genshin Impact OST is one of the best in the game! I also would like to recommend: Raiden Shogun - Judgment of Euthymia, from her character demo trailer.
Great content as always 👌👌👌
also released recently as OST without trailer voiceovers - called Termination of Desires
@@nyaqua ohhh I didn't knew that! Thx
Termination of Desires + her weekly boss pieces which are Thunderings of the Merciless and The Almighty Violet Thunder would make a fantastic video. The use of traditional Japanese instruments and modern electronic music is just outstanding.
it would be more nice for the whole 'Stellar Moment' Album... both from Vol 1 and Vol 2...
it would be more nice for the whole 'Stellar Moment' Album... both from Vol 1 and Vol 2...
I highly recommend giving Wrath of Monoceros Caeli a listen! It's the battle ost when you fight a member of the Fatui, Childe (your first Fatui before La Signora). Yu Peng Chen and Hoyo Mix work for Genshin's OST is INSANE.
Music helps me process my trauma through a really long and difficult time in my life. Your videos help me feel more comfortable feeling those feelings and going through them. Something about how you enjoy music and share your interpretations is really freeing. Thank you.
You’re so welcome. My pleasure and thank you for sharing
Such an amazing track and seeing you enjoy it makes me so happy, it felt like I was listening to it with a friend and yes, the music is one of the main reasons I even got into Genshin, it is always so well done and crafted to every area and every boss fight. Your analysis was on point, and I was like, how cool is it that you manage to get an idea of the story from music alone! Thank you for reacting to this piece, the video was wonderful!
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I love that traditional eastern-sounding instrument that plays around 6:22, it's probably my favorite part of the whole piece. I definitely agree with what you said about the end about how cool it is to hear all the different styles and sounds come together. One of my favorite things about Genshin's OST is how every nation in the game is based off a real culture and the music that plays in that area always tries to reflect that in the style and instruments used, really adds to the experience.
was that erhu on 6:22?
Hadn't heard of it before by name but yeah, I think it is.
@@Schuldig yup!
The fact that genshin not only made for otakus, but also those part about art, story, and music. This game is not a game, it's an art
I know this might be a stretch, but since you love this, I think you'd like the OST of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. Just a reccomend.
i played this game from the start but i never expected such masterful composing, the composer really absolutely blew everyone out of the water and they have held live orchestras too, it's just crazy
it's amazing that entire stories can be told through instrumental music and that there are some people who can immediately decode it. half of the music i listen to is instrumental but i'm accustomed to listening to things for the emotion it evokes rather than the story it's telling. it's not a skill most people think about, but i suddenly want to learn more.
I think a bit of context that adds a lot of flavor to this theme is that Azhdaha was blind (he gained the ability to see, but due to circumstances we're not sure if he still has his vision or if he can no longer see as he used to). As with any boss theme, it's gotta be epic of course, and you picked out right off the bat that Azhdaha must be some ancient huge dragon that lives in a cave (all accurate). The emphasis on rhythm and bass tones in this theme really add to the fact that Azhdaha cannot see, and I imagine hearing this song-especially live-you would really be able to feel the music like how Azhdaha feels the earth (he was essentially an earth/rock dragon).
This is really solidified when earlier in the music, there's long sequences of monotonous notes where it feels that there is less emphasis on the importance of the intonation, and more on the actual structure and rhythm of the notes. Out of curiosity, I actually checked if it matches with anything in international morse code (it doesn't interpret to anything meaningful, unfortunately), but now I'm thinking it would be kind of cool to see something communicated in dots-and-dashes via music like that.
The team behind the music in this game is actually on a totally different level from most others.
They have a diverse soundtrack for a free to play game. You should listen to Duel in the Mists, especially the music video if you want to see it performed.
Awesome reaction and awesome track! One thing I love about genshin is also that on their official channel they sometimes upload and livestreams their osts concerts, and it's my absolute favourite thing to watch the actual orchestras play my fav osts and see all the instruments used! I'm sure you would love that 🥰
New player here. Seriously i did not expect to fight a large behemoth on that simple quest. Yes this boss is formidable. Without a shield, your team will have a hard time. But the story was very sad too.
