Good idea to revisit old songs. Usually we put a lot of time and effort in them, yet as time passes we no longer like them and try to forget about them. Better to brush them up again and not let all that effort go to waste.
It does indeed sound better than the earlier version. That one sounded overcompressed. This one is more polished and balanced out. Also it's longer. The first one ended abrubtly. I like the way this one continues. I like the intro. The sounds for the strings and choir could be better. The synthetic sounds in the song are quite nice.
Thanks for hosting the event. Too bad I missed the deadline, but I have no regrets. Something good emerged from it still.