I just listened to the MIDI (for the first time), and I can see what you mean about the circus
. It sounds ALOT different on sibelius/mp3. I might try and upload an mp3 somewhere, as it gives a much better impression of what I intended the piece to sound like.
As for the chromaticism: surely it's not that wild? Most of it is just fairly predictable chromatic falls. The slow middle section is a bit different (I venture into a bit of bi-tonality there), but that's simply for the whole "tension building" thing.
Oh...and talking of the slow middle section, that reminds me: I stole the clarinet part from The Rite of Spring. Sly