Man, you are on point on Azhdaha. ❤
In addition to these two songs, I would strongly recommend listening to "Wrath of Monoceros Caeli", which is the theme for the Tartaglia boss fight. Keep up the good work! Love it.
Best boss theme in the game hands down and one of my favorite theme from every boss theme i've heard. What i like the most from Azhdaha's theme is the language. Most boss themes i know uses latin, but Azhdaha uses old chinese in a style of Chu Ci. I truly didn't expect this at all
These videos are such a treat. In just one week, you became one of my favorite UA-camrs- I can see this channel getting really big. Love your content man!!
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Man 6:21 is definitely chills I love your reactions you don't listen to these with just a straight face but don't exaggerate too much either
I'm guessing some of this is from the quest cutscenes because it's not familiar (I played through them twice but a lot of that doesn't stick). However... at 2:19 the PTSD sets in and my brain screams, "IT'S GO TIME." Yes, Azdhakjaslkjf, Morax is here, and he's bringing co-op shields to shelter his allies.
All of phase 2's theme is extremely familiar, as by that point in the fight, either enough people brought cracked carries that dino is going down hard, orrr somebody's probably dead and it might be the healer, and everything is chaos. How many uses of my NRE do I have left? Dangit, I got marked again! GO GO GO!
Great to see you reacting to more Genshin music! Hopefully you'll listen to Tartaglia (Childe's theme) soon as its one of my favorites & its always a pleasure hearing your thoughts and your analysis on the character's backgrounds based on their themes.
Cant believe you got a lot of details about the boss right just by listening to the song. Goes to show just how much work been put into their music.
and my incredible interpretation skills :D no but they did a seriously good job.
thank you...ngl, this is my favorite OST so far from Genshin...I'm so happy, kinda got teared up when I saw the new vid title. tear of joy. thank you!
So welcome. Thank you for being here.
"I'm not sure what to make of this; I don't play the game, I don't know anything about the game."
And here we are a year later and Marco is literally voicing an in-game character. You love to see it.
Hahaha
I highly recommend giving the Tartaglia (Childe) boss themes a listen as well! Though his have less opera elements than Signora and Azhdaha, his themes were the first time my jaw has ever dropped listening to a boss theme. His boss was implemented much earlier into the game and it honestly felt like his themes were a morsel of what was to come!
Still mesmerized at how they were able to make an electric guitar sound like a whale!?!
Azdhaha's soundtrack is epic!!! I found your channel from your La Signora reaction video and admired how genuine your reactions were. I got more interested in your content as soon as I saw your posts of Final Fantasy OST reaction! (My favorite games are FFVII, FFXV, and FF Type-0!)
When you do play Genshin soon, I wish you good luck from the RNG gods and have fun!
Your reactions match mine whenever I listen to this composition while travelling wearing earphones 😂 Looking forward to watching more vids of your reactions on other game music 😊
Glad you're here. :)
Video games especially genres like JRPG's have molded my tastes in music ever since I was a child. Video games even lead me down the road of classical music like beethoven and the like.
While all my friend where listening to the newest fad band, I was rocking out to moonlight sonata. Yea all my friends thought I was an oddball, but it's what I love.
Your analysis is incredible, I love this videos and the simple opportunity of enjoying great pieces of music with someone who is knowledgeable on the matter
Aw thanks Jonny!!
This is my absolute favorite song in the whole game and the game has amazing music. You nailed it on the head with your analysis.
Man, you've been hitting all the bases with some of my favorite tracks in video games. Can't wait to see what's next!
cant wait for you to hear "Caelestinum Finale Termini" . it remains my absolute favorite among epic themes in Genshin. even with all the new amazing songs keep adding
I’d like to suggest that you watch the Azhdaha origin cutscene. It has wonderful music, animation, and story.
i love watching your videos because i rarely get to focus on the music when actually playing the game to focus on not dying in the fight. but the music is just so amazing
i absolutely love your genshin videos!! you put into words what my musically illiterate brain can't, and its so fun to watch!! i get a heart attack and an adrenaline rush every time i hear these songs in game so i never really realized the subtleties that yu peng chen puts into em, great video :D
Thank you ❤️❤️